By Avia Ustanny, Outlook Writer
DR. ELAINE Carter is several years past retirement, but neither her physical appearance nor her daily activities reflect this.
She loves to dance and has a host of other hobbies, but the scholar whose skills in promoting reading is much sought after, and who has been responsible for the establishment of the Central Jamaica Reading Council, a voluntary organisation which promotes literacy through improvement in reading, has too much to do to truly call herself retired.
Through the council, Dr. Carter organises workshops for parents and teachers, literacy competitions, forums, exhibitions, parades, and the distribution of books to schools.
International Literacy Day is observed annually by the council employing various formats.
She is also kept busy sharing reading activities with children in schools, and with children at the Mandeville Regional Hospital on a frequent basis.
Elaine, an internationally recognised expert in the field of education, has given numerous presentations at conferences around the world. She has offered technical assistance in many countries, and was selected to join the Citizen Ambassador Programme in Reading Education Delegation to visit Hungary and Russia. She has facilitated the UNESCO's efforts in the Reading For All Programme, travelling to many countries including, Ethiopia, Uganda, South Africa, and Thailand.
A native of Top Hill, St. Elizabeth, Dr. Vinetta Elaine Carter received her early education at the Top Hill and Ballard's Valley All-Age schools in that parish. She earned her Teacher's Diploma from the St. Joseph's Teachers' College, in Kingston, and her master's degree in Education from Western Carolina University, North Carolina campus.
Several innovative processes
Elaine's passion for teaching led to her creation of several innovative processes to enhance the teaching/learning process at Rose Hall, and Ballards Valley schools in St. Elizabeth, and Hatfield and Villa Road schools in Manchester.
Elaine established the first Guidance and Counselling Programme in the all-age schools in Jamaica, in addition to the regular classroom teaching, and organised a First Aid Training and Certification Programme for Grade 9 students. As the first female 4-H clubbite to be elected chairman of a 4-H Parish Advisory Council (Manchester), her leadership skills and training moulded clubbites to achieve national excellence.
While she was engaged as part-time lecturer at Church Teachers' College in Mandeville, she developed a remedial reading project partnering college students with students from the Villa Road All-Age School. This was recognised for its success.
Then, in 1989, she created history as the first black student to earn the Ph.D. in Reading and Supporting Emphases Language Arts, Educational Administration and Supervision, and Public Administration from the University of Tennessee.
At both institutions in the United States of America her graduate assistantships enabled her to gain invaluable experiences at varying levels of the educational system. She developed programmes to promote Jamaica, and was always in demand to address educational and community groups.
Dr. Carter's outstanding performance and community involvement in sharing her culture and her expertise earned her the prestigious Chancellor's Citation, and the invitation from Alex Haley, the famed professor and writer, and others to extend her stay in Knoxville.
However, determined to improve literacy in Jamaica, she returned home and kindled the flame for the relentless drive to improve reading.
The educator was employed by the Ministry of Education as a senior education officer with responsibilities for secondary and tertiary institutions.
Meanwhile, Western Carolina University also utilised her expertise to teach the Language Arts Course to Jamaican teachers pursuing the Bachelor of Arts degree.
She also extended her consultancy services to several African countries at the request of the UNESCO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.
UNESCO consultant
"Literacy has been identified as one of the tools that can empower the citizens of the many countries around the world. In an effort to address the problem of the low levels of literacy in some African countries, UNESCO requested my expertise as a consultant," Dr. Carter explains.
The first mission to fulfil the engagement was an assignment to Ethiopia in 1993 to offer technical assistance in the areas of the monitoring of reading progress at the primary level and the development of alternative teaching methods. A second visit in 1994 involved presentations relating to The Early Learning Experiences of Children 0-6 Years Old.
Next was South Africa. The educator states, "My mission to South Africa as resource consultant involved participation in the 'All-Africa Conference on Children's Reading', held in Pretoria. Much was gained from learning first-hand about the South African culture, interacting with participants, and visiting the township, housing and educational facilities of the renown Soweto."
In Uganda the National Education Policy is geared towards improving accessibility, equity, quality, and the relevance of education with special focus on the Universalisation of Primary Education (UPE). In 1998, her mission to Uganda involved the conduction of workshops on 'Personnel Training for the Teaching of Reading and Multigrade Teaching to Teacher Trainer', and delivering the technical keynote address at the education conference.
Carter enjoyed her travels, especially in Uganda where she experienced the magnificent beauty of the country, including the famous Lake Victoria and the legendary River Nile.
Her last mission was again to Uganda in 2000, providing further assistance to teacher trainers from Primary Teachers' Colleges in literacy teaching and learning. A manual was developed to assist teacher educators to engage in professional development to enhance reading improvement in primary schools.
Increase the knowledge base of Jamaica
Although Dr. Carter is now retired she remains aware of the need for teachers to be engaged in reading for professional development. This was why she has established professional reading resource centres in many schools, and solicited materials for their upkeep. Her concern to increase the knowledge base of Jamaican teachers in improving reading led her to organise Jamaica's first residential National Reading Conference in 1993.
Single-handedly, she brought the prestigious 17th World Congress in Reading of the International Reading Association (IRA) to Ocho Rios, Jamaica, and officiated as chairperson a first for a Caribbean native. The congress attracted some 1,200 educators and their families from 52 countries around the world. The success of this congress, as acclaimed by the participants, is regarded as one the high points of Dr. Carter's career.
Married to Mr. Glen Carter, a chemical engineer, she is the mother of three children, all of whom have completed graduate studies.
"I believe that whatever one can conceive, one can achieve," she states. She shares the view that: "Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes time. Vision with actions can change the world."
