What do you call someone who lives to give of themself, nurture young minds, motivate and heal? Some would refer to such a person as "God sent." For 28-year-old Ronnie Williams, former Mon Repos, Morvant resident, giving of himself has been what he has known since the age of 16, when he began tutoring other children in his area. He did it at no cost and said it was just his way of helping others whom he felt needed his help.
Reaching out to depressed areas
Now a resident of Edinburgh 500 in Chaguanas, Williams told the T&T Guardian that as a teenager he was referred to as the bright boy of the depressed community. "I would go from house to house helping out children in the neighbourhood. I started in Mon Repos but then I started going to other areas like Barataria and Laventille," the former student of Belmont Intermediate Secondary School explained. He said initially he was drawn to such areas where crime was endemic, as he understood the rigours and strains of living under such conditions. "What inspired me was the fact that I had seen a lot of people in my area who were gunned down, and as people always say, the only thing that could deliver you from poverty is a proper education," he opined, referring to the lyrics of songs sung by the late Ras Shorty I and Minister of Arts and Multiculturalism, Winston "Gypsy" Peters."
Celebrating the success of his students
Williams said he was the only one of his parents' ten children to have completed secondary school and gone on to tertiary level education. He is currently completing his bachelor's degree in management. Even with his duties as an accountant at Clico Trinidad Ltd, Williams has maintained his role in the lives of many young people in T&T. He still tutors, choosing to focus primarily on SEA Mathematics, as he feels there is a greater need for his assistance in that particular area of study. He goes to the homes of youngsters who are preparing to do the examination to tutor them. "There's a great demand for SEA mathematics, and for the exam in 2011 my students got scores ranging from 90-97 out of 100. As a result, they were placed in schools such as Holy Name Convent, Fatima, Providence and even QRC," he beamed.
Williams said he tutored an average of ten students annually, going from home to home to ensure his students were ready for their exams. He is currently in the process of establishing a school just off Ariapita Avenue in Port-of-Spain, where parents can bring their children to get the help they need. "Going house to house is very tiring. I would go from Diamond Vale to Trincity, to Woodbrook, to Moka and Morvant, and I even go to a place on Duke Street in Port-of-Spain to teach a child," he said, adding that he would be able to give more by setting up his school at a specific location.
The importance of self-confidence
His services include a weekly consultation with parents, as he believes it is important to foster relationships; correction and explanation of past papers; constant benchmarking of the per­form­ance of the students and assistance with the topics covered at the children's schools. "I see myself as a figure to contribute to people's lives. I may not be a manager or a director but at least I can bring some sort of blessing to people's lives," he said. During his sessions he also focuses on building the confidence of his students. "A child's confidence is often overlooked and not seen as a major contributor to his or her overall performance. However, it is just as significant to a child's academic ability," he said. He is calling on parents to show more attention to their children by spending more time with them and ensuring that they understand their schoolwork. Teachers could not do it alone, Williams said, and were only there to facilitate learning at school. He urged parents to pick up the slack and ensure that the next generation aspired to be better than the last.
• To contact Ronnie Williams, call 779-4269.