Kingston, Jamaica, June 20, 2023: Erickay Chambers, the 22-year-old Mathematics teacher who walked away with the coveted title of Miss Trelawny Festival Queen on June 17, says she is eternally grateful to her father for the role he played in igniting her passion for Mathematics.
“I spent most of my Christmas and summer holidays in the market where I helped my father to sell food at his stall and small restaurant. Whenever he went out to buy goods, I managed the stall. The act of selling and buying caused me to check the money on spot and this pushed me to develop a love for Mathematics. Daddy used to say- “Put dung the calculator, you need to check in your brain…” Chambers recounted with a slight chuckle.
She explained that despite her love for the subject there were days when she felt discouraged and would go to her father for support. “I knew I had the potential but I used to back down. I was afraid of trying and getting a low grade. At the time, I thought my teacher was picking on me when she called me to the board to work out the questions however when I passed CXC in grade 10, I realized that it was her method of letting me understand where I was going wrong.”
As Miss Trelawny Festival Queen 2023, Campbell commits to doing all she can to help students to get better grades in the subject. She plans to execute SPOP- [abbreviation for the Student Priority Outreach Programme]. The project is aimed at helping children who are struggling with mathematics and have a genuine fear of the subject. She will also try to tackle the ‘dunce mindset’ that she said is becoming more evident in the classroom.
“I remember when I was in school, if I failed a subject I would be ashamed to carry the test paper home to mommy or daddy. I would hide it but now in the classroom, I realize that the students are taking it onto themselves to call themselves dunce or they celebrate when they get a low grade.”
In an attempt to change this mindset, she plans to employ creative hands-on tactics to match the learning style of each student. Some of these will include using catchy jingles and YouTube videos that help to break down some topics.
“I want to do a back to school treat this year so I can help children in Trelawny. I would like to get some persons onboard to help me to execute these plans”.
Chambers won three sectional prizes, including Most Active in her Community, Most Poised and Most Culturally Aware. The second runner-up was Bathsheda Harris; Jamelia Grant, who won the Best Performer and Most Popular on Social Media sectional prize, was first runner-up.
Chambers will now go on to compete for the National Coronation that is set for August 1in Kingston.
