Coming from the island of Barbados, one of the things that this great but little nation has marked in my consciousness is the importance of quality education for every individual. I believe that education is a tool that empowers all and should be free at all levels, for every individual. I believe that every learner should be respected as an individual full of purpose. As an educator my role is to serve learners by stimulating that purpose. I have the highest of expectations for each and every learner.

What I see as essential in the higher education learning process is that learners are given the opportunity to actively participate in their learning. That is to say, that I encourage them to have a discourse, to think critically, and be a respectful critic through group discussions and one-on-one sessions. I also encourage learners to dialogue with their own work, through self-critique and challenging them to ask the important question: Why?

I believe my role is also to encourage innovation. One of the things I often tell my students is “Don’t think about what you think I want you do”. To have innovation, one must ignore conformity. To encourage innovation, I have found it very effective not to give examples but instead allow learners to decipher what the proposed exercise or project is seeking to bring about or achieve. In this way, the learner is constantly challenged to question ways of being.