One from ten…

By Matthew Woolford

On March 25, Rosanna Poon-Kumar shall be solving quadratic equations on the black or whiteboard for the last time at St Mary’s College. After some 35 years of teaching, she shall be moving on to still greener pastures.
At school, she was not just a teacher but a Mathematics savant, capable of solving virtually any numerical problem that came her way. My uncle, a chartered accountant, once found himself troubled by a mathematics problem he thought he knew the answer to but just could not reason. I took it to her, and she was not only able to confirm the answer but delineate the steps to the solution as well.
Poon-Kumar simply loved mathematics, and with a teacher like her, it was very hard not to love mathematics as well. In Form 2, I remember her standing on the teacher’s chair and writing on the blackboard to utilise every piece of real estate it provided as she went from one solution to the next.
If a student complained on not having a textbook in order to avoid homework, he was advised to find, borrow, or steal one, because time waited for no man. For those of us in the accelerated stream, she completed nearly two years of work in one, with time to spare, and to the best of my knowledge, no-one was left behind.
When she was not teaching mathematics, she was teaching computer programming in the lab. Pascal was not one of my favourite languages, but I believe that she would be pleased to know that I have done some Microsoft Excel courses since and could at least appreciate what is going on.
At school Masses she played the guitar, keeping perfect timing with the choir. On a few occasions she has also provided musical accompaniment for the Folk Choir at Sacred Heart RC Church, Port of Spain.
A few years ago, we both found ourselves invited to the same wedding and reception. I was asked to help decorate the church, Sacred Heart RC, the morning of, and as a reward for good behaviour, my Aunty Sybil took me along as her plus-one.
Poon-Kumar was the godmother of the bride but also stood in as ‘mother-giver’ for the groom. And this is who she is, a woman for all seasons! She loves life, she loves people and is always willing to lend support.
More than that, we all danced the night away at the SWWTU Hall and with all the power of my then twenty something year old youth, I could not keep up with her.
In a word, she has enthusiasm! And this was the quality that Dale Carnegie always identified as ‘the little recognised secret of success.’
In Luke 2:46, Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and asking questions. This is the reflection of the Fifth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, and with it we are encouraged to pray for zeal (enthusiasm).
I do not know if she found teaching or if teaching found her, but I personally believe, that it was a decision that redounded to the joy and benefit of many.
As a student she proudly wore the blue and white of her alumnae Holy Name Convent and as a teacher, with equal zeal, represented the College of the ‘Old white and blue’.
I know that life goes on, but I doubt that 75 Frederick Street, Port of Spain would ever be the same without her.
As such, ‘one from ten’ is the best mathematics that I could come up with.
Godspeed Mrs Poon-Kumar and congratulations on a career well spent and a life well lived thus far. May your future endeavours be filled with joy and enthusiasm as always.