Elgin Taylor, STAR Writer

Shanique Cornwall - Elgin Taylor

St Catherine

At a time when the teaching profession is virtually under seige by unruly students and when teachers are said to be overworked and surviving on a meagre salary, it is good to see that young people like Shanique Cornwall are still gravitating towards the profession.

Cornwall, from May Pen, Clarendon, told The Star she had no qualms about entering the teaching profession. "Teaching to me is motivation," she stated enthusiastically. "I feel good to know that I am able to help at least one person to achieve, to learn even one thing new."

She is categorised as a pre-trained graduate, having obtained a degree without the requisite teacher certification. She graduated from the University of Technology in June 2007 with a bachelor's degree in nutrition. She joined the staff at Old Harbour High School in St Catherine in September of that same year. It is her first teaching job.

Cornwall believes that teaching the integrated aspects of science, that is, chemistry, biology and physics, to grades 7, 8 and 9 students is not all there is to her teaching job.

"I believe it is very important to pass on to these students wholesome values and attitudes during your interaction with them," she stated emphatically. "As a past student of Westwood High School, I know this all too well. We were taught to be proper ladies, with respect for self and others, and I know I can be a role model for them."

Westwood High School is located in Stewart Town, Trelawny.

This young, caring, enthused and enterprising teacher believes that there are several areas in education which are in need of improvement. These include the need for schools to be properly equipped with computers and related gadgets, in order to keep apace with the technological age. She would also like to see adequate and proper furnishing in the classes, which would see to the comfort level of the students. This, she posits, would result in better performance.

In the near future, Cornwall plans to do research into the cause of diseases. She said that she would then be in a better position to assist a wide cross-section of persons with their maladies and afflictions.