Without kids, I have never experienced the maternal feeling of sending my child to the first day of school. That said, I think I had something quite close today. My housekeeper, Jackie, has an excellent work ethic and tries to do her very best with anything I may ask. And those of you who have worked for me/with me know that I can be a royal pain in the backside. It was obvious that she was relatively illiterate.
When talking with her, she told me that her father died when she was less than 10 years old. With the size of the family and the circumstances of her father, she discontinued school and started working to help the family. She married young and is the proud mother of 4 children. She can speak French but it is limited by comparison to others.
You know when you just get that feeling that someone deserves a break? Well, this morning we enrolled her at the language school to start studying French. She had returned to the house and was here when I got home from work. I was almost in tears looking at her. She is very humble but you could just see the glow of excitement to have the opportunity to get access to formal education. So, I sent her off with her new notebook and pens so that she could attend her first class this afternoon.
Yes, I will benefit because I can now show her a recipe on paper or leave written instructions. But really, I am so thrilled to see her passion for improvement. What a gift she has given me. Amazing that she is the sole provider for her family of 5.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment