A tribute to Barbara Gillis and the teaching profession

When I heard about the passing of Ms. Barbara Gillis, a former CNMI Teacher of the Year, it truly made me sad because I was one of those teachers she touched and even changed. I have always viewed the Teacher of the Year as being a person that teachers can look up to as the “Teacher’s Teacher” and that was indeed Ms. Gillis.

I don’t think I would be on the Board of Education right now and my role in education may have been very different if not for Ms. Barbara Gillis. She made a statement on Education Day in 1999, that greatly changed me forever and I owe her. I listened and believed, which is what teachers do or try to do every day with their students to inspire them to fly higher. I’m sure all of us have a teacher(s) that said or did something that has helped to inspire you academically or motivated you to do and be better.

I have always regarded teachers as people who “touch the future” every day and they are the keepers of the keys too the American Dream because our job on a daily basis is to inspire and prepare students to be productive citizens and accomplish their American Dream. I had always viewed my job as a teacher as being only in the classroom but growing up in the Civil Rights movement, getting an MA in ED and hearing Ms. Gillis speak, she put me on a course for educating FAR beyond the classroom. In her speech Ms. Gillis said, “As we go from the 19th century factory model of schools, to a 21st century model of prevention, teachers must see their role as being bigger than the classroom. We must learn to, and be willing to become leaders, and work with other educational professionals and community leaders to educate our politicians, the media, village leaders, parents, students and one another for what needs to be done for our children” and teachers. Needless to say it is very obvious I took her statement to heart. Ms. Gillis was so right about this statement and I’m still trying to work with our leaders and educate stakeholders on what needs to be done to make the system better serve our children.

We have lost a great person and a gifted educator. I’m sure there are hundreds of us (students and teachers) that have been “touched” by Ms. Gillis. She inspired me to stop sitting in my classroom complaining about the problems and to get out and become apart of the solution. I want to thank Ms. Gillis for her words of encouragement and wisdom. I’m sure there are many students, teachers and staff throughout the entire Public School System of the Commonwealth that have been touched by Ms. Barbara Gillis.