Latest update March 28th, 2024 12:59 AM
Sep 14, 2014 News
“I feel I have an obligation to pass on the knowledge that was passed on to me, to others…I have to do my part, regardless of what happens.”
By Leon Suseran
Today’s featured son of the soil, Mr. Denny Carpen, has served the country’s education sector with distinction over a
period of 46 years. His experience is immeasurable and has been obtained from a wide array of school settings, both in and out of Berbice. He is well- known in the Ancient County for his teaching of English.
He came from the “old school”, as they say – that time when head teachers were very strict, so much so that they were feared by the students and when the wild cane was a correctional implement.
EARLY DAYS
Born at Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, to Lucy and Lewis Carpen, Denny attended St. Joseph’s Anglican School, after which the family moved to Free Yard, Port Mourant. There he attended St. Francis Xavier R.C., a school which he described as “very interesting”, with headmasters who were “very strict and sought to emphasize the business of education.”
“They examined the work in the students’ books and the cane was used to good effect,” he recalled.
Carpen fondly remembered his early days.
“We were quite playful. Girls and boys were involved. It was good exercise for everybody. There were hardly any criminals and crime. The country was under British rule at the time and people were generally nice and forthcoming,” he reflected.
He attained his high school education at J.C. Chandisingh Secondary from 1960-1964.
“The curriculum, in my opinion, was much better than today’s curriculum in schools, with Foreign Languages: Latin, French, Spanish, etc….very sad we are not doing enough French today and just some Spanish, half-heartedly.”
After successfully achieving his Senior Cambridge Certificate, Carpen applied to the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) but could not have satisfied the panel for admission. It put a great deal of disappointment in him, since he had a deep love for agriculture.
TEACHING CAREER
He then resorted to teaching in 1964. It was at the J.C. Chandisingh School. He was only 17. His brother was already teaching there. Carpen was then transferred to the Fort Ordnance Primary School in Sheet Anchor, Canje, where he taught for four years.
“That school had a well-stocked Home Economics unit with three Home Ec. teachers …you don’t find that now.”
He then taught at Belvedere Primary on the Corentyne for a short while after which he pursued studies in Chemistry at the University of Guyana (UG) in 1969, while teaching at Graham’s Hall Primary.
Carpen related that he had to abandon his studies since his mother was very ill back at home. He subsequently went to Berbice Educational Institute in 1971, where he taught for two years.
He then re-commenced his studies at UG, but in another area, English, after which he graduated in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. It was then on to Annandale Secondary until 1979, following which he worked at Winifred Gaskin Memorial Secondary where he taught until 1989, and then back to J.C. Chandisingh Secondary, for two more years.
He migrated briefly to Grenada to mark CXC papers and returned in 1993, but was not allowed to re-enter the teaching service.
As a result, he was offered a job by veteran educator Rohan V. Chandisingh in 1997 to teach at Corentyne Comprehensive High. During that time, too, he started to lecture English to teacher- trainees at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) at Rose Hall Town, Corentyne.
After official retirement in 2001, Carpen, one of the few English graduates in Berbice, started to lecture English at the University of Guyana Berbice Campus (UGBC), where he continues to do so to this day.
CONCERNS
Even though he faced some tough times in his life, particularly during his educational career, Mr. Carpen related that they (the experiences) made him stronger. During the interview, he related a few negative experiences with persons in positions of authority in the education sector.
”I wouldn’t let such people discourage me, because I feel I have an obligation to pass on the knowledge that was passed on to me, to others…I have to do my part, regardless of what happens,” he stressed.
Carpen had sound words of advice for teachers today.
“If their calling is to teach, let them teach wholeheartedly and pass on what has been passed on to them to future generations, and be satisfied. They should also endeavour to have a secondary source of income—some sort of small financial activity to give them some support on a weekly basis, because the salary really doesn’t work out.”
He is also advocating for teachers to be paid on a weekly basis so that, “ends can meet…you can stretch the ends on a weekly basis, but on a monthly basis, the ends are miles apart.” He encouraged teachers to utilize UGBC, the New Amsterdam Technical Institute (NATI), Corriverton Technical Institute and Industrial Centre on the Corentyne to sharpen their skills.
REFLECTIONS
Our ‘Special Person’ believes that students today have more educational opportunities, more than were available to him in his day.
“Education today is a vast improvement from when I started, in terms of opportunities, for instance, a person can become a teacher and get trained and further studies…within six years a person 17 years old can have a Masters in Education…a huge improvement,” he stated.
Commenting further, he opined that, “The education system has remained the same with the domineering attitude to ‘Lord’ over teachers and be more of a threat rather than to help our teachers…I don’t see an improvement in that regard at all…but in terms of teacher qualification, they are trained now and they do very well,” he added.
“One thing lacking in the high schools, is better computer facilities. People from abroad…ex-students send lots of stuff like that to many schools, and those in charge of the equipment, oftentimes, inexplicably steal the parts.”
He is also advocating that students have access to the internet in all schools.
“I find a great joy working with students….generally, I find most teachers are doing a good job, with whatsoever ability they have and if I had to do it again, I’d become a teacher again.”
“Give students the freedom to participate and contribute in the classroom instead of copying notes— do solid presentations and do the speaking— and things will go very smoothly.”
POOR PERFORMANCES IN ENGLISH
When asked why Guyana is underperforming in the area of English, Mr. Carpen offered his view.
“I believe it’s because of the mistaken notion that we are an English-speaking country. Quite frankly, we are not an English-speaking country…the real educators know that! We are a Creolese-speaking nation.”
He noted that consequently it is sad, because many teachers in the other subject areas, “their English is not up to par and therefore, the students are confused.”
He also asserted that students do not place a high premium on English.
“In practical terms, English would not be an ‘earning-power’ like Science or even Social Studies, so the students by and large regard English as an ‘unnecessary evil’.”
He doesn’t believe there will be a concerted effort from all the teachers in the schools, “because some do not have a good command of English.”
Mr. Carpen’s days are occupied with travelling back and forth between CPCE and UG. The respected English Lecturer and educator meets those requirements of his work on a daily basis. He has two loving children, Varsha and Patrick, a teacher who is also a fluent speaker in Portuguese.
After nearly five decades, he is still giving selflessly to education – training young teachers with vital skills in English. It’s a special quality that he possesses. He is a special person.
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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