Teresita Rodríguez Sarría and her passion for teaching

CIENFUEGOS, Cuba, Dec 22 (ACN) Anyone who speaks with Teresita Rodríguez Sarría, even if only for half an hour, will immediately notice the passion for teaching of this teacher from the province of Cienfuegos who at the age of 18 joined the campaign to bring the light of learning to the most intricate places of the country.

In statements to ACN, she explained that after graduating in 1961 she attended the course for literacy teachers, joined the Conrado Benítez Brigade, and was sent to the town of Iguará, in the province of Santi Spiritus.

“I was with a peasant family who helped me fit a room for lessons where I taught 12 people to read and write, teaching day and night because there were workers, housewives and old persons,” Ms. Rodríguez, holder of a degree in History and Political Culture and currently a Methodologist of History and Political Culture of the Provincial Education Division, recalled.

“It was exciting, and the locals were very grateful because they had never before seen a process of that magnitude, so they welcomed us with great affection, made us feel at home and were very helpful,” she added. “I was also an advisor to the group of teachers who worked in the region and in December, when the campaign ended, the families with whom we lived took us to the train station for our trip back to Havana, where we would have a gathering with Fidel.”

She still keeps her lantern, ID card, hat and other items from that time, a sign of how much that process meant in her life.

“I have fond memories of the campaign, the results of which we can see today in our more educated and prepared people", she pointed out.

At 79, after 60 uninterrupted years as a teacher, Professor Teresita remains active and does not think about retirement.

“If I still feel strong and have a clear mind, why would I retire? I think we must get used to living according to each historical moment, and that's why I'm still here," this literacy teacher eternally in love with her profession concluded proudly.

On December 22, 1961, Cuba was declared an Illiteracy Free Territory, after successfully completing the Literacy Campaign from one end of the country to the other.