Vance River teacher in tears after drive-by of love

A unique act of gratitude by parents and students of the Point Fortin RC School brought tears of happiness to a teacher when they had a "thank you drive-by" and gave her gifts in honour of her dedication to service.

Standard five teacher Indira Samaroo was surprised by the gesture which happened outside her childhood home at Vance River, on the outskirts of Point Fortin, on Saturday last week. Parents shared video footage of the heartwarming moment with Newsday.

They followed covid19 regulations, wearing masks and limiting the greetings to less than five.

"I never thought what you did would have happened to me. I see these things on social media. It is an awesome feeling. I do appreciate you," Samaroo said as she repeatedly thanked the parents and students.

Her gifts included handwritten notes and decorative balloons with words of gratitude like "You’re appreciated!" and "Thanks!"

Samaroo told them that her mother claimed to be feeling unwell and needed her to the house. Samaroo lives elsewhere with her husband and children who knew about the surprise.

When Samaroo arrived, her "ailing" mother was "crying" but she insisted on waiting until 4 pm before visiting a doctor.

"She was making all kind of excuses,” Samaroo said in a video. “I picked up the phone to call a doctor and she told me to wait until 4 pm."

Promptly at 4 pm, the family heard the honks of cars. In on the surprise, the mother suggested they go outside, saying it may be a wedding procession.

She went outside but, as she turned to go back inside, she recognised the mother of a student.

Speaking to Newsday, parent Kevin Smart referred to Samaroo as an extremely rare teacher – one who shows no favouritism with her students who she calls her children. Smart is also the liaison officer for the class. He complimented the work of Samaroo’s late father Basdeo Sundarsingh.

Sundarsingh was a common entrance (now called Secondary Entrance Assessment) teacher.

"Mrs Samaroo is cut from the cloth of her father. He too was a dedicated teacher. She is passionate about her work. We (parents) call it a minute show of appreciation for all that she had done," Smart said.

"During the lockdown, she opened her home and allowed students in, free of charge, to help with school work. She divided classes to maintain the physical distancing. She sent work via WhatsApp and kept abreast with everything."

Even villagers were left in tears after the honking of the horns alerted them about the surprise.

"The horns woke up the village," Smart joked.

Another parent said, "We love and appreciate you dearly. This gesture of gratitude and appreciation is minute in comparison to what you've given to our children, your dedication, your support, your motivation and most of all your love for them.

"For that we can never repay you. Thank you, thank you and may God continue to bless you abundantly. We will never forget you."