Gabriela Dima - The seed that sprouted after 4 years | People of Justice 2022 Iași
Author: Gabriela Dima
I decided to be a primary school teacher because I believe in people, in the importance of role models to inspire them and in the power of education to transform society.
Five years ago, I signed up for the programme Teach for Romania, as a teacher for a second grade class in Sohatu, Călărași commune. Half of the students didn't know how to read and write. Every year, starting from kindergarten, their teacher changed. On the first day of school, I promised them that I'd stay until the end. They didn't believe me. But I stayed and I took them on trips, I showed them the world, the opportunities they have, beyond the borders of the village. I transformed the educational space. I made it friendlier. They met all sorts of people, with various professions and passions. Florin was one of the children. He was very good at math. He learnt very quickly and would solve the exercises with ease... If someone read them to him... The fact that I was constantly praising him for his strengths wasn't enough to motivate him to learn how to read. His suffering was profound. Do you know that child, that perfect victim of bullying? No matter how much he tries to remain invisible, away from the teasing of those around him, he still can't do it. He was that child. Average height, round face, chubby. He wore the same track suit all year round that was mended again and again. Many times, he'd stay with his track suit on, even in summer, because his T-shirt was torn or simply because he felt dirty.
At 8 years old, feelings of inadequacy, shame and injustice were etched deeply on his mind and soul. He had accumulated so much frustration with himself, with his family, his classmates... When he wasn't ashamed or furious, he had such a beautiful smile. His entire face laughed. I promised him: if he learnt how to read, before the end of fourth grade, I'd let him pass into fifth grade. It was very difficult. Sometimes, even I didn't believe he'll make it. Somehow, he did it.
But I never found out whether he did out of pride or because he understood the value of education. Even though I moved from the other side of the country, from Bucharest, here, to Iași, I kept visiting them each year. I was so happy to see them grow up. Last year, in spring, towards the end of sixth grade, I celebrated my birthday together with them. Florin got taller, he lost weight, he had more self-esteem, he walked resolutely.
Before leaving, he took me to the side. He wanted to talk to me about something. I will never forget it: Teacher, dad won't let my sister go to high school. The rest of the conversation doesn't matter. Because that's the moment I knew that the seed I planted four years ago had grown, had sprouted. Florin hadn't learnt to read only out of pride, but because he understood that education opens the gates to the world.
That's what each teacher supported by Teach for Romania does: they bring children to school and teach them how to read. They are primary school teachers who have two-five pupils at the beginning of the school year, even though... 20 to 30 pupils are enrolled. Over the course of the year, they succeed in bringing all of them to school. We do this so we don't lose a quarter of each generation of pupils from rural areas.
At the moment, 24% of them don't finish eighth grade. We have teachers who have students in eighth grade who can't read. They stay after school with them. They do remedial education. Their fight, our fight, is against dropping out and functional illiteracy. Who are these people? A third of them are people who, at one point in their lives, have decided to make a change in their career. They gift a part of who they are to children from underprivileged backgrounds.
People who believe in the potential each child has and the power of education. People like me and you.
.
.
The People of Justice 2022 shows were produced alongside Decât o Revistă, a team of journalists who believe in the transformational power of stories.
Together with over 1,000 viewers, we imagined what a more just Romania could look like through vulnerability, empathy and the power of example. In each city we brought on stage lawyers, journalists, civic activists and artists whose true stories about justice: how we achieve it, what it means for justice, education, the healthcare system or our cities.
