 They have served and served well. They have helped shape character and personality, yet allowed creativity and individuality. They gave their lives to the education system. This is Reminiscent and this is their story. We forgot them somehow. We had enough. We forgot them. Mrs. Jean-Bernel taught in the library all her teaching days. But I taught in Oji. But since we both live in the library I know that she was very well respected by parents and the children. I'm not sure how long she stayed in teaching but for many, many years she was the principal of the library school. And what I can say about her is she was an excellent person. Everybody spoke well about her. Very interested in the welfare of the children respected by parents and a popular person. I must say my education started at home with my mother who although very poor but was very interested in education. So even before I went to school I was already learning my alphabet at home. I started out at the Bensla Grass, the then Bensla Grass infant school at the age of four. And after a short stay there I came down to the village to live with an aunt and I went to a private school Mrs. Alceste St. Helene's private school. After a few years there I was transferred to the library girl's primary. I believe it was at that time the principal was Mrs. Marie Kallix, Ms. George at the time and this is where I got the bulk of my education. I was fortunate to have a very good teacher Ms. Villanuele-Louise who really instilled in us the importance of giving of our best every day in every subject. Lucky too that my father was very interested in my education and whenever I came home from school I was asked questions about what I learned in school how did I do and so on and that kept up my interest. I loved books and so I read every book I could lay my hands on. I read avidly. This habit has remained with me and even up to now I am an avid reader. Then at age 14 you'd be surprised at age 14 I was appointed a pupil teacher in standard six. From there I went through the pupil teacher system and in 1960 I became a certificated teacher. The principal along with my class teacher they thought that I had the qualities necessary for being a teacher in that I was, you would say sort of a person dedicated to my work. I was a sort of a no-nonsense child who took my duties seriously and I was able to get along with others and probably they saw in me somebody if given a chance would do well and I don't think I have failed them in that regard. In 1963 I went to Barbados to be trained. At Odistan I'm training college. From there when I returned I sort of went back to my old school library girls and after a few years when Villano-Louisey left I was made acting principal. Suffice it to say I stayed in that position for almost six years as an acting principal during this time Miss Louisey was in Canada furthering her studies and when she did not return the post was advertised I applied and I was made principal. Soon after I left in 1969 I was awarded a bursary and I went to the University of Oxford Department of Education where I did an advanced diploma in advanced certificate in teacher education During that time I also spent a short stint in France learning about the French education system. I returned and once again at library girls I tried to put a lot of new ideas that I had learned into practice and I must say I was determined that the school should be amongst the top schools in the island with hard work and a very disciplined staff a very hard working staff we were able to achieve just this. Mrs Agafa of Charpanel I know her as a no-nonsense principal in district 2 she is a hard working lady I must say I must commend her to that one when it comes to something that she wants she will go all the way out to achieve the goals that she wants to get. Three years later I was awarded another bursary and this time I went to Australian overseas students training institute there I spent some time again and I must say this was very good for me because there I met with teachers from all over the world and we studied the new trends in education that helped me quite a lot I am very grateful for the time I spent at that training institute in Sydney, Australia I retired in 2000 after giving 46 years of my life to the teaching service I don't regret a minute of it and I will still say and maintain that I am a teacher at heart I started out with, as I told you Louise who was instrumental in saying that we did things I must say we, I mean the members of staff at that time we did things the right way and she wouldn't take no for an answer then came along Miss Marie Josephine George later Mrs. Calix and here was a lady outstanding she demanded the best she was adamant and she sought to it that whatever it is we had to do we did it well Miss George I must say really molded me and this might come in as an aside but it is true you know in those days school was much closer to the church than now now when I say church I mean being managed by the Catholic managers and Mrs. Calix and the manager were very good friends and he, that manager father Paqui at the time you wouldn't believe it he took an interest a keen interest in our studies after school a group of us teachers would stay in school to study we had a study team and he would come and help us along he was very good at teaching us how to summarize a passage or chapter in fact how to get the main points and we followed that trend I was somewhat weak in maths and a teacher from the then library boys' school Don Atlas Centime Keith Centime most people know him by was very good at maths and he would come to our group and help us with the maths there were persons like the late Veronica Monroe who became principal of Conways there was Roof Brett now Mrs. Louis there was Lera Paul now Mrs. Lamontine and a few others and Nila Alphonse