Florida, August 8.- Tania la Guerrillera Elementary School in the municipality of Florida is home to an educator whose commitment to pedagogy has left an indelible mark. With over 40 years of experience, she is a symbol of resilience and passion in a context where the teacher shortage challenges the education system. Her life story is a testament to her dedication and a call to revalue the teaching profession.
Maida began her career at Tania la Guerrillera preschool, where she first picked up chalk with the determination of someone who knows her calling is to shape futures. Although she has attended several schools in the municipality, her return to this center, where she has been for over 20 years, was a reunion with her roots. «The soul of my career beats here,» confesses the teacher, who considers her students an extension of her family.
Initially graduating as a Daycare Educator, Maida wasn’t satisfied; She studied to become a teacher and completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Primary Education because «A good teacher should be like a river: always moving, always renewing itself.» Her philosophy is reflected in her methodology, which combines traditional techniques with innovations tailored to the needs of her students.
Faced with current challenges, Maida advises new teachers to «Love what you do and assume ethical responsibility.» For her, teaching is simply about transmitting knowledge and instilling values. «Every child who enters my classroom is an opportunity to change the world,» she says with conviction. Her impact transcends the academic; former students remember her for her patience and her ability to turn lessons into memorable experiences.
Despite the physical and emotional demands of the profession, Maida assures us that she has no plans to retire. «As long as I have the strength and the classroom needs me, I will continue here.» Her return, motivated by a love of teaching and the urgency of filling vacant positions, is an act of resistance in the face of the educational crisis. “Society needs teachers who see this work not just as a job, but as a mission,” she insists.
Maida Verge Rodríguez embodies the essence of what it means to be an educator in Cuba: dedication and unwavering commitment. Her story, woven within the walls of the Tania la Guerrillera School, is a reminder that education is sustained by the vocation of teachers; as she herself says: “Chalk can be erased from the blackboard, but what is taught with the heart lasts forever.”
