Alecia Murphy - Elgin Taylor

By Elgin Taylor, Star Writer

It is the generally held view that the expansion of information technology in the last 20 years has had a tremendous impact on society.

It has changed, once and for all, the way people gather, process, store, retrieve and spread information. It has heralded in the information age.

Alecia Murphy, a young teacher of information technology at Bog Walk High School in St. Catherine, agrees with some researchers that the revolution has had far-reaching consequences for education.

"Yes, it is a most important part of education and society in general," she told THE STAR.

"My mantra is that no one is completely literate until they are computer literate. I have observed, too, that the knowledge of computers enhances students' abilities in other subject areas," she said.

She went on to explain that a knowledge of the characteristics of information would enable students to write better essays, as they would learn how to be precise and not stray from the point.

Police tradition

Murphy, who was born in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, grew up in Riversdale and Time and Patience. As a youngster, her sights were set on continuing a family tradition - to become a police officer.

"You see, my grandfather and father were members of the police force, and I wanted to keep the tradition going," she revealed.

"However, somewhere along the line, my priority changed. I believe it was due to my high school years when I developed this love for young people and the teaching profession."

High praises

Murphy had high praises for the nurture she received at her alma mater, Bog Walk High School. She attended that institution from September 1998 to July 2003.

"Just great, I tell you, just great," she said with emotion welling up in her voice. "The principal, staff and students have been very supportive."

A past head girl of Bog Walk High, she made special mention of Sharon Williams, a teacher, who helped her gained the confidence necessary to apply for the position.

She stated that she was surprised by the love and respect shown her by the students during her tenure.

She obtained her teachers' diploma from Moneague College after a course of study which lasted from September 2004 to June 2006. She returned to Bog Walk as a teacher on September 1, 2006.

Regarding the future, this young, talented teacher had this to say: "I am hoping my students get a lot of grade ones in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) information technology."

It appears that the affairs of the students saturate her mind. This augurs well for the cause of education.