If you have not read the book titled, Half the Sky, you should. It is not an easy read but worth your effort. It is a book that shook my heart. It speaks of women worldwide, the trials they face and the things they do to overcome them. They are ordinary people who do extraordinary things in their villages and neighborhoods. Today I met some “Everyday Heroes”.
The school I have been visiting this week is in the middle of a slum. Families live in homes made from scrap metal, wood, and tarp. The roads are winding and muddy. Dogs, chickens, and pigs (lots of pigs) roam freely. There is no electricity, running water, or bathrooms. The school consists of two buildings – shared by seven grade levels. The school rooms have only one window and no lights. Children sit on the ground on mats with their backpacks, a notebook, and a slate. There are no “luxuries” - no crayons, no colored charts and only a few students have books.
Yet it is here that I found some “Everyday Heroes”. All of the teachers specifically requested to be at this school. They could have been at schools with painted walls, multiple stories, and electricity but instead they asked to teach here.
Hero # 1- Stays after school every day for two hours of tutoring. As I sat waiting for my ride I asked her how much students pay for tutoring. I assumed the small fee required would pay her expenses. “Nothing,” she said. “Then how do you get paid?” I asked. “Well, I don’t. You see, the children's parents can’t come for them till late at night and the homes have no electricity so it is too dark to study. I felt they needed a place to work, so , I stay.”
Hero# 2- Helped start this school. Each school day I spend 45 minutes with the teachers, sharing and discussing teaching strategies. One day I noticed that this teacher was just leaving the school an hour after the school day finished. Another teacher commented that she stayed late today in order to make up time with the children that she didn't get to during the day. She knows that education is hope. Today, this same teacher showed up late to my session. Later, she apologized. She explained that a particular family had been on her heart all morning. As she prayed and fasted at lunch she felt moved to check on them. She found that the couple was fighting. She opened her hand to reveal what looked like black rocks. “Poison,” she said. “The husband was going to feed them to his wife. I had to stay until it was settled.” She knows this community, lifts them up in prayer, and in this case saved a life.
Hero # 3- A nurse, quiet, English speaking but timid when using English. On her own, she would not have made my hero list because she would never share how hard she works. Only when the others on the staff spoke of her dedication did I come to know that she stays late - sometimes until 8:00 in the evening. She goes into the village, checking on people and taking them to the hospital if necessary. She stays long past her time.
Hero # 4- A student in fourth class (around age 9). She is lovely. Her hair is neatly braided and she has a sweet, shy, smile. Her teacher say she is very bright but has difficulty focusing on studies. This is understandable since I learned that her father abandoned the family and her mother has seizures. The young lady leaves her home by five each morning in order to arrange fruit at the market. She and her 11 year old brother are the only money makers in their family. She returns home in time to make breakfast and feed her mom and brother. Next she heads to school. When she returns home it is time to cook and clean again.
Hero # 5- I met her a few years back but didn’t know her very well. In school the lessons are memorized and understanding is expected. For those who don’t understand it can be a lonely battle. There are so many students to reach so giving individual attention is not easy. But this hero is well aware of the strugglers in her class. I watch as she rests her hand on the back of one student and reassure him that mistakes are alright and she will help. When asked about how she teaches she says, “I want the children to learn to think - not to just memorize.”
Hero # 6- Cleans at the school. She is tall and lean, her cheeks sunken, and her hands rough. After school a small two year old becomes her shadow. This little one's mom and dad are still off at work. Her cleaning task would go much faster if she shooed this little shadow out the door but she does not. She lets the toddler help by giving her a job and nurturing her pint sized, strong willed spirit. The small amount this woman earns is just enough to feed her children and herself. Her husband has left.
As I was leaving today Hero #2 asked what she should be doing differently in her classroom and what she should improve. My response, “Nothing..... I cannot answer that question,” I said. “You are my hero and I should learn from you. You reminded me that I should pray for my students and care for my families as you do. In this case, I feel that I should be the learner.”
Maybe, I was lucky enough to have shared an idea that will assist her in her desire to reach all of her students. She certainly was receptive but, in this case, in the presence of these ladies I can only stand in awe and be humbled by what I have witnessed. I am blessed to be here and to meet true “Everyday Heroes”.
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