After a short while, she began to ask me questions saying "do you think you can help me?" and "do you think I can learn English?" My obvious answer was yes. I know she is capable of learning and getting her GED because she is a hardworking person. She then went on to tell me about getting her American Citizenship and how it took her 3 months to pass the test. I asked her a question that I thought I knew the answer to, but I was wrong: I said "how far did you go in school? 8th grade?" and she replied in saying "no, I have never gone to school. My father taught me at home". Marisol has never had any education in her life. This shocked me. I really did not know what to think at first. She expressed so much desire to learn English because she wants to have a better life. She told me she is tired of cleaning dorms and offices till 1 in the morning. She wants to teach some day. This really sparked my motivation. I have an opportunity to help this amazing lady obtain her dream.
I know she appreciates what I am doing for her. She thanks me every 5 minutes and always looks at her watch and makes sure we aren't going over an hour (which I do not care about at all). When I am helping her, I don't think about anything else. Her telling me she has never gone to school in her life and her telling me her dream of being a teacher really opened my eyes. So many people in the world have little to no education and are just regarded as lazy or ignorant. I for one can say that that is absolutely false. Even though Marisol has no education, she is an intelligent woman who has picked up all the English she knows by just listening. I look forward to my next meeting with her because now I know what I have to do in order to get her where she wants to be. This is an amazing opportunity and I am going to take full advantage of it.
Hi William, I was deeply touched by your two responses. I had someone working with Marisol last semester, but I did not know she never went to school. I am really glad that you are working with her, and I believe your help will be invaluable. Thanks for your good work. I look forward to reading more posts. DanW
ReplyDeleteWow. I started reading and your entry was touching. I understand your motivation. None of us realize how lucky we are to be where we are. Thank you for an amazing post. I know with your determination you can help Marisol with anything she needs to learn.
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