In a frank and pointed exchange with Freedom Come Rain, Mrs. LaSonja Harrison, the newly elected President of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) enumerated her vision under her personal theme of “Revisiting the Foundation, Building Our Human Resource through Equitable, Educational Opportunities.”
When FCR asked Harrison about her vision for the Union in these challenging times, Harrison provided the following response:
“My goals include that of factual, faithful, and fearless representation of our members’ interest as we are a union; that is our core business, hence highlighting and treating with, under God, potential risks (internal or external) – be they pending policy developments or shifts, lack of financial, infrastructural, or human support by our employers, lack of membership education, will be a significant focus.
“Facilitating membership satisfaction through increased opportunities for broad-based participation that will result in advancing the cause of education for members as practitioners and inevitably their students will be another area of focus.
“Teachers must return to the center of any national discourse re development in our educational framework; one that the pandemic has afforded us the opportunity to revise, eliminating colonial legacies that have not served our people well over the last 60 years and prior as they have resulted in a Jamaica divided into the haves and have-nots through this critical pillar.
“Hence my theme, “Revisiting the Foundation: Building our Human Resource through Equitable, Educational Opportunities.”
“In addition, improving our brand through effective communication to members will be another area of great import.
“ALL teachers are leaders – facilitating / reminding my colleagues of this fact through our robust and targeted professional development offerings will also be an area of focus. The JTA for years has led in this arena, that of engaging its members in professional development activities, giving members certificate of participation, etc. I have too many to count. In fact, agencies that seek to rival us now came and studied us; they learnt at our feet.”
Vision
Harrison outlined her visions as: To provide EPIC (Empowering, People-Oriented, Intellectually-Inspiring & Christ-centered) leadership that is factual, faithful and fearless.
Harrison’s benchmark for success at the end of her journey includes a stated philosophy of education.
“The use of the term success is subjective to me as this looks differently for many.
“Further, there are several variables, some known, many unknowns that may determine outcomes intended. Nonetheless, at the end of this opportunity, the LORD is affording me to speak to the pillar of education. I pray for a shift in our dialogue as it relates to the purpose of education articulated through a philosophy of education crafted for ALL Jamaican children by Jamaican stakeholders; a process led by our educators, under God.
As Strong as the Last Positive Feedback
“Active and sustained participation of my colleagues in our activities at varying levels will communicate to me improved levels of membership satisfaction. We are as strong as the last positive feedback from our members.
My colleagues, armed with knowledge that they use confidently and with respect in their sphere of influence as they execute duties professionally will be most rewarding for me. Their factual, faithful, and fearless representation of themselves and peers will serve as indicators.
Influencing a Shift
“I just want to influence a shift in how we deliver this right and social good to all Jamaican children, affording us the practitioners the professional respect we deserve, coupled with a livable wage and decent working conditions to execute the task entrusted to us: that of molding the lives of our children, underpinned by traditional Jamaican values influenced by Judeo-Christian principles so that Jamaica may, under God, increase in beauty, fellowship, and prosperity and play her part in advancing the welfare of the whole human race”.
CONTACT: FCR NEWS TEAM
