Anthony Minott, Star Writer

Teacher Ingrid Findlay attends to one of her student during school. - Anthony Minott

Just short of her 30th birthday and only three years into the teaching profession, Ingrid Findlay, a grade four teacher at Independence City Primary in Portmore, St. Catherine, is dedicated to educating the nation's youths.

Ms. Findlay told THE STAR that youthful exuberance and a love for teaching are some of the factors that have driven her in the classroom, even though lucrative opportunities were at her doorstep. Findlay, a former customs officer for eight years, was inspired to take on a career in teaching by a former employee of the Jamaica Customs office in Kingston.

"It was a co-worker of mine at my former workplace Jamaica Customs office in Kingston who encouraged me to go into teaching based on how dedicated I was to my job," the Portmore teacher said. "I ensured that I finished my job on time, and she (my former co-worker) said that we really need dedicated persons like me in teaching," Ms. Findlay added. She said that she loves working with children and that's an added motivation.

"I really love children - I want all the children in our society to learn to read and write; in my opinion most of the crime and violence in our society is caused by men who can't read and write. I honestly felt that I could make a difference, even with one person. I felt I could turn around the life of that person," Findlay said emphatically.

Originally from Trelawny, Ms. Findlay attended the Troy All-Age School in the parish before enrolling at Albert Town High, in a neighbouring district. However, her stay at this rural school was brief as she migrated to Garveymeade, Portmore, to live with her grandmother soon after. While in the Sunshine City Ms. Findlay attended the Willowdene High School in Spanish Town, St. Catherine.

After graduating from high school, she worked at Jamaica Customs from 1995-2003, but fate would allow her to switch professions as she enrolled at St. Joseph's Teachers' College part- time in 1999 and spent four years there. At the end of her course she resigned from Jamaica Customs, applied to Independence City Primary, was accepted and has not looked back since.

The young educator said that her best experience in her short teaching career was her first year at her present school. "The class that I taught had some students that usually stayed away from class, and for the entire school year those students remained in class and learnt something, and even when they were elevated to a higher grade they still stayed in class and I am glad that I was able to get them to do some school work instead of staying out of the classroom," Findlay recalled.

A staunch disciplinarian, Findlay said she got this trait from her grandmother and her early introduction to values and attitudes from church.

Ms. Findlay is single and has two brothers and sisters, none of whom are teachers. She confessed that she has three cousins who are teachers but all of them got into the profession after her.

Findlay, a resident of Waterford, said that the government needs to provide more equipment to improve the education sector. "We need more hands-on things for students in schools because students are mainly visual learners," she said, adding that the way forward for education is to let it be more affordable for all Jamaican youths. "We need to make education affordable, especially for children from the inner cities and government needs to subsidise the cost of books," she concluded.