Health & Wellness
The College of The Bahamas School of Education Statements
THE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
School of Education Philosophy
An educational system that is committed to the cultural, social, economic, political, peaceful and equitable development of its society is dependent upon the availability of competent teachers who embrace the joys and the challenges of ensuring that all students in their care are supported in their development and are empowered through education to contribute to the overall development of The Bahamas and the Global Community. The Education of Teachers is therefore critical to the nation building agenda. Charged with the responsibility of preparing teachers for the twenty first century Bahamas, The School of Education facilitates the learning and development of committed and compassionate teachers, who are able to function in an archipelagic country and the global environment, through excellence in teaching and learning, scholarship and service.
School of Education Vision
The shared vision for the School of Education is that it:
• comprises passionate, highly qualified pedagogues committed to lifelong learning and also to the vision, philosophy and mission of The School of Education and The College of The Bahamas as it addresses national development;
• establishes and sustains excellence in teaching, scholarship, research and service; • fosters staff, faculty and student personal and professional development;
• creates an environment that thrives on quality, innovation and inquiry to meet the evolving needs of its constituents;
• is goal and results oriented;
• is accountable and transparent in all undertakings;
• promotes student leadership and responsibility;
• identifies and lobbies for state of the art facilities and equipment in order to best prepare teachers to function in all islands of The Bahamas;
• consistently dialogues and partners with local and global learning communities for nation building;
• forges local, national, regional and international partnerships for interdisciplinary research and teaching;
• engenders national support with regard to education and national issues;
• fosters education beyond its borders through distance education offerings; and
• is a world class teaching and learning school
School of Education Mission
The School of Education will prepare teachers to facilitate learning for all levels of the educational system in The Commonwealth of The Bahamas, an archipelagic nation and the global community. The School of Education will provide these developing professionals the opportunity to become competent in methodology, proficient in content, and equipped with 21st century strategies, skills and tools. These respectful and compassionate teachers will positively impact the beliefs, attitudes, values, knowledge and skills required by students for work and life in an interdependent, ever changing world.
SEDUC Philosophy, Vision, Mission, Graduate, June 2013 p. 2 of 2
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Philosophy
​a. What do you appreciate about the philosophy?
I appreciated the determination to equip students within the School of Education an overview of what can be noticed within our developing society and school systems. Also I appreciated that it mentioned in order to have productive young adults in The Bahamian society, compassionate and dedicated educators must be in the classroom. The list of important tactics within The Bahamas will help equip the new educators of today.
b.What would you add or delete and why?
There isn’t information that needs to be added in my opinion. There are a lot of grammatical errors within the philosophy. More periods should be added so there aren’t as much run-on sentences. The philosophy will be clearer and understandable.
The sentence, ‘The Education of Teachers is therefore critical to the nation building agenda’, should be deleted. It sounds repetitive as stated earlier the teacher must be compassionate and socially aware of the development of the next generation of leaders.
2. Vision
a. What do you appreciate about the vision?
I appreciate that it upholds the standards what The School of Education hopes to produce for the new generation of educators. Rather than just ensuring the development of educators it hopes to ‘foster staff, faculty, student personal and professional development’, which shows that the development of new educators is a team effort.
b.What would you add or delete and why?
‘Is accountable and transparent in all undertakings’, it isn’t clear what the point is trying to explain. Some terms such as ‘local and national should be deleted’. The production of new educators is for The Bahamas and the capability to create partnerships regionally and internationally.
3.Mission
a.What do you appreciate about the mission?
I appreciate what the School of Education stands for in its Mission. I agree that the teachers will be equipped and flexible with the development and adjustment of the 21st century learning style.
b.What would you add or delete and why?
Instead of having ‘compassionate’ within the statement, driven should be added and acknowledged within the sentence. The term compassionate is used more than once within the document. Teachers are mentors who seek the best performance from each student they encounter. Students within the School of Education would be driven to obtain a good performance from each of their students.
Critique of SEDUC's Statements
My Top 6 Goals as Minister of Education
If I were the Minister of Education my Top 6 major goals would be capable of ensuring parents that their child will receive a good education in a safe learning environment.
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The first goal is the hope to raise the National Grade Point Average of The Bahamas. AS the National Grade Average is considered to be a D, I feel as though by having more tutoring sessions or after school programs within the schools it can provide the students to have extra time to work on their problem subjects. Also, I would urge parents to send their children to go BJC & BGCSE classes that are either held at the school or done privately before taking the National Examination.
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My second goal is to increase the income of teachers and administration. It is unfortunate that some teachers are living from paycheck to paycheck and have to buy supplies, along with decorate their classroom with their own money. By increasing the income of teachers they will be less stressed and miserable allowing them to be more comfortable knowing they can better provide for their household.
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The third major goal of mine if were the Minister of education, is to raise the security on the school’s campus. As crime continues to rise in our Bahamaland it is a must that the next generation of leaders is protected while receiving an education. At the same time, no one knows when an incident may happen on a campus with students and outsiders involved. By having at least two police officers on the campus and searching every student before entering the premises can allow it to become a safe learning environment.
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My fourth major goal is to get parents more involved in their child’s education. The parent shouldn’t depend on the teacher to give then work and expect him or her to understand it when he or she leaves school. An idea to get the parents more involved is to help the child with their school work as best as they can and host events at the school to invite the parents.
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My fifth goal is to ensure that every student gets an education and goes to school. Each student should be granted a chance to receive a good education whether it is in the public school system or private school system. As in the public school system the students are receiving a good education at a low rate but sometimes students don’t go to school. What I think should be instilled back into the school system are Truant Officers. Truant Officers roam the streets ensuring that there aren’t any students walking about during school hours, if they are caught, they will be reported at their respected school.
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My final goal is have certified and compassionate educators who are willing to teach the next generation of The Bahamas. Teachers who are compassionate with teaching a class can be innovative when students are learning a new lesson and find ways for their students to remember the information whether it is in a song or a fun game.