Aabuthnott Gallimore High School teacher Leesan Salmon has dedicated the last four years of his life to teaching math and he is happy with the results he is now seeing from his students.

Most recently, three of his grade nine students — Jodane Stewart, Akalia Jarrett and Jordan Parke — sat and passed the challenging subject at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate level. This is the first time the school has had students passing the subject from that grade.

“Coming up, I wasn’t the strongest in math; I said if I can pass math, I can get others to pass. That was my motivation,” he told the Jamaica Observer North and East on a recent visit to the school.

Salmon said he also chose math as his focus of study because he always loved a challenge.

“I love the Sciences; people always want to do the easy stuff, but I wanted to do something challenging,” he said.

He said people always expressed surprise when he told them his focus of study was mathematics.

Salmon said he believes that people are now realising the demand for maths and mcience teachers and that is why so many are now motivated to become teachers of these subjects.

“Now that persons are seeing the impact; more persons will pursue math at the college level,” Salmon said. He added the prospects of getting a job when they leave college are higher for teachers who focus on mathematics and the sciences.

He also pointed out that these teachers are also likely to be employed overseas.

Salmon said that he is dedicated to seeing the students at Aabuthnott Gallimore High succeed and has vowed to continue working with other members in the Mathematics Department to increase passes.

Source: Jamaica Observer