CLOVER Thompson-Gordon, principal of the Denham Town High School in Kingston, was yesterday selected as the Lasco/Jamaica Teachers’ Association Teacher of the Year 2002.

As her name was announced, the usually composed matriarch of the West Kingston school began to cry, hands and voice trembling with excitement and elation.

“There’s only one thing harder than waiting on God, and that is wishing we had. This is a manifestation of God’s hands,” she said to the roomful of teachers, Lasco employees and well-wishers that came to the Jamaica Pegasus ballroom for the awards ceremony yesterday afternoon.

Thompson-Gordon, who began teaching at the Denham Town High School in 1968, took home a trophy and a $100,000 cheque from Lasco, in addition to two tickets to any US or Caribbean destination courtesy of Air Jamaica.

The winner was selected from among seven top teachers, finalists from a group of 14 parish semifinalists.

The runner-up, vice-principal of the Christiana High School in Manchester, Claude Rattray, also collected from Lasco a trophy and a $50,000 cheque.

The other finalists were:

* Altiman Haughton, principal of the New Hope Primary and Junior High School in Westmoreland;

* Dottlyn Dawes, principal of the Carron Hall Vocational School in St Mary;

* Herman Everton Grant, vice-principal of the Ocho Rios Primary School in St Ann;

* Esylin Barbara Williams, principal of the Duckenfield Primary School in St Thomas; and

* Cassilda Small, senior teacher at the Eltham High School in St Catherine.

Quoting lines of a poem by Una Marson, Thompson-Gordon reminded teachers that love was the impetus behind their drive and determination to stick with the profession, and challenged teachers to maintain professionalism and accountability in the drive for self-actualisation.

“It is love that results in our sacrifices for our children. It is that demonstrated love that makes us surrogate parents, doctors, nurses, counsellors, advisors, chaplains, mediators and financiers. Lord knows how some of us manage, but this love for our calling and practice of this noble profession carries us through daily transformation into gentle, more caring persons,” she said to tumultuous applause.

“As teachers we all want upward social mobility, but we must not do this at the expense of our children… we must be more accountable, and we must tell teachers when they are wrong because we are the bastions of hope in this society,” she added.

Thompson-Gordon is the fourth recipient of the award, which took a one-year hiatus for the year 2001. The award is intended to honour and recognise excellence in the field of education by rewarding teachers who have displayed outstanding performance in the classroom as well as in the wider community.