Four educators who are passionate about education and continue to go beyond the call of their duties were, last week, presented with the International Excellence Award For Teachers in Early Childhood Education.

The International Excellence Award for Teachers in Early Childhood Education, an initiative of Heritage Education Funds International, gives school and pre-school communities the oppor-tunity to honour talented, inspired and dedicated early-childhood education teachers whose efforts often go unacknowledged.

The awards were presented to one regional winner for 2007 and three regional winners for 2008, at a ceremony held at the Knutsford Court Hotel.

An agent of change

Gloria Johnson, of Boscobel Primary School, was the 2007 winner. She was unable to accept the award at the ceremony last year because she was "engrossed with her duties".

Johnson was selected by her community as one who was determined to be an agent of change in her profession.

She devised and implemented a pull-out programme to assist 45 per cent of her grade-one pupils who could only master less than two of the four subjects set in the national diagnostic assessment readiness inventory that was set for them. The programme was successful in the end.

The 2008 winners were Juliet Jackson, Zemrie Watson and Charmaine Surgeon-Brown.

Jackson, a teacher at Ardenne Preparatory School, was, on two occasions, voted 'best role model' by her colleagues and for three consecutive years. Under her supervision, the school's Builders Club earned first place in the 2003 dance competition, the scrapbook competition and the 2001 Lloyd Lyew quiz competition.

Watson, vice-principal of Mountain View Primary School, is considered to be a model teacher because she has the ability to inspire each child. Her profession spans over 36 years her role as an educator extends beyond the borders of her school and into the surrounding communities.

Active parent

Meanwhile, Surgeon-Brown, of Spicy Hill Basic School, has been described as a teacher of excellence. She was instrumental in procuring school furniture and books for the school; she also shared with other schools. She also organised an active parent group, which has been making fans and mats from recycled newspaper.

Martin Henry, academic admini-strator who delivered the main address at the function, said education is valuable to individuals and society.

Henry said Jamaica must fix foundation education. He appealed to early childhood educators to begin preparing students who are university ready.