Today marks the start of World Teachers’ Appreciation Week, and this afternoon the Ministry of Education hosted a special ceremony at City Hall to recognize all teachers in Bermuda. The City of Hamilton Town Crier, Ed Christopher opened the ceremony and speakers gave tributes and remarks led by Mayor of Hamilton, Charles R. Gosling, JP, the Minister of Education, the Hon. Diallo Rabain, JP, MP and Nishanthi Bailey, and music performances by Cedarbridge Academy student, Shardae Lee and former student Tosha Codrington. Teachers and principals from public and private schools were invited and acknowledged at the event to celebrate teaching professional.
Minister Diallo Rabain said, “I’ll begin my remarks by first expressing our gratitude to all teachers for your commitment, your diligence and the hard work put forth during the past few months to support our students learning. This year World Teachers’ Day, we are celebrating teachers with the theme “Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future”. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly challenged our schools and education systems. So today we pause to acknowledge all those in the teaching profession and draw attention to the voices of teachers, who are at the heart of Bermuda’s education system and by extension, our future.
“The subject of teacher leadership during and after a crisis is not just timely, but critical in terms of the contributions teachers have made to provide remote learning, support vulnerable populations, reopen schools, and ensure that learning gaps have been mitigated.
“It is no exaggeration to say that the world is at a crossroad and, now more than ever, we must continue to support our teachers as they guide our students through the unfolding landscape brought on by the pandemic. Education and the way it is to be delivered has forever changed. Leading from the front of this revolution, as always, is our teachers.
“Many people don’t realise the amount of time, and heart teachers put into their careers. It is a fulfilling, rewarding and tiring job and unfortunately, at times, a thankless one. Most teachers do all of this and go beyond their call of duty without complaint or desire for recognition. However, today we want to celebrate our dedicated and caring members of the teaching profession for all that you do every day for our children.
“World Teachers’ Day has put in focus on the role of teachers in building resilience and shaping the future of education and the teaching profession. Teachers you have been leading Bermuda’s children through this crisis and you are helping them reimagining their future. From the bottom of my heart, I want to offer you a sincere and heartfelt thank you for all that you do.
“While I imagine, all of us with children in school, thank our teachers every day of the year, I encourage everyone to take time today and throughout the week to especially thank a teacher on this, World Teachers’ Day and World Teachers’ Appreciation Week. As I take my seat, I will leave you with this quote: “A good teacher is like a candle – it consumes itself to light the way for others.”
