Kayon Segree - Elgin Taylor

Elgin Taylor, St Catherine

Teachers within our education system are always seeking and trying out new methods in the hope of curbing the deviant behaviour of students. Some have even attributed this state of affairs to the abolition of corporal punishment in these institutions. Hence, they have to find more subtle ways of dealing with the problem.

Kayon Segree, a young grade-two teacher at Friendship Primary School in Spanish Town, St Catherine, recently shared with The Star her plans to cope with such situations.

"At present, I am pursuing a bachelor's degree in guidance and counselling. I believe this area of study will help me to relate better to my students. And not only my students, but also their parents as well. I am at the point where only my thesis remains to be completed," she beamed.

Segree, who is a student at the International University of the Caribbean in St Andrew, explained that students hold a special place in her heart.

Very smart

"These students are very special to me. Sometimes I get down to their level of thinking. We play games together. They are very smart," she said.

She related the story of one of her students who cannot read well but shows an aptitude for mathematics.

"You know he is not the best of readers, but can do math well. Believe me, most of the problems he worked out in his head," she said.

She pointed out that other persons would probably need calculators to work out the same problems.

Born in Craig Head, Manchester, Segree said she always wanted to become a teacher. This desire intensified in later years when she was a student at Holmwod Technical High School. She said, however, that at one stage, some friends tried to discourage her, but an older sister, Elsa, provided the necessary moral support.

It so transpired that both ladies ended up together at St Joseph's Teachers' College in St Andrew from which Kayon graduated in June 2003 with a diploma in primary education.

Her first teaching job was for four months, September - December 2003, at Hillel Academy in St Andrew. She has been teaching at her present school since January 2004.

A believer in continuous learning, Segree hopes to instill this notion in her students. She notes that they are from different homes and different social backgrounds, and that this in itself presents a challenge. She is, however, hopeful that through her training in guidance and counselling, they will receive the necessary support in order to reach their full potential in life.