This Week We Feature Young Professional Kimberly M. George
To become a Principal is her ultimate goal as she has a love for educating young minds. She is Kimberly M. George and she is a teacher attached to the Bregado Flax Educational Centre and one of the few women involved in Mentoring Anointed Leaders Everywhere (M.A.L.E.).
Born on the island of Tortola, George moved to Virgin Gorda as a young child and this has been her home since.
The 33-year-old said she completed both her primary and secondary education at the Bregado Flax Educational Centre. Her favourite subject was mathematics, she told this news site.
“After I graduated from high school I knew automatically that I wanted to become a teacher,” she said. “So I started pursuing my educational career in 1999 where I started attending the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College and I obtained my Associate’s Degree in Arts for Elementary Education,” she said.
Following this she taught for a period of two years and it was during this period that she decided to pursue her goal of special education. “So I went on to Barry University in Florida, USA where I obtained my Bachelors of Science Degree in Exceptional Student Education, that is to teach children of special needs, and I graduated in 2007 Magna Cum Laude Honours,” she said.
Our Young Professional has been teaching from the time she returned home in 2008. She started out at the Althea Scatliffe Primary School in 2010 and then moved to the Bregado Flax Educational Centre Primary Division where she is currently the 6th grade teacher.
Making a difference
“My motto that I live by is ‘making a difference’ so no matter where I go or who I come into contact with I try to make a difference,” she said.
Kimberly M. George said that while she does not see anything pertaining to her job as challenging she acknowledged that she would try her best to overcome a difficult situation with either a student or a parent. “I would see how best I can work along with the parent so that we can come to a common goal that we can achieve the best out of the student,” said Ms George.
Asked where she sees herself in a few years down the road, she said the ultimate goal would be to become one of the Principals of one of the schools in Virgin Gorda.
“In the next two years I will be pursuing my Masters in Education Leadership so that I can hone my skills to become a more effective teacher than what I am today,” she said. “I feel that education is the field that I would stay in as long as I am allowed to stay because I do believe in making a difference in the lives that I come into contact with,” she said.
She believes that whenever she has a new batch of students she has to make some positive impact in their lives so that when they leave they are ready to take on whatever challenges are there ahead of them.
The sacrifice
George noted that going off to university was somewhat of a challenge as her family is very close knit and at the time she was the mother of a very young child. “I made a sacrifice for myself and my daughter by moving away. I guess that was my biggest challenge…moving away from my family and my two year old daughter,” she said, noting that it groomed her into becoming the person that she is today.
In terms of community activities, our Young Professional is both a member of the Lions Club and one of the M.A.L.E. mentors and organisers on Virgin Gorda. She said she is an active member of the club because she likes helping the less fortunate. She is also an active member of the church – Church of God of Holiness - and said he is very faith-bound.
Our Young Professional said that when the founder of M.A.L.E., Pastor Henderson K. Tittle, came over to Virgin Gorda to start a chapter of the group there, she attended the meeting and she knew there and then she wanted to be a part of the effort. “As a female teacher I felt at times that I could not connect with my boys so I needed somebody who could have made a positive impact in their lives…teach them how to be young men and positive citizens in the society,” she said.
“When I met with the men in M.A.L.E. I automatically knew that this was the programme that my boys will benefit from, she said.
Advice to young people
George believes that success is a journey and not a destination. “You don’t arrive there and stop. You continue to go. You continue on your journey to success no matter where you are in life, as you’re never too young or too old. There might be stumbling blocks along your journey but you must never give up.”
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23 Responses to “This Week We Feature Young Professional Kimberly M. George”
Kimberly ROCKS!
Could not let this chance go by without shouting out to you and to say 'Hearty Congratulations'. You are a 'real' teacher and you will go very far in this profession. Keep up the good work, and may God continue to guide and direct you. Your sisters and brothers of the Valley Sound Lions Club salute you as well. You have made us all very proud.
When I heard that you had chosen teaching as your career, I counted your students as lucky ones. You will guide and nurture them as a teacher must. You will imbue them with your positive energy and make them feel that yes, there is a great future for them!
I wish you all the best. May God continue to direct your path!