Hi,
My name is Reah Rampersad and I am an educator at a secondary institution which is located in the rural district of Trinidad. This is the first institution that I was assigned to and it was indeed an inauguration into learning more about my environment and developing my pedagogical skills. More so, it enhanced my vision and passion into understanding my students better and propelled me into searching for ways that I can assist them more effectively.
During the course of my teaching experiences at the institution and based upon remarks from senior teachers at the school, I discovered that the social background of the students was one of the factors that contributed to students’ poor academic performance, that is, their inability to comprehend what they read and expand their knowledge in spelling and vocabulary. On many occasions, I am faced with students who are reluctant to participate in class activities or do any home work. Additionally, the words “reading” and “spelling” appear to be a sin for students.
Although I was born in the millennial age, and can attest to some of the things that captivate students’ attention in learning, I know that there is still a lot more that I need to learn in order to broaden my perspective as an educator in making learning more meaningful and fun to my students. Just as technology is growing rapidly as “the wink of an eye,” I know that it is my responsibility to adapt to the changes by integrating the appropriate medium of technology into the curriculum in order to alleviate the problem of illiteracy in Trinidad and Tobago.
Therefore, when I heard that the Master of Education degree in Reading was being offered for the first time, I knew that it was what I needed in order to better equip my students for a successful future. Thus far, the experience during this program has been viable.
