Last week, fifty teachers from the seven Goducate Literacy Centers in Sabah gathered for a teachers’ meeting.
The meeting was held on the 2nd floor of a fast-food restaurant. For most of them, it was either the first or second time that they had entered a fast-food restaurant (the previous occasion was also another teachers’ outing). It was a real treat for them and they came in their “Sunday” best!
It was hard for anyone to imagine that these smart-looking teachers were mostly in manual, menial work (eg. scrap-pickers, laundry women, cleaners in the public markets) before Goducate trained them to be teachers.
When they were each asked to stand up and say a few words about themselves, the majority said this “I came to Sabah from the Philippines to escape poverty and was hoping to find work in Sabah as a maid but I never imagined that one day I would be a teacher!” Tears rolled down many eyes that day!
The truth is that they are not only teachers but excellent ones because they are motivated to teach their own children to read and write. The desire to see their children learn and grow motivates them never to be late for work, never to miss a day and never to be slip-shod or lazy.
That day as their trainer and I talked to them they listened intently, taking in every word – ready to bring it back what they learned to their villages.
I have seldom seen a more motivated group of people in my life. It is a pleasure to see how a little encouragement and training from Goducate has enabled this group of 50 teachers to teach literacy and numeracy to over 2000 students.
Goducate is honored to be able to help them help their own children and fellow-villagers!