also as a study group we studied together did a lot of things together and I must say all of us did very well in our exams one of the challenges I had was getting some members of my staff to submit the scheme of work the plan of work on time and while some were adept at doing this you know as always there were a few who were lackadaisical in that respect and no matter how much I tried to impress on them the importance of submitting your scheme and record so that I could go through it and help you out they were still it used to hurt me and I did a simple thing in the office I had you could call it a billboard if you want and on that in big bowl letters teachers who have not submitted the scheme and record and the lesson plans and their names were printed on that board so that other teachers who came knew who didn't submit students who came to the office knew that the teachers had not submitted the scheme and record that was one way I succeeded in getting them to submit the scheme and record of work on time other challenges if I knew a teacher was weak in a subject area I would assign her to another teacher who was strong in that area and had them to work together and I also went in to help in fact some of the principals in my time thought I was setting a bad precedent in that I actually taught I had a class the standard four was my class I went around the other classes helping in areas that I knew the teachers were weak in sometimes they had a lot to do and I would say if you have difficulty, if you have a difficulty please let me know and I would be prepared to take the lesson for you but don't come to me now for now give me some advance notice so that I too can prepare that was another way in which as a principal I helped my staff and we grew very close if the teacher was teaching and she felt that the teacher may not have been giving enough information she would step in I don't think at that time we would fill in here we would be too happy for her to come in and take over the lesson and both the teacher and the students would learn from her and I think Mrs. Jopanel is that person we can rely on any information you want anyone who says they have accomplished everything that they wanted doing life I don't think Agatha Jopanel will support them very much there because everyday things keep changing and you want to do things in a way that would improve whatever it is you are doing improve it but to say that I have accomplished everything I would say there are still a few things I would have loved to do but there is one thing I did however which I must say brought joy to my heart I never wanted a child to leave my school being unable to achieve at least what it was capable of achieving and I used to feel very bad when we went to meetings and we would hear children not achieving the scoring zero in a subject area no, that didn't happen at Labrigus I made sure of that and what did I do? sometimes I wouldn't say I defied ministry's orders but I did things that I thought were good for the students for example we would sit as a staff and look at our children from standard two up at the time we would call it standard from standard two any weak child we would take off that child from standard two, three, four we would bring all these children together we didn't do it from standard one because that was the time they came into us from the infant school and we wanted to give them a foundation we would take those children personally, I gave them to a member I chose that teacher myself a member of staff and I said to her listen these children are falling behind in many areas I trust you I know you can do it I want you to bring up these children to a stage where they can write the common entrance and succeed even my education officer at that time told me no, they have only one chance they won't be able to do it this teacher worked with the children I said listen don't follow the syllabus that we have there we will draw up something on our own we did that I must tell you 90% of these students passed the common entrance exam well, we were happy about that and those who didn't we are sure that at least they left school able to write a good letter they left school being able to understand what it is they wanted to do in life and so on Mrs. Chapanel will always be remembered as the pillar of library girls during her tenure here she had a very close relationship with her staff everybody felt free to approach her under any circumstance I remember the time when library girls seemed not to be doing too well and she decided she would place all streamed students place all the weak ones in one group that was the first time we were trying that we were not sure of what would what the results would be everybody agreed she did that gave a class to a teacher and you would be surprised at the results she did not just give the class to the teacher she was there for support she learned every bit of support that she could and in the end we were very happy that she did so gradually students were able to return to their classes and we were able to move on quite smoothly I have always been a keen member of the Centrucia Teachers Union I joined the Centrucia Teachers Union one year after I entered the profession due again to the assistance of my principal of the time Mrs. Kalyx from that day I have tried in fact I tried every union activity yes I was a very active member of the library branch and I encouraged others when I became principal you know some persons were saying oh now that you are principal you can't involve yourself so much in the aphasia I said what? can't involve myself and to be honest there were only about five principals who took an active part in all that the union was going through when we had marches you could count the number of principals apart from the president you could count the number of