Letter to Myself

This letter writes from my professional teacher-self to the personal educator in me.

Barataria North Secondary School

Sixth Avenue Extension

Barataria

Trinidad West Indies

Mathematics Department

Las Lomas # 1

Chin Chin Road

Cunupia

24 October, 2020

Dear Mrs Teelucksingh,

I have been approved by the Ministry of Education to enroll into the Postgraduate

Diploma in Education 2020-2021, and I immediately accepted that offer. I know this is where

my love for learning and teaching will overflow from my mind and heart into my soul.

Teaching is that career that allows me to always learn something new, and this knowledge

will be able to bear fruits in our most precious resource: our children. The chance to be a

student again, with new instructional methods and emerging technologies definitely spelt that

I must become a teacher. I have been taught by great teachers, who offered quality teaching

from their wealth of knowledge. Mathematics, from Primary to Secondary and throughout

Tertiary was a language I understood and wanted to share. I have been exposed to many who

did not enjoy Mathematics for all it has to offer, and I wanted to express that love for the

subject in teaching.
 This programme complements my career and for the first time, working and studying

intersect. I will be able to implement the techniques immediately in my teaching practice and

appreciate the worth of this professional training. I hope that this programme will redefine

and solidify my purpose as a Mathematics teacher, supported by my two main multiple

intelligences: Mathematical/Logical and Teaching-Pedagogical (Gardner, 1983). Prior to my

(first) appointment at Barataria North Secondary, I thought that I had become the educator I

needed to be: I had arrived as a Mathematics teacher, reaching the desired grades with the

students. Years later at this current school, my first clinical supervision post evaluation

revealed the following: teacher-centred, lack of classroom student activities, too much

teacher voice, lack of manipulatives, inconsistent set induction, insufficient time for lesson

closure. I asked myself, “What are all these terms?” and “How do I know what to do in the

classroom now?” The lesson plan was also a document that I never incorporated in my

classrooms in the past, and now I am intrigued by such an outline. My present colleagues

encouraged me to attend all workshops that my schedule will allow, but always reminded me,

“When you do DipEd, you will know and see for yourself.” I want to join in the conversation

about Pedagogy, and deliver into the classroom with full confidence, the best strategies that

teaching has to offer.

In this programme, I want to fully develop the Mathematics Teacher in me, and fully

express my metaphor. This will show me that teaching is more than a job, but an opportunity

to help students not only develop academic, but life skills. I hope to eventually make an

effective difference in the lives of children to shape them into functional adults. I believe as a

leader; success is about fostering the growth in others.

Yours sincerely,

Reean Teelucksingh.