Congo Town – The Country Director of Cummings Africa Foundation, Dr. Wade Elliott-Brownell has urged graduates of Teach For Liberia (TFL) to create a conducive teaching and learning environment in an effort to produce good-quality students.
Serving as the Keynote speaker of the first and second cohorts’ commencement which were combined, Dr. Brownell told graduates to have a teaching philosophy that will provide direction and guardian on how they intend to provide knowledge for their students.
According to her, TLF has qualified them to be effective, productive, passionate teachers as they go about producing quality students, future nation-builders, and productive citizens.
Said Dr. Brownell, “You have a grave responsibility, especially those who are primary teachers you are molding the minds of our young people.”
“As you can see, education is very important for nation-building, the development of a family, society, and nation.”
She cautioned graduates to primarily focus on the outcome of the students, the impact they can make in the world whether than receiving money as teachers for reward.
She further said good education provided by qualified teachers is the key to eliminating gender inequality, reducing poverty, creating a sustainable earth, to preventing needless death and illness and to fostering peace.
“Each of you here must create a teaching philosophy. You have to decide how you going to teach, who you are going to teach and what will be your outcome, how will you measure what you have taught,” she said.
“So your teaching philosophy is your statement that identifies and clarifies your beliefs, your value, and your understanding of yourself as a teacher.”
Also Speaking the Chief Executive Officer for TFL, Madam Alicia Ann Caesar said the institution is a leadership development program that trained individuals with first degrees into teachers to teach underserved schools.
Madam Caesar said that total of 38 fellows completed the two years teaching in-school program from both cohort one and two and was permitted to sit an examination for C- Certificates from the Ministry of Education in which 29 fellows passed successfully and were awarded certificates after completion of the nine weeks training exercise.
She said that the fellows’ program is currently active in four counties, mainly Montserrado, Margibi, Lofa and Bomi. counties respectively but are about to extend to Grand Bassa county.
Madam Caesar who revealed that they have been accredited as Professional Teaching Institution said they were able to support 22 partner schools with over 3,000 students across these counties benefitting.
“The two-year journeys making a positive impact in their classrooms and communities were fellows learned classroom management.”
“We are grateful to the Ministry of Education for awarding C-Certificates to our graduates for their hard work,” She said.
Also speaking, the Advisory Board Director, Dr. T. Nelson Williams reminded the graduates of turbulent times but said they should stand in the gap in the educational sector.
Said, Dr. Williams, ” The young boys need good role models. So I want to encourage you, you have an obligation, what you say and what you do will make an impact on the lives of those young people.”