principals who came out in support of the teachers on your right hand the figures of your right hand they were thought to be they were middle of management and they shouldn't involve themselves in such activities not Agatha Jean-Ponel I was in the thick of things I was criticized it didn't matter I supported my union I became trustee of the union and I must say I am pleased that the very first piece of real estate that the union possessed which is the headquarters at La Cleire together with Miss Bond and Jaya Bond we signed that document giving the St. Crucial Teacher's Union its first piece of real estate Mrs. Jean-Ponel shared her experience in trade unionism there were times when we were involved in negotiations with the government for salaries and conditions of service and we used the opportunity to discuss with her and she shared her views she gave us her opinion which helped a lot in the union deciding on the position which we took my proudest moment when the view for secondary school was opened government at the time offered 10 scholarships for the children from the south and my class at the time because I was teaching we won 9 out of the 10 scholarships I cannot tell you how proud I was oh it has left a glow in my heart up to today discipline has gone down discipline among students I don't know exactly where to lay the blame but I don't know if it is because teachers on the whole how would you say they are fed up with the behavior of some students that is one they do not get enough support from the parents the parents themselves so much trying very hard but because of the way they work the hours of work the children are left to themselves a lot of the times and they cannot have that control that they had over the children I know we have to move with the times but probably we are moving faster in fact we are running even before we can take a good quick step what has changed a lot of children have benefitted from secondary education secondary education is now well as we see almost all over the place and we have universal secondary education we don't think some of our students are taking advantage of that in our days you had to struggle to go to St. Mary's College or St. Joseph's convent now there are secondary schools all over the island you have well-trained teachers who are prepared to give up their time and now some of our pupils don't seem to realize that they don't seem to realize that communities that are there lying in wait for them we didn't have that back then I would love to see children taking more of an interest an active interest in their education and parents giving well I would say more time paying more attention to what their children are doing baby this is one way forward I feel so proud when I see some of the areas where my past students have excelled in maybe I can give you this as a little aside I can remember sitting at my desk one day and a little child came up to me and said teacher, when are you retiring? I was somewhat taken aback I said to her I'm not quite yet I have a few more years but why did you ask? she said to me teacher you see I want to be a doctor now imagine she was in grade four at the time she said to me I want to be a doctor and I want to come back here and meet you here okay if you are serious you can do it so she is inclusion's chief medical officer she did come back to the school and meet me there and spoke to the children and encouraged them all along well I just mentioned her because that was you know why I mentioned her the fact that she came to me and said you stay there until I return and I did in fact my time wasn't up but a lot of other girls who have done well there nurses well don't talk for teachers a lot of them have become teachers and principals education offices so I'm very proud and even those who have not attained these high status they are honest people people who would not pass me by if they didn't greet me and they are giving up their best because I always told them no matter where you are placed it is not what you do but how you do it this is the important thing all of us can be doctors all of us can be education offices or principals no but goodness me if you are called to be something else do it to the best of your ability there is joy there is satisfaction in this I have known her all my life from stage 2 up to being a qualified teacher she was a disciplinary however she always aimed for success on the top and she did not want to hear that you cannot do it you have to she is aiming at it and of course she wants her school to shine no matter what you do you have to aim for the best she cannot accept no to the teachers I say do not allow the times and I say the times I mean the wrong things we see going around don't let that debar you from giving of your best at all times realize that you are shaping helping to shape children you are helping children who will become the leaders of tomorrow so at all times give of your best and instill in children a sense of dignity a sense of pride in who they are to the children I would say make the most of your opportunity there are places in the world where people are fighting for an education you have it here secondary education you can say that your fingertips take advantage of it don't waste your time give of your best I have not slowed down I still work on several committees I in fact I this my last committee let me see which one is it now in CF I like working in CF because it is a committee that helps the disadvantaged and I always believe in helping those who need help in my community I serve in any way that I can in the church in the general things that happen in the village I am called upon by many organizations church based socially based in all ways whatever it is that I can do I do I am a social person I like helping and I will continue to do that for as long as I can