Tigana Thomas
As a student, Tigana Thomas didn’t care too much for school and his teachers didn’t have much patience with him nor tolerance for his personality. Except for Ms Chin Choy, a no-nonsense, stern yet loving Home Economics teacher. She believed in him and saw his true potential. Now, with three degrees behind his name, he is a teacher, musician and dedicated family man who believes in hard work and planting seeds for the future generations to enjoy. He told MENtions that he remains committed to teaching so that if he meets his former self in his students, he can show them they don’t need to fit any negative stereotypes and they can break free from the mould.
My mom, sister and I moved around quite a bit, staying the longest at Edinburgh 500, Chaguanas where we lived in a standard two-bedroom NHA home. On our street, most of the houses didn’t have gates nor fences so everyone’s yard was everyone’s yard. Playing sports, bathing in the river and singing were daily activities for us during the vacation periods. Music was big with the older fellas at the time. In those days, scanting (dancing) and chanting (singing) were the in thing. I remember just sitting and absorbing music from the older guys who strangely listened to a good mix of music from reggae to old school ballads. During the daily commutes with my mother, I would also hear her singing along to the slow ballads and contemporary music which would later have an effect on the genres of music I would fall in love with. To this day, I don’t have a bias for any particular type of music, I listen to everything.
“As a result of that, I never really liked class and didn’t do much work.”
In school, most of my challenges were because of my excessive talking in class (I was always the class clown) and being viewed by some teachers as the boy who “likes to fool around. He is sure to be nothing.” While primary school was easy for me, secondary school was another story. The experience with friends was nice but my interactions with a few teachers were not very positive. Very early on, because of my nappy hair and complexion, I was definitely stereotyped. My love for reggae music at the time and the occasional drawing of the marijuana plant in “rasta” colours, would have added to that as well. I remember my mother being called into school just because certain teachers thought that I was most likely smoking or certainly came from a home in which I wasn’t being properly guided. Most of this was based on how I looked. As a result, I never really liked class and didn’t do much work.
But, there were a few teachers who saw my potential. One of my form teachers, Ms. Chin Choy who was also a Home Economics teacher, took a very keen interest in me. She was a no nonsense teacher, very stern but very loving. She made me realize that I had potential and could be whatever I wanted to be. My admiration for her is what led me to become a chef and eventually a Home Economics/Food and Nutrition Teacher. Ah, the irony of life!
“I came full circle”
After secondary school, I did degrees in Culinary Arts, Psychology and Education and became a teacher. I never planned on pursuing this career but I guess it was faith. It was only supposed to be a temporary job for me but here I am with my 15th batch of Form 5 students. A few years ago, I remember sitting on a table with Miss Chin Choy and some of my other secondary school teachers, marking national exams. The big talk on the table was “look we student here.” I came full circle and was now on the same level with my former teachers, some of which included the naysayers.
Looking back, I think I remained in teaching because I would continually meet young boys like myself who definitely need to know that they don’t have to fit into any negative stereotypes and that they can indeed break out of the mould.
Music as a way to connect
My mom is a pianist so she believed that we had to know music. In my teens, I started learning the clarinet. I was one of the cool guys in school. Lol. Walking around with this clarinet case made me the subject of many jokes from some of my close friends. I eventually moved on to the guitar pan for a bit until I picked up the guitar on my own.
Although my mom had her certification in the piano she never thought that music was a stand-alone career. In my head, I believed that I could have started an alternative rock band, move to the US and made millions. I eventually stopped practising/studying music.
In my first two years of teaching, I met a few students who were very interested in music. On lunch time breaks, we would play or talk about music. As a way to bond further with the students, I picked back up the guitar (not seriously) but just to meet them where they were. Under the guidance of the Vice Principal, I was then encouraged to put together a band to enter the Sanfest Secondary School competition along with his choir. I think this is what made me want to get a little better, just to be able to work with the students and to be able to compete with the other schools.
One day turned into five years
Fast forward to some years later, a former student of mine who went on to further his musical career, ended up on a gig that needed a guitarist and he remembered his old teacher and gave me a call. What was supposed to be a one-day session turned out to be a steady five-year stint. It is in this circle that I met many musicians who eventually motivated me to become better. Eventually, I started to do my own thing as I had both the human and material resources to put together a band. Music makes me feel so happy and there are times that I feel like I could play music for a living. Then there are times like now (during a pandemic) that I am glad to have a day job.
“I am happy with the decision I made to become and remain a family man”
As a Christian with a strong belief in family life, I always wanted a family of my own. More so, because I grew up in a single parent household, I wanted my children to experience that white picket fence, nuclear family type setting. A wife and three kids later, I am happy with the decision I made to become and remain a family man. For me, there is more humour than difficulty in raising children. I enjoy just watching them do their own thing. Running around and playing. I also enjoy providing for them. It feels good. They are also very humble and grateful and somehow understand that everything I give them is indeed a blessing. When I pass on, I wish most of all that they will only speak good things of me and that I would have set them up for success financially, mentally and spiritually.
One day, you must produce good fruit
Growing up, my mom would always tell me “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail”. I am still working on achieving some of my goals but I understand the need for preparation. “What you sow is what you reap” is another one that has helped me throughout life. If I plant good seed one day, my children would have good fruit to eat.
Life is a very funny ride that we need to stay the course. Using the analogy of planting good seed and being prepared, it may be hard sometimes to see the fruits of our labour but sometimes we need to hang on just a little bit longer. Even when it seems like failure, hang on just a little bit longer. One day you must produce good fruit.
