When Maria Teresa took a job as a teacher in Concepción, a small village in the center of Guatemala, she didn’t know that her new position would change her life. She did know that teaching first grade there would be a great challenge, because the school lacked resources and the children were from very poor families.  Concepción is nestled between beautiful mountains, but most of the people who live there earn just enough to survive by farming and producing cheese.

When her school principal asked her to take Osvaldo into her class, Maria Teresa's challenge seemed to grow even bigger.   Other teachers did not want Osvaldo in their classrooms.  A skinny eight-year old, he was repeating the first grade, couldn't read or write, and had been labeled a "problem child."  The youngest of eight siblings, Osvaldo was very shy and withdrawn.  His father, an unemployed alcoholic, made life very difficult for him, his mother, and his siblings. The entire family lived on his mother’s tiny income. Because he didn’t have much hope for the future, Osvaldo didn't apply himself to his schoolwork.

Maria Teresa welcomed Osvaldo in her classroom, and tried very hard to teach him to read and write.  She had always enjoyed being a teacher.  But after a while, even she started to despair because nothing she did seemed to work with Osvaldo.  In fact, most of the other children in the classroom were not learning as fast as they should either.  Maria Teresa organized copying exercises and dictated words, but the kids grew increasingly bored and restless.  It seemed to Maria Teresa that the copying exercises had never worked well, but that was how she had been trained to teach.  

One day, the Center of Excellence for Teacher Training (CETT) in Guatemala invited Maria Teresa to participate in its training.  Through CETT, she learned new ways to teach reading and writing, and she discovered how to make learning fun.  She received regular visits from a reading specialist who showed her how to use the CETT techniques in the classroom and reinforced the training she had received.  She was even given learning materials, including books, for the kids to read.

As soon as Maria Teresa began to apply her new techniques, she observed a noticeable transformation in Osvaldo and the rest of the class.  In her own words, “The children came alive!” She started reading a story to her class every day.  Each morning, Osvaldo waited eagerly for the stories, which he really enjoyed.  Soon, he began participating in discussions and answering questions about the stories.  After a while, Osvaldo was not only able to read, he began writing his own stories! 

Maria Teresa believes that CETT transformed her life by making her a better teacher for Osvaldo and her other students.  But most importantly, Maria Teresa says, learning to read and write transformed Osvaldo’s life.  Despite his difficult family situation, he is now more hopeful about the future.  He participates more in class.  He is polite, responsible, and doing better in his other subjects. Even his physical appearance has changed!  Although his clothes are still worn and threadbare, he now likes to be clean and wears a big smile.  His newly-sparkling eyes gaze towards the future with a new light.  Osvaldo will continue to face a difficult situation at home, but now that he can read and write, he is better prepared to build a brighter future for himself and his family.