teachers – Goducate … Go And Educate!

2011-04-082011-04-01

Sabah Literacy Centers latest resource – teenage teachers

Every time I visit Goducate’s Literacy Centers in Sabah, I am amazed by the quality of the teachers. They may lack the professional diplomas or the grasp of the intricacies of English grammar but they more than make up for these by their passion and love for the kids they teach.

When I see them teaching in the little run-down classrooms, using the simplest teaching aids, I am convinced that teaching is more a passion than a profession!

Because Goducate believes in helping the needy to help themselves, Goducate trains local mums to teach their own kampong children. This strategy has worked well thus far. Besides the passion that these mums bring to their teaching each day, this strategy is extremely cost-effective and sustainable.

After almost 3 years of developing literacy centers for the illegal aliens in Sabah, we have now discovered another rich teacher resource – namely, our former students who can now teach what they have learned from us!

Several of these students have already joined our “faculty” as assistant teachers and then moved on to being full-fledged literacy teachers, while at the same time continuing with their own schooling. Every time, I see one of these teenage teachers I am assured that Goducate’s philosophy of helping people to help themselves is more than a slogan – it is a reality.

On my most recent trip, when I was introduced to the new teachers I was pleasantly shocked to be introduced to a 12 year old teacher. Azmi was always an outstanding student and I was sure that he would be special but to see him join the “faculty” at the age of 12 was more than I could imagine.

photo(26) — Teenage teachers (Azmi 2nd from right)

Azmi is not a teenage teacher, he is a “child” teacher! Thankfully, it’s not child labor but a labor of love for Azmi to teach his fellow kampong mates!

photo(27) — Teenage teacher who hopes to be a lawyer one day

2010-09-272010-09-27

Goducate Teachers’ meeting in Sabah, Malaysia

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!

2010-09-242010-09-23

Visible progress of Goducate’s Literacy Centers in Sabah, Malaysia

The 15 visitors from the blogging communities of ieatishootipost and Nuffnang were given a first-hand view of the progress of Goducate’s 2 year old literacy program in Sabah, Malaysia.

When they visited Goducate’s newest literacy center (barely 2 months old) they saw only 40 students learning their ABC’s in a little “porch” over a swamp. In this community of over a 1000 people, we were told by the village-head who had lived there for 25 years, that this was the first “school” in that community.

When they visited another literacy center that had functioned for 6 months, they witnessed a concert performed by over 150 students. The students of this school performed a little “concert” for us (some standing in the swampy mud) presenting items in halting English.

When they visited a center that had functioned for a year, they witnessed classes in arithmetic and English conducted in neat classrooms. The students in this center were confidently answering their teachers’ questions.

When they visited the first literacy center that Goducate started 2 years ago, they saw a nice school house with 400 students and were entertained by children speaking confidently in English.

Concert at Goducate's first literacy center in Sabah

It was a real pleasure to see how these centers had progressed through the efforts of their teachers – most of whom are mothers whom Goducate has trained.

Goducate believes that mothers make the best teachers.

Goducate believes that every mother wants to see her children learn and grow.

Goducate wants to empower mothers by training them to help their own children.

Goducate helps needy Asians help themselves.