Amelia Martínez Collazo never imagined becoming a teacher, yet she has spent over 50 years in primary school classrooms. "From the early days of the Revolution, my family and I realized that teaching was a good opportunity to improve ourselves and help other families so their children could become good people," says this woman, now over seventy, who, upon retiring, understood that first and foremost, the school and her students were waiting for her presence, and the family economy would benefit from her additional income.
Currently, she works at the "José Tey" rural school in the La Anacahuita neighborhood. "I started as a teacher in a humble little school in Ojo de Agua. The families were very close-knit, cooperative, and supportive of us. They were very interested in their children's progress. At the end of the school year, we would gather in a kind of community, joyful, and from there we would wish everyone happy holidays. You could see that many were eager for the new school year." Now many things have changed, that's to be expected; the world, our environment, is not the same. But we cannot renounce what Fidel always called us to: to form good men and women, men of the future, who will defend his Revolution.
"Look, I've worked with all grade levels, and my greatest joy is seeing them learn to write and speak correctly. It shouldn't be through scolding or complaining; to achieve this, we must motivate them. The first person who should intervene in this process is a well-prepared, trained teacher. Anyone who lacks these qualities isn't a true educator. I have two students who haven't yet met their goals, specifically in the knowledge and use of vowels. So what can we do? We work and work on the individual needs of not only them but also those who are ahead. We have to offer these students exercises and tasks that meet their needs, and we have to demand that families fulfill their corresponding responsibilities," concludes her detailed talk. She was also a district delegate for the People's Power in the Holguín municipality of Calixto García for many years and is currently the secretary of a local branch of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC). To this dedicated educator from Calixto García and her entire teaching staff, we extend our warmest congratulations and a happy new year filled with health and prosperity.
