Accomplished educator, Beverly Hazlewood, is a ‘Special Person’

Sep 29, 2013 News

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“I enjoyed my years—every moment— I admit there were some dull moments, but just getting things sorted quickly and moving on… that was always my primary goal.”

By Leon Suseran

As the world pauses to honour teachers this Saturday (World Teachers’ Day), we pause too, to tell you about a remarkable educator who gave 37 years of her life to the teaching profession. And she continues to serve to this day, even though she has passed the age of retirement.

Beverly Gail Tucker-Hazlewood currently administers remedial education to slow learners at Canje Secondary School. She simply loves teaching. Her mother, Joyce Tucker, was a teacher for 38 years and today, so are two of her sisters in Guyana, namely retired head teacher, Margot Tucker of Diamond Secondary, as well as Angela Tucker, Head teacher of Mt. Sinai Nursery, in West Canje.
The theme for World Teachers’ Day this year is ‘A Call for Teachers’, and this week, the simple but significant contributions of ‘Teacher Beverly’ as she is popularly called, can indeed be a loud call for all teachers out there, to emulate and fashion their lives as teachers—to be even more dedicated and loving to their jobs and to the nation’s children. Her name is well- known in the field of nursery education as well as Home Economics, since the latter was originally her specialization when she entered the profession.
But we’ll take it from the beginning.
Beverly Tucker’s childhood was spent in many places, including Savannah Park and Cooper’s Lane, New Amsterdam, even as far as Essequibo. She recalled being that well- rounded little girl back during those days, learning to ride a bicycle and falling down several times, “swimming when it was rainy; playing games on moonlit nights—hide-and-seek; bush cooks—lots of that!”
She recalled having ‘bush cooks’ in the Beharrys’ and Semples’ yards. She was also part of the Girl Guides and Brownies under the instructorship of Zena Cummings, “having Remembrance Day Parades, and we attended church.” She enjoyed attending church events, including fairs and plaiting the May pole at All Saints Anglican Church. It was her mother’s way, she added, of getting them out to see what was happening and shaping them as young people.
Talking about her schooling, she vividly remembers her teachers back then including ‘Miss George’, Samuel Archer, Roland Robinson, Sheila Waldron, Constance John, George Michael and Rama Rampersaud. She attended Vryman’s Erven Government School in 1968. Her dad, Wilbert Tucker was a policeman and his job entailed him being transferred a lot. So in 1970, he and the family—with fifteen children—moved to Essequibo. She had to be transferred from St. Patrick’s Anglican School in Canje (where her mom taught) to Anna Regina Primary.

Young Beverly gained distinctions in Algebra and Home Economics and passes in four other subjects at the College of Preceptors (CP), but could not attend secondary school due to financial constraints, “so a few of us had to go off to work.”
She started to teach Home Economics in 1973 at the tender age of sixteen. At the time, there were not so many young teachers, she said. Apart from “loving to be around where food was” Home Economics-Food & Nutrition was her forte since the Primary Level “and our teachers were very good and they found that I had the skills and calling.” “I love cooking and it’s only now, with gas becoming so expensive, that I have had to ease down with baking—but it is something I love.”
Having spent eighteen months teaching there at Anna Regina Primary, she later taught at Sparta Primary School in Danielstown, Essequibo, where she spent four years. She served as a Teacher-Officer at the Guyana National Service. She talked about participating with other trainees in construction of buildings at the Konawaruk National Service Centre.
“We spent about two weeks there as part of the course and we had our full uniforms, took part in drills, lecture sessions, culture, toured around a bit.”
Returning to school, they were tasked with training the children what they would have learnt. Afterwards, she taught at Maria’s Lodge Nursery until 1980. Her mom was a Field Officer in the Nursery sector in Essequibo at the time.
“My main task was to help teachers upgrade their professional statuses. This was done through interactive sessions (large and small groups); mounting exhibitions; conducting tours and visiting other schools.”
In 1980, the family returned to Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, after her father retired. She then continued teaching at Gaceline Nursery School at Ferry Street, New Amsterdam and worked under veteran nursery educator (formerly featured ‘Special Person) Ms. Sybil Bollers.

