Imparting loyalty, discipline, and understanding – ‘Sir Mars’

DPI, GUYANA, Thursday, October 5, 2017

‘The teaching profession while it is a lovely profession should not be considered as an easy road because, “dealing with children as whole considering the different backgrounds, makeup, and minds, it will not be easy”.

Kerwin Mars

A teacher, also called a school teacher or an educator is a person who helps others to acquire knowledge, competence or values. Despite this was not the career path he had envisioned for himself, Senior Teacher Kerwin Mars also known as ‘Sir Mars’ – attached to North Ruimveldt Multilateral Secondary School (NRMSS), decided to take a chance after heeding the advice of his former headteacher.

Mars told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that he had visited his former head teacher and confided that he was seeking a part-time job to keep himself occupied whilst attending the University of Guyana (UG). He was quickly convinced to take up teaching as a full-time profession and began on January 16, 1992.

“I met with a former headteacher of mine by the name of Velma Lynch who was presently overseeing North Ruimveldt Multilateral Secondary School (NRMSS) and told her that I wanted to do a part-time job and she had asked me why a part-time when you can do full time. However, getting into the business of teaching I never really thought about, but as a small boy I used to beat all of the trees, you could think about, I remember beating trees till I fell over into a trench,” he reminisced.

Mars said that he agreed to join the NRMSS staff on a part-time basis. Shortly after he was advised to seriously consider further training if he intended to continue in the profession. He recalled immediately applying for the appropriate classes that enabled him to become the educator he is today, molding the young minds of Guyana.

Mars noted that some of his best moments at NRMSS were due to the loyalty, discipline, and understanding shown by his students. He was able to impart these attributes after befriending the students and explaining what is expected of them as representatives of the school and himself as their teacher. Mars added that his students have never disappointed him and hope that it will continue to be so.

“I remember I had a student who was also the class monitor [name given] who ordered a parent out of my class after that parent burst into my classroom in a rage and created a scene. The class monitor gently told the parent to refrain from their behaviour and asked that they leave. The entire classroom even joined in and asked as well, which they (the parent) did and I got up locked my classroom door,” Mars explained.

According to Mars, the exemplary conduct of the students was purely the benefit of being a teacher who has been able to instill good discipline and manners in his pupils. He opined that those lessons taught will prove to be beneficial to them as they enter the world of work and conduct themselves in an appropriate manner.

Mars noted that some of his best moments at NRMSS involved interacting with his students through various games, marching or school sports. He opined that those were and still are his best years.

“I remember playing all kind of games with my students that vary from hopscotch, Chinese skipping, cricket, and marbles – playing like two-hole, three-hole, one-hole gam and even kicksies. Everything you think possible I used to play with students and it makes it easier for me even in my subject area (Integrated Science). When we are doing this, I would tell them the science behind it even when we are jumping in Chinese skipping I showed them the science behind it and it was fun and it is still fun to this day for me.”

Mars said there are numerous benefits to being a teacher. He is particularly proud when he sees old students successfully employed in various areas across the country and knows that he was a part of their development and growth.

 

By: Neola Damon