J'can education opening doors

THE EDITOR, Sir:

Kudos for the publication, on Sunday, August 5, 2012, of 'Great educators: the foundation of our development', written by Gordon Robinson.

These icons are at the top of a long list of teachers who moulded the mind, character and spirit of so many Jamaicans who have gone on to contribute in ways large and small, visible and not so visible, in every quarter of our world.

As someone educated in the Jamaican system, I know that our education has opened the door to the best institutions of higher learning everywhere, and that basis is what gave me the courage, strength and determination to complete a BA, finally - at age 50 - after pecking away at it for years (and at many schools as I moved around).

As a product of the Immaculate Prep and High schools, I became someone I would not naturally be without its discipline and high expectations (unwelcome as it may have been at the time!).

And while I still chuckle at the thought of the Virgin Mary as our chief role model (talk about high expectations - and maybe just a tad unrealistic?), I often think of how influential it has been in my life that I have had this high level of training - and, better yet, that I received it in a Third-World country where a host of cultures and religions peacefully coexist. These things have shaped my life and allowed me to contribute, to experience, and to appreciate deeply.

Thank you, Gordon Robinson, for your eloquent article, wrapped around an iconic song of our era. As I approach the last decades of my life, it has given me another opportunity to look back over all the blessings I have received, going all the way back to being a member of the Immaculate Conception High School Class of 1972. As I am choosing what to do as my next step, that is a very good thing.

JANINA FISHER

janinafisher2@gmail.com

Ontario, Canada