Their loves for teaching didn’t end at retirement, translated…
The retired elementary school teacher, Tsui-Er Chiu, is nicknamed “Mother Goose” by her students, after she retired, she’d still pushed forth the education of Hakka dialect and reading too; and she’d set up a drama performance group with her fellow acquaintances, made their own costumes, and wrote and directed, and performed in show after show after show, for the sake, of spreading that love of reading into the children’s lives. She’d continued, giving to the field of education, she received the awards given by the Department of Education for her dedication.
In 2006, the Department of Education set up the “Dedication Award”, encouraged the school instructors or principals who were already retired, to keep on contributing to the realms of education, this year, ten outstanding educators were selected.
here’s the teacher, “Mother Goose” with her students, photo courtesy of UDN.com…
“Mother Goose”, Tsuei-Er Chiu since 1998, became a sponsor of the Hakka dialect’s radio station’s children’s show “Garden for Children” for almost two decades, she’d advocated the Hakka culture, and set up the performing troupes in the elementary school she retired from with a group of volunteer mothers, and entered into the “touring of reading to children in distant regions” sponsored by the elementary school department of the Hsinbei City”.
Up to date, the troupe had written over twenty different scripts to perform for the children, there were, puppet shows, along with the traditional Chinese light shows, as well as real-life actor performances too, the topics of their scripts included growing up, giving blessings, love and tolerance, bravery, and helping someone out.
Chiu and the volunteer mothers all told, that although it wasn’t at all, an easy process, but seeing how the kids got so involved in watching them perform, “it’s all been worth it, all the tears and sweats, and the hard work too!”
the music instructor who put in the time to teach the band music even after his retirement…photo courtesy of UDN papers…
The other winner of the award, a math instructor from Er-Shui Middle School, Yeh, he was also, a musician, in the time he worked in the school, he’d helped with pushing forth music education, as well as conducted the choir in the middle school, after his retirement back in 2000, he’d still treated the middle school as his home, he’d gone to the school to teach the band club every single morning, and, everybody can see him, during the morning hours of the free periods, his dedication moved all the students, as well as the teachers there.
So, these are teachers who’d dedicate their lives to making a difference in the students’ lives, and, they have that love of helping to influence the students, and the drive to help their students excel in life, that, is what make them both, amazing school instructors.