Portsmouth Secondary School - Ministry of Education

Portsmouth Secondary School - Ministry of Education

Position - Head of Information Technology Department:

My Duties:

  • Prepare the Portsmouth Secondary School (PSS) timetable;
  • Manage the PSS website;
  • Prepare students for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exam;
  • Supervise and evaluate teachers in the Information Technology department;
  • Prepare substitution list for absent teachers;
  • Manage and maintain computer lab equipment.

Personal Reflection

I have been employed full-time at the Portsmouth Secondary School, a Government of Dominica School, for the past 21 years. I started in 2001, straight out of college, teaching Integrated Science and Mathematics. In 2003, the principal, Mrs. Chandler Hyacinth, asked if I was interested in teaching Information Technology since the current Teacher had resigned, and none was available on the island. I took up the challenge without a formal education in information technology or any related subject. Eventually, the principal promoted me to Information Technology Head of Department, a position I held until 2021, when I decided not to reapply. Since I had no formal education in IT, I read many tutorials online in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsft Access, and BASIC programming, all topics covered in the high school IT syllabus. 
In 2009 I designed a database application using Microsoft Access and Visual Basic for Applications for the Portsmouth Secondary School. In addition, I digitized the timetabling process, which was done by hand previously. I also evaluated and implemented a student management system specifically to manage students' grades, another manual system at the time. Working in two labs with Windows Server 2003 and 50 computers exposed me to the Windows Server system with Active Directory. The servers were new, and staff used them like regular computers until I configured them as file, print, DNS, and DHCP Servers with remote user accounts. As a result, I have received three awards: an unwavering dedication to the Portsmouth Secondary School, The Silver Appreciation Award for 15 Years of Service, and the Teacher of the Year Award.