What will Happen To Us At The End Of This Program?

Does anyone of my colleagues in this Reading Program ever wonder what our fate will be at the end of this program? I know that I do wonder and especially so because of the change in government. I wonder if anyone has told the new Education Minister that there exists such a program so that it can be and by extension WE (the future first Reading Specialists) can be considered in his new vision for education in T&T. I think it will be a great opportunity for SEMP the initiator of this program to get together a group of us to sit and collate a plan for the way ahead. I plan tp put forward this idea to Mr G. Sarkar and others from the Unit. We need to begin now to plan what the way forward as the first group of Reading Specialists.
Our task is not an easy one but it is a MUCH NEEDED ONE and having common a goal/mission/vision will make it easier. One of the first goal I believe is to let that Ministry REMEMBER that we are here and in the next few months when we are finished what do they plan for us?
We all will readily agreee that our schools need us, our communities need us, our country needs us even our region needs us but do they know that we are here, preparing (academically) and will be coming in the next few months?

Hello and Welcome

Hello and Welcome
Hello and Welcome
My name is Edlin Rochford and I am a Secondary school teacher with a passion for life, teaching and seeking new knowledge especially in the esoteric field.
I am pursuing my Masters in Reading and I am happy about this in that I was given the opportunity to become a Reading Specialist the first such Degree offered in Trinidad. Thus far the course has met my expectations and in true Rochfordesque manner I am looking for the greatness that will come at the completion!
What drives and sustain me is a question that I am frequently asked? I am internally driven by me need to reach the highest that I am called to reached and my sustaining grace is my curiosity to see what is down the road for me and those with whom I interact and have a vested interested in. The latter is my main ingredient as I teach…I look at each student and I say to them and myself I am doing this because I want to see where you can reach, what you can be in the years to come.
I am a believer in the power of the thought and have been practicing thinking mostly positive affirming thoughts. All I can say is that “It Works” and the evidence is my life.
What have I learned so far on this course? I think the revelation that has impacted my teaching life is the fact that each teacher is called to be a ’reading teacher’. As simple as it may sound it is a serious call because as an English teacher I feel as if I and all my colleagues are solely to responsible for all the struggling readers who we teach. To hear that every teacher is a reading teacher helps in that now I can share information on how to help those same struggling readers with my colleagues in content areas and not feel as if I am forcing them to do something that I am solely responsible for.
I welcome the 21st century with all its exciting expectations.