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Beverly Dias Sculpting young minds

Beverly Dias with her young charges - Yolande Gyles

IT WAS A regular Sunday morning at church for Beverly Dias, that is until she got a note that would change her life.

The note, Mrs. Dias told THE STAR, was an invitation for a whole new career and way of life. "The note said 'do you want a job" said Dias. Interested in what the opportunity could have meant she went to the lady who had sent it to her.

"She told me about a basic school in De La Vega City that was looking for teachers," she said. The year was 1993 and the school was De La Vega City Basic School in Spanish Town.

Rewarding career

Dias, then a dressmaker, was not a trained teacher and the only experience she had with toddlers was from her own six children - Annmarie, Dennis Jr, Andrea, Denton, Terry-Ann and Andrene. However, she was not deterred and soon started on a rewarding career.

"Sometimes it is hard and you are frustrated for different reasons but the children they make it worthwhile," said Dias. "They will come to you and say 'miss you are pretty' or 'I love you miss' and if you were having a bad day they will make it better."

In 1999, Dias and her family moved to Portmore, St.Catherine and soon after she left De La Vega City Basic School after acting as its principal.

That move she said was very hard for her. "It was heartbreaking and I cried a lot. I felt like I was lost for sometime."

Tragedy

That same year her husband of 19 years, Dennis senior died adding more pain to an already hard year.

However, she began to heal when she started working at The Holy Spirit Basic School in Newlands, Portmore. She has been there for the past five years where she teaches five-year-olds.

But tragedy once again entered Dias's life when she lost her first son, Dennis Jr. "He was murdered by gunmen in Florida last year," she told THE STAR. "It was a hard blow for the family," she admitted.

Nevertheless she has not let her pain stop her life. Dias is currently pursuing a level II certification course in Early Childhood Education. "I have learnt so many things and it has made me a much better teacher," she says of the programme.

She says she will continue to make use of the training opportunities afforded to her. "I want to be very professional, I want to know the right things to do. I want to know how to be able to diagnose children's behaviour and work according to that," said Dias.