#Kingston – June 21, 2019 – Jamaica – Principal of the Bethlehem All-Age School in St. Elizabeth, James Folkes, has been, for the past 33 years, moulding and developing the minds of the nation’s children. He is among the distinguished educators who are to be recogni\sed by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, for their outstanding contribution to the development of Jamaica in the field of Education.
The Prime Minister’s
Medal of Appreciation for Service to Education ceremony is to be held at
Jamaica House on June 26.
Mr. Folkes tells JIS News that during his formative
years as a student at Grove Town Primary School in South Manchester, he almost
allowed various distractions to lead him astray
However, he expressed appreciation to his former teacher Mr. Ian Mitchell, who motivated him to do well.
“Mr. Mitchell had
such a lasting effect on me, and I wanted to walk in his footsteps so much that
I decided to become a teacher. I was not a bad boy, but sometimes friends would
influence me to do wrong,” he states.
“He saw something in
me and, because of that, he did not let up on me, so I told myself that I wanted
to be a teacher like him, then be a principal like him and own a car like him,”
he recalls with a chuckle.
Mr. Folkes completed
his secondary education at the Beaumont Comprehensive High in Mandeville,
before attending the Bethlehem Moravian (Teachers) College in Malvern, St.
Elizabeth. He began his teaching career
at the Bethlehem All-Age School in 1986 and has remained there throughout his
professional life.
He did teaching
practice at Epping Forest Primary and at Top Hill Primary School in St.
Elizabeth.
Mr. Folkes notes that although he was offered a full-time job closer to his hometown in Manchester at Bethabra All-Age School, he took a chance on a temporary stint at Bethlehem All-Age School, as he tried to stay true to the adage that ‘to be a man you have to leave your parents’ house’.
He tells JIS News that the temporary post that
he was filling soon become a clear vacancy, and he was subsequently engaged by
the school on a full-time basis.
Mr. Folkes explains that having made his decision to one day become a principal, he was proactive in preparing himself for the role.
“I was understudying my principal and I learned quite a number of things from him. I moved up the ranks from teacher (16 years) to Vice Principal (seven years) to Principal (10 years),” he states.
According to Mr.
Folkes, his most rewarding experience as a teacher is to see his children
achieve.
“Most of our students
are athletically inclined, so I used sports to motivate them especially those
that are average academically. I let the students know that in order for them
to achieve they can’t just stick to athletics. They have to use it to move
forward,” he says.
“So, for example, for
the students that were lagging but had the desire to earn a place in high
school, we established a reading centre which was donated by Digicel
Foundation. This allowed the slow learners to get individual attention and that
really helped,” he adds.
Mr. Folkes, who has
been Principal for the past 10 years, is also the coach of the school’s team
for the South East St. Elizabeth District Association Sporting Competition.
“In terms of
competition, Bethlehem All-Age School has been the district association
champion for 33 consecutive years,” he proudly declares. He also informs that the Parish placed second
in the national championship which was held in May and this he believes is due
to the contribution of his students.
Mr. Folkes, who is a Past
President of the South East St. Elizabeth Principal’s Association, tells JIS News that he is constantly seeking
to enhance the student experience, at his school.
The Jamaica Social
Investment Fund carried out improvement works at the school, through the
construction of perimeter fencing. In addition, the school benefited from an
upgrade of its computer lab, by the Universal Service Fund.
The Principal of the
Bethlehem All Age School serves the community in a number capacities. He is Chairman
for the Malvern Health Committee, as well as member of the Essex Valley Sports
Committee.
He also serves as a Justice
of the Peace and has formed a number of youth clubs such as the Mt. Pleasant
Community Club.
“I find that I have
an advantage as I engage the youth. In fact, most of the persons I interact
with at the youth clubs are my past students. I would have taught many of them
in grade eight. My job is a bit easier than those who may have to try to get to
know them at this stage,” he states.
He points out that a
youth group started a feeding programme based on the number of elderly persons in
the area who were unable to work.
“So the youth club
would put packages together and then we would visit them and feed them. It
helped a lot and many of them appreciated what we did,” he explains.
Meanwhile, Mr. Folkes
says he is satisfied with his chosen career and has no regrets.
“I would still be a
teacher, but I would have given myself more latitude for sports administration.
My job does not allow me to spend as much time as I would like to on my passion,
but I do my best at striking the balance,” he states.
In 1999, Mr. Folkes
received the Lasco Salute to Teacher Award and the Jamaica Teachers’
Association Special Award in 2002.
By: Peta-Gay Hodges
Release: JIS
Contributed Photo