SUPPORTING STUDENTS

VETERAN Educator Jeff Broomes is ensuring student success during these challenging COVID times.
With the Barbados Secondary School Entrance Examination (BSSEE) once again quickly approaching, he believes that ‘extra lessons’ are needed now more than ever as all teaching has gone virtual.
“Even when ‘normal school’ was going on we still did lessons, so it’s even more necessary now,” he told The Barbados Advocate.
For the past six weeks, the former principal has partnered with proprietress of Kings and Queens Bar and Restaurant, Lisa Clarke to host the face-to-face teaching time on Mondays for two hours. In fact, Clarke made the decision to close her Bow Road, St. Michael business when the children are in attendance, ensuring a safe environment and that all protocols are adhered to. Broomes stated, “This was really a request from some of my friends from the Spooners Hill area to help the children in the community, as well as some of my family members from elsewhere. We know that with the pandemic, the enclosed environments are not good, so I was very pleased when I discussed it with the proprietress Lisa Clarke who immediately said yes, and she insisted that the bar must be closed during
lesson time – she told her customers and they are also supportive of what we are doing here.”
“I prepare the work, both Mathematics and English, and come teach it to the children who are in classes three and four. In this environment I can handle no more than 18 children. I ensure social distancing, no more than two at a table, they are all spread out and they must sanitise and wear their mask”. Broomes acknowledges that the last 20 months have been difficult for the children, teachers, and parents. After the Ministry of Education announced, it would shift to online teaching because of the coronavirus pandemic, teachers switched to high gear. And not all children had access to devices for online learning or had reliable internet and had to deal with distractions at home.
“My daughter is a teacher in New York and before they started Zoom teaching, they had two months of training because Zoom teaching is not easy, you have to be trained for it. And I personally do not think our teachers in Barbados are fully trained for it,” the veteran educator said. “Then a lot of parents don’t have the time or some of them don’t have the interest...And there’s a lot of competition at home for the tablet or laptop – they may be two children with only one device. So it has not been easy”.