During this period, Beverly attended the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) in Berbice where she received her professional teacher training. She was awarded the Regional Education Prize in Principles & Practice. In 1985, she was posted to Smythfield Nursery as Head teacher and enjoyed the stint since she worked to “improve the standards and I sensitized the parents about the programme and benefits of school because absenteeism was the thing of the day.”
It was during this time, too, when she was an active member (President) of the South New Amsterdam Leo Club, she recalled meeting her husband, Keith Hazlewood, at a birthday party of a parent of St. Mary’s Nursery, and they later got married. That union bore a son, Nicholas. The couple later adopted Nicola.
Meanwhile, in 1990, she started to work at St. Mary’s Nursery as Head teacher where she spent the next six years, with the school’s population reaching over 200 pupils with a staff of 10.
“I tried as much as possible to have parents involved in all of our activities and injected some new ideas such as fun-days, annual Fairs, fund-raisers, Christmas concerts, tours to Georgetown; all the activities you can think about.”
She recalled, too, that St. Mary’s under her headship was the first nursery school to change from the polka-dot uniforms and had the introduction of badges.
In 1997, she was seconded to the St. Therese’s Primary in New Amsterdam and worked in the Preparatory Department until 1998 when she transferred to Rose Hall Estate Primary as Senior Mistress.

“The staff relationship—I always speak about it…my point is, things don’t always go right, but at the end of the day, you put aside whatever and move on; you sort out and come to a common ground and move on.”
She assumed the Deputy Head Mistress position in 2008 and was appointed Head Mistress a bit thereafter, after which she retired in January 2012.
In 2010, under hear headship, the school was awarded Best Child-Friendly School in Berbice and also placed Second at the National Level of the Competition.
A few months later, Beverly yearned to return to the classroom. She could not stay at home. She missed the job, so she re-applied, and since the Ministry of Education had invited retirees to do so, she was successful and is currently posted at Canje Secondary where she teaches the Sixth-Year Transitional Curriculum.
“I enjoyed my years—every moment— I admit there were some dull moments, but just getting things sorted quickly and moving on… that was always my primary goal.” She recalled “exciting years” in the nursery sector.
“You had to have your programmes and activities to suit the children’s needs. One of the basic things in nursery education is having knowledge of the home background of the children, because it was important that you interacted with the parent. In those days we were quite good at that.
Our ‘Special Person’ has very important advice for teachers especially as they will be observing World Teachers’ Day on October 5.
“Teachers must enter the profession with visions. You must be coming with a plan—what it is you want for yourself and for the profession, and if it’s not anything positive, you shouldn’t get into it, because you now have other impressionable minds to deal with and if you don’t try to do the best for them, in days to come, of course, they are going to be the ones to kick down your doors… So you have to give them what you have to give them in earnest, and do so in fairness.”
“Give of your best each day… and I always say that teachers like the best for their children—I know that! So, in return, you need to give the people’s children your best, and so it’s rewarding when you can meet your students all around.”
Today, Mrs. Hazlewood hears her name being called almost everywhere she visits. And when she hears her name being called by her former students she can differentiate at what level she taught them—whether ‘Ms. Beverly’ (Nursery) or ‘Teacher Beverly’ (Rose Hall Estate Primary), “I have taught so many—hundreds of children—I still love it when they come and they greet me.

There is a feeling of calm satisfaction…that I did something meaningful for them. Many teachers are eager to get rewarded today and right now for their efforts, but I believes with all my heart that once teachers work selflessly they will get their rewards later in their lives.”

In August of this year, the Council of Friends of New Amsterdam (COFONA) presented Mrs. Hazlewood with an award in the field of education.
She still enjoys teaching aids and refers to that activity as “my joy”, and while she still works in the classroom today, she enjoys cooking, with her husband assisting from time to time. She loves tending to the flowers and plants in her gardens, too.
Mrs. Hazlewood has joined the retired teachers’ group in Region Six and will be participating in several activities this coming week in anticipation of World Teachers’ Day, beginning with a church service today [Sunday] at the Ebenezer Lutheran Church and ending with a reception for retirees like herself and many others at the Church View Hotel in the town.
A very dedicated and accomplished educator indeed, with a lot of good and wise words for those following in her path.

 

 

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