OCHO RIOS, St Ann — As a child Joan Barnaby dreamed of one day being a nurse because she thought it would fulfil her yearning to care for others. She became a teacher instead, almost by chance, and it took her nine years to realise that she was meant to be an educator. Once she was clear on her purpose, she didn’t look back, dedicating 44 years to the profession.

Barnaby still remembers the day that two three-year-old boys — Raheem Evans and Daniel Green — showed her that she belonged in the classroom. At the time she was teaching at Bethel Basic School in Charles Town, St Ann.

“I got very discouraged and I was thinking this is not the profession for me and so I was just going to leave. Then the September morning I got two little boys in my class and when I saw their faces and how enthusiastic they were to learn, it changed my heart totally,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

“Those little boys showed me that I was indeed in the right place. I got back in tune with teaching because they motivated me so much and I wanted to be that person to help them make a difference,” she added. “I have never gotten the chance to tell them they made a big difference in my life but I know in my heart what happened.”

She proudly noted that Daniel Green went on to play football at the national level.

“I’m not sure where Raheem is but I know he is also doing great things. I’m so happy when I see my past students and they have taken up various professions all over the world and they are not in jail. It makes me feel good to know I made a positive impact,” the 62-year-old told the Observer.

Looking back, she marvels at the career she has had, and how different it was from what she imagined her life would be like when, as a child, she dreamed of being a nurse. Barnaby taught at Bethel Basic School for 33 years, then went on to Lime Hall Basic School where she spent seven years before retiring.

“I graduated from Marcus Garvey Junior High and Secondary at age 17 and went out as a youth service worker at Bethel Basic. I went straight into the profession of teaching after doing the year of youth service. The principal at the time asked me to stay because she loved how I work,” explained Barnaby.

The work she has done over the years has not gone unnoticed. On Monday, she was among several individuals honoured by the St Ann Municipal Corporation during a ceremony for ‘Unsung Heroes’.

“I’m thankful to the St Ann Municipal Corporation to have seen my good work and chose me to be honoured,” she said.

Now a justice of the peace in her community of Charles Town, Barnaby still finds pleasure in serving others.

“I’m still involved in the community, contributing to the young people as a JP and it keeps me going,” she told the Observer.