Robert Lalah, Staff Reporter

Isolene Smith and a couple of her students. - Norman Grindley/ Deputy Chief Photographer

Isolene Smith is one determined woman. She was born with a debilitating disease that kept her a patient at the Mona Rehabilitation Centre for nearly 10 years, but she refused to let it slow her down one bit. She always dreamed of becoming a teacher and even though many people told her that she would never be able to realise this goal, she refused to believe them.

Thirty-eight years ago she used her own money to set up the St. Toolis Basic School in the hills of Manchester and she has been running it ever since. Today, though she is a bit more frail than she was in her heyday, and even though her already meagre finances are being strained, she still operates the school with as much love as she did nearly 40 years ago.

But why?

"I love children so much. I think that I was born to be around children and to teach them," she said with a bright smile. By the looks of things, most people in the St. Toolis community agree with her. Almost everyone there calls her simply 'Teacher' and they seem to always speak about her with a gleam in their eyes. Paul Sinclair is now 25. He was a student at Miss Smith's school when he was younger. "She is the real teacher around her. She teach almost everybody in this community. Everybody love her," he said.

Miss Smith's school is by no means a massive structure. It accommodates about 20 children from nearby communities and all activities take place in a single room. In addition to Miss Smith, there is only one other teacher. Miss Smith is both principal and teacher. "It's not much, but I try to make it comfortable for the little ones," she said as she walked with a Sunday Gleaner news team around the building recently. There were handwritten charts on the walls and a portable chalk board was used to divide the room in two.

School fee

The children pay a fee of $150 per week to attend the school.

"But most times I don't get any money from them. But I'm not turning any of them away. I don't really have it myself, but God will provide," said Miss Smith. Her optimistic outlook on life notwithstanding, it was difficult to understand how she manages to keep the school going. For the $150 fee, the children also get lunch each day, cooked with love by the community teacher.

Asks for help

"It really strains me, but when I can't afford it, I go around and ask for help. Sometimes neighbours will help to make it up. It's very important. The children have to get a good meal every day," she said. Recently, the health department shut the kitchen at the school down, saying it was not up to code, so now the teacher is seeking help to build a new kitchen on the compound. Work has already started, but the going so far has been slow. She doesn't even have her own desk at the school, so it's hard to see how she is going to pull it off. But her smiling eyes show that she is not worried at all.

"I know that God will provide for me. Somehow I will get the help I need to make it. God will provide for me," she said.