Meet Kenyan Educator Celebrated in US as Best English Teacher
They say that passion can propel one to greater heights. Dr. Rachel Butiko’s voyage to a successful career began at a young age, and she has relentlessly pursued her goal for the past six decades.
Dr. Butiko, an English teacher at Hodges Bend Middle School in the United States, is a renowned teacher whose contributions to the school have been recognized.
She recently revealed to a local television station that her desire to teach English began at a young age and that those around her supported her.
A Houston Life TV crew surprised her in the midst of class and presented her with a commendable work award.
As a young girl, Dr. Butiko recalled being paid with a banana to read love letters from spouses to wives in the village.
“At the time, most males left the countryside for urban employment. Therefore, they would compose letters to their illiterate wives. So occasionally, a woman would say, “Hey, I’ll give you a banana if you read this for me.” “My salary was a banana,” the teacher recalled.
She described the period following independence in 1963, when the majority of women lacked education and relied on her to translate written communications sent back.
“At such a young age, I decided I wanted to become a teacher, and not just teach physics, chemistry, or what? No. I desired to teach others reading and writing. It completes me,” Dr. Butiko revealed.
Dr. Butiko began her career in Kenya as a teacher before migrating to the United States, where she has been employed for 15 years.
Dr. Butiko had to learn how to teach a new audience during her relocation to the United States. She was determined to teach literacy in a new nation, and her efforts have paid off.
At her current school, she works with non-English-speaking pupils, and the most important lesson she teaches them is how to ask for assistance.
“This is a blessing, but these people (students) make me great,” she explained.
The educator explains that her objective is to establish a learning environment in which all students can take risks, challenge themselves to realize their potential, and acquire life skills.
She holds a Bachelor of Education in secondary education from Kenyatta University, an M.Ed. in Curriculum Instruction (ESL) from Dominican University, and a Ph.D. in Leadership in Literacy and Reading from Walden University.
Meet Kenyan Educator Celebrated in US as Best English Teacher