"All children are gifted; some open their presents later."
Welcome To Eshe's Learning Center. We are a co-educational school for children with learning disabilities.
Eshe’s Learning Centre is a co-educational school for children with learning disabilities.
Most of our students have reading, writing, spelling and/or mathematical deficiencies. Their thinking, problem solving and expressive language capacities reflect diverse learning pathways.
Eshe’s recognizes that our students:Eshe’s Learning Centre will be the recognized authority in the region for the delivery of holistic education to persons with invisible learning challenges to empower them to discover their inner gifts and become productive citizen.
Eshe’s Learning Centre will serve students with invisible learning differences, within a distinctly nurturing atmosphere, which emphasizes sensitivity and acceptance, by:
our history
The Early Days
Eshe’s Learning Center opened its doors with three full-time and two part-time students on November 5, 1984, at 7 O’ Connor Street in Woodbrook, Trinidad. The school began instruction in a rented space available from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Parents drove students to their first field trips since the principal/teacher/secretary/janitor and full-time students equaled four.
In January, 1985, the school moved into the Lynch family home at 17 Alfredo Street, still in Woodbrook. Slowly, our numbers grew, and two additional teachers joined the staff. Mainstream schools sent young children to us at the start of the school day. Older students and adults came after school and work. In two years, we expanded the space and added three more classrooms, and a year later, we rented space for a senior school in Maraval.
A Permanent Home
We celebrated in 1991 when we relocated the school to our permanent home at 105 Ariapita Ave. Finally, our entire student population could work and play together. Our property purchase brought significant financial challenges, but our teachers' hard work and dedication and donations from corporate sponsors allowed us to upgrade our school over the years, one project at a time. We've added a library, pre-vocational classrooms, a computer lab and a steel-pan theatre.
Eshe’s Today
In living its Mission and Vision, the school currently has:
Dr. Esla Lynch did not know this as a child.
From Monday to Thursday, she was an average child; if only she did not have to write words. Worst of all, Fridays during primary school meant tests, failure and punishment. Dr. Lynch knew the information, but writing answers, especially during tests, was challenging. Ideas came easily, but writing and spelling were difficult, so the end product never met her teachers' standards.
When she got As in some subjects but performed poorly in freshman English at university, she cried, not understanding that her grades reflected not her ability but her ongoing spelling hurdle. Recognizing the reasons for her challenges in school liberated Dr. Lynch and implanted in her the passion for making learning less daunting for struggling students.
Eshe began as an alternative environment to provide children with hidden disabilities the opportunity to experience success.
Dr. Lynch believes that education is an active ingredient in life's journey. She created her school to present the curriculum to children in ways that would catalyse successful experiences, provide enriching life experiences, and foster a love for learning that would make them lifelong learners.
Eshe means Life.
When the school was first named, and its meaning explained, young Jose asked, "Miss, you mean this is a living, learning centre?" From its inception, Eshe's has been a place where children learn more than the academic content. They discover themselves. They learn coping strategies and social skills, and they improve their self-esteem.
Our community encourages students to discover their gifts, enhance their strengths, and address their challenges.
Adults learn in our Living Learning Center. Parent education classes and teacher/staff development sessions are part of the dominant culture of our school. Dr. Lynch adapted an African proverb that guides her as an educator;
Our village views the partnership between home and school as vital.
It is an African word that means "LIFE" in several African languages.
Eshe’s Board of Management is a small group of professionals, including present and past parents, who have committed to giving their time and talent to serving our school. They are in the process of establishing the Eshe’s Foundation. With the energies, skills, and resources of this team, the future of the school is in secure hands, and the outreach to our community, country, and region will be even greater.
This transition involves changes in the school's legal structure, leadership practices, curriculum delivery, physical plant and financial plan.This transition involves changes in the school's legal structure, leadership practices, curriculum delivery, physical plant and financial plan.
In 2019, the start of the Eshe’s Secondary Programme heralded a new and exciting chapter in Eshe’s journey. Having graduated its first three students in 2023, each with six CSEC passes, the school is well poised to forge a path of excellence in the secondary sector.
Eshe's Board is establishing an NGO, 'Eshe's Foundation,' that will assume the school's responsibility and provide opportunities for enhanced community outreach.
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STAFF DEVELOPMENT
Ninety percent of our teachers have graduated from our local universities with undergraduate degrees in Primary Education or Special Education. Five of the teachers also have graduate degrees. Staff turnover at Eshès is very low, with most of our existing staff having been there for 5 to 26 years.
Staff development is integral to maintaining a progressive educational institution. Training remains at the core of everything that takes place in our school. Teachers are exposed to a range of best practices used both locally and internationally to enrich and expand the learning experiences of our students.
Eshe’s also provides weekly and vacation staff development sessions to address targeted topics.
The school organizes visits to schools in the Caribbean and North America, exposing our staff to best practices and ensuring teachers keep abreast of innovations in education. Both nationally and regionally, mainstream school teachers are invited to our professional development workshops, often facilitated by presenters from North America.
JOIN OUR STAFF
Put your time, knowledge, skills and talent helping a noble and worthy pursuit.
Sometimes in our lives we all have failed
We all have problems
But we realize running away
Is not going to solve them
Eshe’s we’ve learnt to face
All our fears, all our problems
And build on our strengths
The only way we’ll ever solve them.
(Chorus)
You just call on a teacher
When you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
Or we call on each other for we understand
We all need somebody to lean on.
Please don’t try to hide
The problems that could hurt you tomorrow
For no one can take care of those needs
That you won’t mention.
(Chorus)
