Wednesday, September 1, 2010

As I Start Teaching This Fall, I Can't Forget the Teachers at Abigail Butscher Primary School

My first day back to school at Boys' Latin School of Maryland today was an absolute delight. My new fourth grade boys could not be more charming and ready to learn. We spent our day in air conditioning surrounded by a beautiful facility. Tons of books and supplies were on our shelves. I spent my day in a teacher's heaven. A place of comfort that is filled with all the essential tools for kids to learn.
My mind drifted back to the teachers at Abigail Butscher Primary School and the bag of money, leones, in my bag. (For those of you who don't know--leones are the currency in Sierra Leone.)That money will help two teachers go to Freetown Teacher's College. This is something that they would never be able to do without help. The teachers are supposed to make about $100 a year, but they are lucky if they get paid. Teacher's College costs them $100 a year. This expense would be impossible for them to cover. I had enough leones in my bag today to pay for college for one year for the two teacher's who need qualifications. The school needs all teachers to have their qualifications if they hope to qualify for status as a government school. Qualifying as a government school means the school would receive some government funding for books and teacher's salaries. How can this happen if the teachers don't make enough in a year to pay for school? I don't even know how they make enough to support their families with food and a roof. I am lucky, I get paid to do my job in a beautiful place.
My day ended by sending the money off in hands that I am sure will get the tuition money to Freetown Teacher's College. My hopes and prayers are with Mohammed Mansary and Adama Kargbo. I pray that our system of paying for them to go to college is successful. I pray that I can continue to help them with their teaching careers and their school with much needed support.
When I watched Mr. Mansary and Mrs. Kargbo teach last June, their care, passion, and concern that all the students learned was apparent to me. They did this without books, without air conditioning, without water, without bathrooms, without learning materials. They did this with their hearts. If I could send every bit of what I had today to them, I would do so in a minute.
The best part of my day was sending off the money and hoping with every bit of my being that things can get better for them.

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