JUNE Adelle-Lene Spence has worked in education for more than four decades, and is proud of every day spent in service to Jamaica’s children.

Now after 15 years as principal of Wolmer’s Preparatory School, she has decided to retire from her life-long career as an educator. On July 11, the school board honoured her with an appreciation function at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel gardens.

Amidst the celebrations, which saw Spence, 67, serenaded with music and dance, the retiree took the time to share her journey over 30 years in the education system with the Sunday Observer.

“There has never been any doubt in my mind. From I knew myself, that’s all I’ve ever wanted to be – a teacher,” Spence said. She noted that her parents – father, Reverend J A Leo-Rhynie, a Baptist minister; and mother, Winifred Leo-Rhynie, a music teacher – helped to influence her decision. The decision, she added, was cemented by the support she received from outstanding teachers she met in her childhood.

“There was Mr Christian from Mount Angus Primary in St Mary. He took me on his back, and rode all over the district with me when I won the parish scholarship,” she recalled. “And there was Mrs Edwards-Osbourne, who made me start learning to do proper handwriting all over again. I was at an advanced stage, but my penmanship was awful.”

After winning the St Mary Parish Scholarship to attend Wolmer’s Girls’ School in 1952, Spence met former Wolmer’s headmistress, Evelyn Skempton, who often ordered older girls to assist with teaching classes at Wolmer’s Preparatory School. Spence got her first real taste of teaching through this experience.

It was also during her time at Wolmer’s that she experienced her most embarrassing moment.

“I was to play the hymn at assembly one morning, and I marched up with great pride, because everybody would see me and hear me. I sat at the piano and struck up a tune,” she said.

Widening her eyes, she laughed and added: “Nobody opened their mouth because I was playing a tune they didn’t know. I thought they knew it, but they didn’t.

I had to retreat. My music teacher had to come and take over… I was sooo embarrassed.”

After leaving Wolmer’s, June won a Government Exhibition Scholarship to study at the University College of the West Indies, where she earned her Bachelor’s in French, English and Latin. She also spent a year there studying for a diploma in Education.

She got her first “real” teaching job at Kingston College, where she recalled fondly that she was one of only “a handful of ladies”. It was during her time there that she met and married the man who would be the love of her life for the next 36 years: the Reverend Herman Spence, St Andrew Parish Church curate.

When he was transferred to be rector of St Mary Parish Church a year later, June taught at St Mary High School. The couple moved back to Kingston in 1967, and Spence taught at Calabar High for the next 13 years. She subsequently migrated to the US with her husband and worked at Harvard University as secretary to several of the professors before returning to Jamaica to do another stint at Calabar.

She subsequently taught at Hillel High, and was appointed principal in 1989. She worked there until her return to Wolmer’s in 1992.

“I have come full circle,” she told the Sunday Observer happily, noting that she had ended her teaching career at the same place where it began.

At the same time, she has managed to give back to all the institutions that have contributed to her career development. For example, she taught for a year in St Mary, the parish that gave her the scholarship to study at Wolmer’s.

Her children add to this sense of accomplishment.

“My children are all grown, and have families of their own,” Spence said, exuding motherly satisfaction at her offspring’s accomplishments.

Her son, Christopher lives in San Diego with his wife and three children, and manages an American company, Business Intelligence Solutions. Both daughters, Nicole and Simone, live in Jamaica. Nicole is a training officer at Dehring, Bunting and Golding (DB&G), while Simone (who is married with two children) manages business development and marketing at British Caribbean Insurance Company (BCIC).

“We are a family of firsts,” added the 67-year-old.

She recalled that her father was the first Jamaican Minister for the East Queen Street Baptist Church, and that she herself was the first national co-ordinator in Jamaica for the American Field Service. Her son was the first head boy of Hillel High School, and her husband was the first Jamaican rector of the St Andrew Parish Church.

But in this pride was much humility, as Spence spoke about two of the most tragic experiences of her life.

“My hardest and most trying time was when I lost my husband in 2001,” she said. “The support from family, and the people here (at Wolmer’s) helped.”

Four years later in 2005, she lost her son-in-law, whom she regarded as “the strong male in the family”. He died suddenly at 36 years old.

“I have been made stronger by the difficulties,” she said. “Religion bolstered me. All the virtues that you are taught as a Christian come into play in your work.”

Adrian Mandara, Wolmer’s Prep vice-principal, attested to Spence’s strong faith.

“Moral values and attitudes are very serious concerns for her, and she instilled that into her children,” he said, adding with a sad smile, “we miss her already.”

“Principals like Mrs Spence are rare,” said Maureen Hill, who has taught at Wolmer’s Prep for 21 years. “The quality and calibre… you don’t see schools getting principals like that anymore.”

When asked how she managed to do her job so well, Spence responded that it was because she loves the children, and wants to see them develop into “quality human beings”.

She also said that she has gained strength and energy from working with children.

“The younger they are, the younger you have to be,” she said, laughing.

She added that mixing age and expertise with vibrancy and youth in her teaching staff had also helped to produce superior results for her school.

“One of the ways that helped me here was having a staff that was made up of teachers who have retired from the public school system. Blend them with the young ones so you have expertise, experience and fidelity as a settling, balancing force for the young ones with their bright ideas and energy. The older ones help the younger ones to grow,” Spence told the Sunday Observer.

Reminiscing about her many years of teaching, she said: “I have been very fulfilled because I feel that I’ve touched all sides of education: elementary, high, university.”

And what will she be doing after retirement?

“I have some ideas, but I wouldn’t say I have a distinct plan. I live one step at a time. I put one foot before the other and ask God to go with me,” she said. “I’ve come full circle. That makes me feel like I have done what I was supposed to do in life.”