BOOST contributing towards nation building

CLAYTON MITCHELL never saw himself as a teacher, but he always had the utmost respect for the profession.

Hailing from Pitfour in St James, he said he was always a very driven and determined individual who decided from the early stages in his life that he would not settle for mediocrity.

“My upbringing was great! Sure, we had our ups and downs, including our financial struggles, but my parents always instilled in me the drive for excellence and did whatever was necessary to see my siblings and me succeed,” Mitchell said.

His interest in teaching grew through the opportunity presented by The University of the West Indies’ Building Out Our STEM Teachers (BOOST) Programme. He saw it as an avenue to contribute towards nation building and a chance to present relatable perspectives to students that would enable them to learn in a more defined environment.

“I first became excited about science because of my chemistry teacher, Mr Smith. He had a tremendous impact on my learning due to his flair and his way of delivering the content. My interest in chemistry and the other sciences only grew from there because I was among a group of highly competitive young men at Cornwall College who had similar goals and aspirations to succeed,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell is a teacher at Irwin High School in St James and was recognised as an outstanding teacher of the science department for the period December 2022 and 2023.

He specialises in teaching chemistry. Additionally, he has taught biology, human and social biology, and lower school integrated science. He said his love for the sciences and his willingness to take on new challenges are the key reasons he continues to teach these subjects.

“I try to be as relatable to students as possible, linking topics to current affairs, showing them the applicability in various professions, and at times subtly reminding them of the sacrifices that their parents would have made to bring them to this point, and it’s their responsibility to take full advantage of that,” he said.

Mitchell has also had tremendous success as a science teacher at Clarendon College. During his first year of teaching, he was able to oversee his grade 11 chemistry and Cape Unit 1 chemistry students in completing their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination examinations, maintaining the institution’s high pass rate.

Additionally, since he has moved to Irwin High School, there has been a doubling in the pass rate of the CSEC chemistry examination, based on the results from last year’s sitting.

“I have also assisted students to develop holistically by coaching the female basketball team, revamping the school’s chess club, and hosting our first chess tournament. Moreover, in striving to always be there for my students, I was presented with the Form Teacher of the Year award for 2023,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell added that he is appreciative of all the experiences that he has had in the classroom so far. “From I read up on the programme and what it was trying to achieve, I was sold. It has been a wonderful experience thus far in the BOOST Programme, and I am truly grateful to have been chosen as a BOOST Fellow,” he said.

“Hands down it’s a win-win situation. You will get the opportunity to nurture young minds and inspire youth while building your knowledge base and social skills. Additionally, the financial assistance the programme provides is second to none and will assist in alleviating student loan debt or can be set aside as a nest egg towards your long-term goals,” Mitchell concluded.

The BOOST Programme is a novel scholarship scheme designed by The UWI to address the shortage of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers in secondary schools while nurturing the careers of young STEM professionals. A collaborative effort between The UWI Mona’s Faculty of Science and Technology and Faculty of Humanities and Education, BOOST aims to enhance STEM education in Jamaica by providing a yearly stream of quality science and mathematics teachers through an innovative back-end incentivised scholarship programme.

Tertiary graduates who become BOOST Fellows are assigned to teach in schools with STEM needs across the country. In addition to their salary, for each year worked (up to three years), BOOST refunds one year of their university tuition through its ‘back-end scholarship’. Additional generous performance-based incentives are also paid yearly to the Fellows. The National Baking Company Foundation took the lead as the inaugural and primary donor, committing $159.6 million over six years to kick-start the programme.