“I admired them (teachers) a lot, because they were women who were disciplinarians, they were respected, stern, but at the same time, oh so elegant. I knew that was the person I wanted to become, and I pursued it feverishly.”By Kiana WilburgFrom a very young age, the life of Mayleen Davis was filled with academic enrichment. Teachers were her superheroes and today, she is still in awe of their life-changing impact, as she was 80 years ago.When she was first inspired by the art and power of teaching, she confronted various questions such as, “What makes a great teacher?”Of course credentials, knowledge, critical thinking, and all other faculties of intelligence are important. But when she started this journey, she soon realized that a great teacher should be much more than credentials, experience and intelligence.Mrs. Davis asserted that a great teacher shows kindness to students, colleagues, parents and those around her/him. She said that a great teacher is also one who is compassionate.The educator, with some 35 years of experience under her belt, said that a teacher who is compassionate models that characteristic to the students with her/his actions, and as a result, students will be more open to understanding the world around them.Mrs. Mayleen DavisOur ‘Special Person’ beautifully adorned on her wedding dayShe noted too that a great teacher is also a builder, one who bridges gaps and builds relationships, friendships, and a community.Mrs. Davis reflected that as an educator, she has learned that teachers must always look to make things better and improve things in and outside of the classroom. Building a community, she emphasised, is something a great teacher seeks to do in the classroom and extends that to the entire school and its community.She also stressed that while a teacher “can have more degrees than a heatwave”, it would not matter if they don’t seek to inspire through their work.This outstanding educator said that everyone looks at a great teacher and they want to be a better student or even a better person. She asserts that a great teacher also uncovers hidden treasures, possibilities and magic right before everyone’s eyes.Demonstrating the aforementioned qualities for almost four decades would convince anyone that teaching has certainly been the food for Mrs. Davis’ still effervescent soul.But her interests today, which essentially speak to the value of community service and the beauty of kindness, can be traced back to her childhood days among inspiring role models such as teachers and her wonderful parents.In fact, with her own life as a testimony, she shows the power of service to others, be it to her past students, her family, or those she helped through innumerable charity works.At age 90, this graceful woman is still passionate about helping others; hence she has been selected to be featured in this week’s ‘Special Person’ edition.CHILDHOODMayleen Davis was born on November 30, 1925 to Frank and Christina Welcome. She spent part of her childhood in Sisters Village,
Wholesale Stitched Jerseys, Berbice.She said “My childhood in the countryside was beautiful and quiet. I enjoyed it there. But what really left an impact on me was the teachers who surrounded my world at the time. At the time, I was attending the Church of the Scotland School, and that was in Friends Village.”The Davis FamilyMrs. Davis when she served as a teacherShe continued, “The teachers sometimes came all the way from New Amsterdam and that was seven miles from my home. Because my mother was also an educator, the teachers would stay over at our home and go over to the school which was in Friends Village. They stayed over because travelling from Sisters Village to New Amsterdam everyday was arduous. But having them over was almost surreal.”The nonagenarian said that having those educators in her circle had an impact on her life.She added,
Wholesale Jerseys, “Being part of the conversations and the interactions were all too enriching, and it really shaped the woman I wanted to become. I admired them a lot, because they were women who were disciplinarians, they were respected,
Cheap China Jerseys, stern, but at the same time, oh so elegant. I knew that was the person I wanted to become,
cheap jerseys, and I pursued it feverishly.”But at age 12, Mayleen’s parents relocated to Georgetown and occupied a humble abode in Lacytown.PURSUE YOUR DREAMSShe was soon enrolled at the Broad Street Government School – now known as Dolphin Secondary. And though she was no longer surrounded on a daily basis by the educators of Berbice, the fire for teaching remained within her soul.“Joining that school was a whole new experience for me because in Berbice,China Jersye
