One Teacher’s Dedication Impacts Entire Family

GLXi teacher Alejandra Lemus taught both mom and daughter to read - turning a challenge into an opportunity!

You may remember Leidy. We first shared her story in last year’s annual appeal, and so many of you described being touched by how this girl and her mother learned to read together during the pandemic.

We wanted to learn more about their experience, and to share it with you. So while visiting GLXi’s participating classrooms in Guatemala earlier this year, we reconnected with both mom and daughter and asked them to tell us more about their literacy journey.

We encourage you to watch the video “The Journey Continues” to hear Leidy and Tomasa describe their accomplishments in their own words.

We promise it is inspiring.

“I didn’t know how to read. I didn’t know how to write anything,” Leidy’s mother, Tomasa, recalled. “But with Mrs. Alejandra’s help, we both learned together.”

Their journey was due in large part to a teacher’s dedication, drive and commitment to teaching. It is a testament to how teachers can reach not just individual students but entire families.

GLXi is fortunate to work with teachers of such high caliber — not just Mrs. Alejandra, but so many others. We are excited to see what she and others do with GLXi’s program in the coming year!

A Literacy Journey for Two

Alejandra Lemus was Leidy’s second grade teacher at the E.O.U.M. La Brigada J.V. (La Brigada Official Urban Mixed School) in Guatemala. She graduated from GLXi’s teacher training program in January 2023. But before she notched that achievement, she was helping her students navigate home learning during the pandemic.

With Leidy, a determined and bright student who is the oldest of three children, this carried a particular challenge. Remote learning is highly dependent upon parent involvement. And both Leidy’s mother and father were completely illiterate.

Leidy’s mom, who is bright and determined like her daughter, wanted to help.

“She would teach me numbers. She would teach me colors,” Leidy recalled.

But the one thing Tomasa couldn’t help Leidy with was reading and writing.

“I am very proud because my mom was able to read, so she could teach me,” Leidy remarked.

Mrs. Alejandra did not see this as a setback. Rather, she saw an opportunity to teach two students instead of just one.

She began sending home study guides and encouraging Tomasa to participate alongside Leidy. She helped Tomasa when she didn’t know vowels. She gave her tools for writing. All of the work was online, as necessitated by the pandemic. Very quickly, both mom and daughter showed progress.

“What I did was try to tell the mother to do the same as her child did,” Mrs. Alejandra recalled. “She would write the same lessons. And the mother learned to read very well. Now she tells me, ‘Look at this! I can even make a signature. My husband is so happy I learned.’”

The teacher’s enthusiasm and encouragement made a real difference. Not just for one child, but for an entire family.

That is what we hope to replicate, with every student, in every classroom, in every school, with our programming. And we are so grateful to connect with teachers like Mrs. Alejandra, who show us a dedication and commitment to literacy in its truest form!

“She put all her interest to be able to do it, and to this day, as the girl’s teacher, I continue to motivate the woman to learn,” Mrs. Alejandra said.

We are so delighted to be able to share this story with you. And we can’t wait to follow Leidy and Tomasa as they continue their journey.

“I am very proud because my mom was able to read, so she could teach me,” Leidy remarked.

We are as well.

You can help support entire families, just like Leidy and Tomasa and so many more. Donate to GLXi here.