14 Mar From the founder’s desk
GLOBAL OAK TREE SCHOLARS AS I SEE IT.
VERONICA SHEPHERDSON
As the first day of school began, I couldn’t help feeling that thrill of excitement coupled with enthusiasm and anxiety. A cocktail of emotions mixed into one.
The first to arrive around 6ish, I sat in my office in peace surrounded by the sanctuary of the lush greenery and beauty of Elmina.
Going back in time, a year ago, this date and this time. Same feeling. Same excitement. Then 4 students. Today over 60 students. What a journey it has been.
After I greet my primary students in Elmina and welcome them back, it was time to enjoy the first day of GOTS in Plaza Jelutong. Literally the first at our Secondary School.
As I drove over, leaving Elmina behind the nostalgic feeling of having nurtured Elmina was slowly replaced with a new energy. A sense of anticipation and excitement. Another challenge. A different age group. A whole new adventure.
As I stepped into GOTS JELUTONG I knew it was a journey I would love as much as my first year in GOTS ELMINA had been.
As I waited for our nervous gawky students to walk through our doors, a momentary realization of the joy of being an educator hit me.
It is a rare profession. We get a clean slate every year. There is hope and possibility. Empowering students.
Being an educator is not a profession, it’s a calling. It takes a certain kind of person to do what teachers do. A true educator will always ask these questions.
What next?
What more?
What else?
In the classroom it’s magic. In GOTS it’s magical. It is a place of transformation. The most beautiful moments in a teachers life is when we watch our students walk in on their first day with us, and say goodbye on their last. For we know as we send them out into the world, not only will they be equipped with knowledge, they will also be shaped into good citizens.
We know they will go out there Definitely Different because their aim in life is to make the world a better place.