George Walker living a purpose-filled life

George Walker is looking forward to completing his bachelor’s degree in physical education at The Mico University College, and for him, it will be total contradiction of all those who thought he would never amount to anything much academically.

Now at a comfortable place in his life, Walker shared his experience with Family and Religion as he said he has come a long way from the insecure boy who never thought he could achieve a good education.

While attending high school, Walker said his focus was on cricket, with his schoolwork suffering.

It didn’t help that his teachers weren’t giving him the kind of support he needed. One, he said, even discouraged one of his classmates from assisting him as he sometimes missed school.

Walker said although he was struggling academically, his prowess at cricket earned him various offers to attend university, but all that fell apart in 2012 when he almost lost his life.

“I was working at a cricket game being played at Chedwin Park, and one of the players hit the ball over the wall. My friend told me not to retrieve it but I decided I would,” Walker recalled.

He said he touched a metal pole which a Jamaica Public Service raw wire was touching and the electricity damaged his nerves, something he says still affects him.

That experience was also a wake-up call for him as he realised there was more to life than playing cricket. He wanted more, and from then he started paying more attention to his books.

Recalling his own experience and how his perspective could have been changed sooner had teachers made a better investment in his life, Walker said he was determined to be that kind of a teacher.

“I will give my students what I never got ... a teacher who holds the hands of the students and touches their heart,” he said.

In 2014, although Walker had a better attitude towards schoolwork, he said he failed all his CAPE subjects.

The principal and sixth form coordinator, he said, called him into a meeting and said they would give him another chance to redeem himself.

He made use of his ‘last chance’ and eventually ended up at The Mico. He said the environment there, and the students by their competitive nature, had such an impact on him that he started stepping up in his schoolwork.

“Grades are always high and it happened because I am centred around people who really push you, especially my friends and teachers,” he said.

This new school year, Walker is looking forward to being one of the influencers as he begins the job he has been trained for. He is also sending a message to fellow teachers and it is simple: “Treat every child/student with love and care because the same child you mistreat or talk down to could be the one you look to for help and support later on in life.”

Looking ahead, Walker said he is still an ardent lover of cricket but now his focus is on making a difference in others’ lives, and he hopes he will inspire someone, as he has been inspired by cricketer Andre Russell.