Lyssette Hawthorne: August 2016

Lyssette Hawthorne of Brown Town, St. Ann, is a highly trained and qualified educator, who for the past 27 years has worked in the primary and secondary school system and lecture at universities, songwriter, studio engineer, and music producer. She is a CXC Music Consultant: SBA Guidelines, and Music Consultant: Primary Education.

Early Years

Lyssette was born in Brown Town to parents the late Ewin Hawthorne, a chief public health inspector, and Dorel Hawthorne, a former vice principal at the Runaway Bay All Age School both Seventh Day Adventists.

Education and Training

Lyssette began her formal education in 1974 at the Runaway Bay All Age School. In 1979 she was successful in her Common Entrance and was placed in the prestigious St. Hilda’s High School for Girls.

In 1986, she attended the West Indies College where in 1991 she earned a Diploma in Education in primary education with emphasis on reading. Lyssette received training as a resource person in music for the Ministry of Education; a programme which was sponsored by the Social Sector Development Commission. She received a second round of training as a resource person in music under the PESP. During this last training she was afforded the opportunity to travel around the island where she taught teachers how to teach music using the music syllabus.

Lyssette would go on to the Northern Caribbean University formerly the West Indies College between 1997 and 1999 where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Primary Teacher Education, emphasis: Humanities.

A lover of the performing art, she received a scholarship to attend Edna Manley College of the Visual Art in 2002 when she obtained a certificate in Integrated Arts. Lyssette went back to the Northern Caribbean University in 2005 as a part time student where she began her Master of Art Degree in Education with an emphasis on curriculum and instruction. She completed her studies in 2012.

Career

Lyssette began her teaching career in 1989 at the St. Ann Bay Primary School as a Grade 5 teacher where she spent one year. The following year she started teaching Grade 2 at the Servite Primary School in Brown Town. She would leave Servite to do a one year stint at the Alva Primary in Alexandria, St. Ann, (1991 to 1992) before going to back to Servite.

At her second stint at Servite, she became the school’s cricket coach where the school entered Carib-Cement Cricket Competition where the school won at zone and parish levels over three years. She became Jamaica Cultural Development Commission festival coordinator at the school where she trained students for music and traditional folk forms. The school entered several competitions in JCDC where they won several medals and trophies. In 2002 Lyssette became Senior Teacher level 3, skipping over the ranks of senior teacher levels 1 and 2.

In 2004 after 13 years Lyssette left Servite Primary School and began lecturing at Moneague College that very year. She lectured social studies after initially lecturing music. There she became choir and director; instrumental in giving the band its name Tonyk which played across the parish of St. Ann. (The members of the school band have gone on to play in other professional bands after school). The band entered the International Band Competition in 2006 where it did not fare badly. During her two years at Moneague Colleague the school became top school in music in the parish and she was named top teacher in the category of music. It was at this school that Lyssette got introduced to teaching social studies at CXC level.

In 2006 she went to Westwood High School as a music, social studies and religious education teacher. There she was choir and ensemble director responsible for writing the graduation song each year. Her first year at the school saw her being awarded by JCDC Teacher of the Year for Music and the institution got awarded School of the Year in Music. As well one of her students whom she coached won the national award in JCDC music competition in the category of popular song. Twice whilst at Westwood the school’s music department coached by Lyssette entered the JCDC competition in the category of singing and instrumental and took top award. In 2010 she again won an award from JCDC as Teacher of the Year in Music and the school again won School of the Year for Music. Also in 2010 her student got the highest marks for the island in CSEC music also in 2015 two of her students got the second and third highest in the country in music. That year she won the Jamaica Teaching Council Excellent Teacher Award in music. For four consecutive years (2011-2015) she got 100 per cent passes in music.

During her time as a high school teacher, Lyssette also lectured at several universities. In 2009 to present she has been an adjunct lecturer at the Northern Caribbean University (Salem campus in St. Ann) in the Continuing Education Department where she lectures music education and visual arts, research methods and Foundations of Christian Education to students pursuing a bachelor of arts. She took on the additional challenge of lecturing part-time at the International University of the Caribbean teaching reading methodology, early childhood education, research methods, music education, and introduction to visual arts.

