Essequibo educator chalks up 39 years of unblemished service

By Yannason Duncan, March 9, 2014, By KNews, Filed Under News, Source

When the name ‘Miss Sybil Munroe’ is mentioned on the Essequibo Coast, words such as intelligent, hard-working, influential and committed immediately come to mind. This is understandable since Miss Munroe is a well known educator, who has for close to four decades offered her teaching service diligently to schools on the Essequibo Coast.

Her friendly but firm style of teaching over the years ensured that ‘Miss Munroe’ would become a “household name’.  Students, as well as those within the teaching fraternity, both past and present, have over the years lauded the contributions of this ardent educator who has for 39 years taught many students, many of whom went to become productive members of society.

Retired: Miss Sybil Munroe

But last month marked a “bitter sweet” moment for Miss Munroe when she retired as the Acting Deputy Head of the C. V. Nunes Primary School.

At a simple ceremony her service was classified as outstanding as she was able to add tremendous value to the lives of young children, some of whom gained passes to attend several top Secondary Schools. Miss Munroe was also recognized for her efforts towards moulding the minds of the young children in her charge, thereby aiding their development both mentally and physically in preparation for the world of works.

And it is certainly no surprise that she remained in the teaching profession for so many years as Miss Munroe, from a young age, had embraced the passion to teach.

She related that her early inspiration to become a teacher was from her aunt who was also a teacher for a number of years. In fact, she recalled being told many stories of the joys her aunt experienced as a teacher.

And since she was sure teaching was the path for her, as soon as she left school she too was ambitiously pursuing a career in teaching.

Her first teaching experience was at the Abram Zuil Government (Primary) School, a task she assumed at the age of 16. She would remain there for a number of years before heading to the Teachers’ Training College in Georgetown.

Soon after graduating from College, the ‘born and bred” Essequibian was only too eager to return to her home community of Zorg on the Essequibo Coast.

Upon her return she was attached to the Fisher Primary School where her teaching ability for the next 15 years would noticeably mature. She was later placed at the C. V. Nunes Primary where she remained for the next 24 years, teaching mainly Grades Five and Six pupils.

Among the hallmark of her teaching career is success she realized following the sitting of the National Grade Six Assessment in 1995. She recalled that 28 out of 30 of her pupils were able to gain passes to attend President’s College. The others were able to secure places at the Anna Regina Multilateral School.

Since her recent retirement, Miss Munroe, who currently resides at Henrietta Village with her husband, has started to volunteer her teaching service to a Grade Six class in preparation for the National Grade Six Assessment slated for next month.

Reflecting on her years of teaching, Miss Munroe posited that the success of any teacher takes a lot of hard work. “Any conscious teacher must first leave him or herself undone in order to satisfy the needs of his or her pupils,” she asserted.

She is of the opinion too that “any serious teacher should adopt the primary criteria of establishing a compatible, communicative relationship with both pupils and the parents for a child to become successful.”

In doing so she noted that efforts can be made to ensure that students are encouraged to be punctual since this can contribute to them being successful as well. Added to this she insisted that any teacher worth his or her salt will always ensure that lessons are prepared in advance.

And Miss Munroe is a firm believer of literacy being taught, not only in school, but at the level of the home. She firmly pointed out too that “in the teaching process (both at home at school) it must be done in a loving manner.”

The now retired educator is also a keen advocate for remedial lessons, adding that “every child is important and should be given a chance to do the best that he or she can do.”