1979: Can you imagine going on a tour billed "Education in Cuba" and it was school vacation week in Cuba? All the schools were closed. Another woman who had as much or more "hutzpah" than I, joined me in sneaking into an Educational Training School and we learned that many teachers had left Cuba. To fill the vacancies, a project emerged to train a "brigade" of bright students who had completed the 8th grade to become teachers. ( I think it was 8th grade, but if someone reads this and knows for sure, please let me know!)
More than 10 years later, one of those students who was completing his college degree while teaching, turned up in one of the classes I taught. I had been invited to Cuba to upgrade English teachers' skills, and I overheard him mention that brigade.
Stay tuned for more!
