THE EDITOR, Sir:

Good teachers can make a tremendous difference in the lives of their students. Despite the many challenges that children face at home and all the known obstacles that impact their ability to learn, teachers must be willing to help their students to circumvent them, as they strive to become outstanding achievers.

Frequently, teachers tell me that students are not able to achieve much because of social and economic obstacles. Such obstacles include a lack of parental involvement, low level of motivation, and deficiency in nutrition. I have no doubt that they are telling the truth, yet, such reasons are of little importance when one accepts the responsibility to be a teacher.

These obstacles are never to be considered 'hindrances' to limit or impede a teacher's ability to deliver the lesson.

Moreover, when such obstacles are present, they can be used as a source of motivation for students to work harder.

External factors such as the parents' inability to furnish the students with textbooks and other necessary resources can be acknowledged, but when teachers use them to justify low achievement, it speaks volumes about the nation's education system.

Teachers have an obligation to initiate and to improvise. Teaching professionals must be relentless in their efforts to facilitate learning under all circumstances. I consider anything less as disappointing, unacceptable, intolerable and unbecoming.

G. GEORGE WILSON

glengeorgewilson@gmail.com [2]

Springfield, St Elizabeth