Social Activities

Lyssette is a member of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association since 1990 and has held several positions at local level. She was contact teacher in the Brown Town District Association in the 1990 and is now the contact teacher in Central Trelawny DA for Westwood High School; was on the district committee in both DA. She was also sports coordinator for the Brown’s Town District Association and was responsible for raising the level of performance in the District causing it to start winning; she was also sports coordinator/secretary for Central Trelawny. Lyssette is an adjudicator for JCDC she was a secretary for JCDC St. Ann Parish Committee. She was Vice President of the Star Liner Youth Club from September 1998 to June 1999.

Special Awards

Teacher of Excellence – Westwood High School Oct. 2015

Long service award – Westwood High School June, 2011
Teacher of C.X.C. student highest Music Award (Jamaica) June, 2010

Teacher of the Year -Westwood High School Oct., 2007

Most outstanding Music teacher of the year (J.C.D.C.) Trelawny June, 2010
Most outstanding Music teacher of the year (J.C.D.C.) Trelawny June, 2007
Most outstanding Music teacher of the year (J.C.D.C.) St. Ann June, 2005
Long service award – Servite Primary School May, 2000

Music

She has written a number of songs for choirs entering several various competitions.

Personal and Family

Lyssette has two children Rudolph Revers (2000-2016) and Lyonna Revers (b.2002).

Publication and articles

E Book

“The Boy from Hanover” December 2013 Amazon.com

“In My Words” January 2015 Amazon.com
"Spicey Seven" 2015 Amazon.com

Articles

How to Get Our Students Interested in Schools – April 23, 2014 (Jablogz.com)

What Our Women Can Learn From Tessanne – Dec. 28, 2014 (Jamaicaobserver.com)

The Importance of Giving Study Guides – Dec. 21, 2013 (Jablogz.com)

The Challenges Faced by Schools and Our Children – October 14, 2013. (Jamaicaobserver.com)

Who has failed our Education System – July 21, 2013 (Jamaicaobserver.com)

The Truth and Challenges within the Primary Education – July 19, 2013 (Jamaicaobserver.com)

The Teachers’ Struggle Continues – June 12, 2013 (Jamaicaobserver.com)

Teachers Forced to Run a Marathon – May 20, 2013 (Jamaicaobserver.com)

What of the Education Tax? – April 11, 2013 (Jamaicaobserver.com)

The ‘Tablet,’ an Expensive Pill to Swallow – April 3, 2013 (Jamaicaobserver.com)

A GSAT Matter for Urgent Attention – March 26, 2013 (Jamaicaobserver.com)

Expose More Primary School Students to Music – March 13, 2013 (Jamaicaobserver.com)

The Music Teacher’s Nightmare – March 5, 2013 (Jamaicaobserver.com)

The Proposed Licensing of the Jamaican Teacher – February 26, 2013 (Jamaicaobserver.com)

Teachers Must Embrace Technology (Part 2) – February 23, 2013 (Jamaicaobserver.com)

Teachers Must Embrace Technology (Part 1) – February 16, 2013 (Jamaicaobserver.com)

We Really Need to Save Our Boys – February 6, 2013 (Jamaicaobserver.com)

The Basic Moves of Teaching – January 22, 2013 (Jamaicaobserver.com)

Mental Ability and its Place in Schools – January 15, 2013 (Gleanerjmaica.com)

Improving Best Practiced of the Jamaican Teacher – January 8, 2013 (Jamaicaobserver.com)

Give the Good Teachers a Break! - September 23, 2013 (Jamaicaobserver.com)

Let us be true Innovators – Aug, 23, 2012 (Jamaicaobserver.com)

Jamaican Proverbs Publications with Jablogz

Jablogz is a Jamaican online publication that publishes Jamaican written articles and art forms.
June 10, 2014              Jablogz.com
April 22, 2014             Jablogz.com
January 25, 2014         Jablogz.com
January 2, 2014           Jablogz.com

Printed Publication

Thesis: An Investigation into the Live Performances of Senior Music Students in a Selected High School in Jamaica