Codnor-Crooks is surrounded with love emanating from her students. - Kimoni Harris Photos

When teaching is in your genes, it is only natural that one would love it. This is the case of Avril Codnor-Crooks who currently teaches a grade six class at the St George's Girls School in Kingston. She refers to the 43 girls in her class as her 'daughters'.

Growing up in the Corporate Area, Crooks attended St George's Girls School before going on to St Hugh's High. While in high school, she said her dreams of being a teacher never changed and that was why she went back to her primary school to do her teaching practice. She has not left since.

Marking up the walls

Codnor-Crooks told The Star that she was destined to be a teacher. "Ever since I was a little girl at age five or so, I've always been teaching". Jokingly she added "my father would always tell the story that he built a chalkboard for me because I would always be marking up the walls saying I am teaching."

Codnor-Crooks has been a trained teacher for more than 18 years and says that she cannot imagine her life doing anything else but teaching. "It is something that I love, I used to even teach in Sunday School." Born in a family of educators, Codnor-Crooks says it was inevitable that she would become a teacher one day. "I have such a great passion for teaching, I can't even explain it," she said.

At the primary level, teachers have to teach over 13 subjects and of these subjects, mathematics and science are Codnor-Crooks' favourite.

Yearning for knowledge

She explains that her girls give her a reason to continue teaching. "They have a yearning for knowledge and that makes me want to teach, when I wake up in the morning and think of them, I just want to come out and teach."

She also believes that discipline is administered with love. "I give my students a hug in the morning and a hug in the evening, it is a very good medicine. My students would describe me as being very strict but at the same time very humorous," she said.

Overall, Codnor-Crooks believes that as a teacher she is responsible for the holistic development of her students.

"You have to be involved with the life of the child, you can't just say I'm just gonna teach them and go home, the students need teachers to counsel them and even pray with them at times," she said.

Codnor-Crooks in action in her English language class.