A 1972 graduate of St. Mary's High School, Seaver first served with the corps right of college, teaching English as a second language on Africa's Ivory Coast. More than 30 years later - and now married with two sons - she said she was eager to volunteer again, knowing she had "kind-of unfinished business." "It's always been my intention to go back," she said. Seaver, who works in the San Diego school system, put her skills to use mentoring directors at the Kakata Rural Teacher Training Institute. The students at the college were taught so they could go out to villages and start educating kids in nursery school through grade 6, Seaver said. Seaver, who has a doctorate in education, instructed the directors on strategic planning, transparency and training.
Last October, Ivory Coast RPCV Mary Ellen Seaver, 55, shipped out to the poor country of Liberia on Africa's west coast to reestablish the nation's school system
Milford native on a mission to teach
By Danielle Ameden/Daily News staff
GHS
Posted Oct 10, 2009 @ 11:33 PM
MILFORD -
In contrast to our society of privilege, imagine children in civil war-torn Liberia losing out on education during 20 years of strife.
"That's a whole generation of Liberians that can't read or write," says Mary Ellen Seaver, a Milford native who has helped to right that wrong.
Last October, Seaver, 55, shipped out to the poor country on Africa's west coast for her second tour of duty with the Peace Corps. She returned in June after helping reestablish the nation's school system.
A 1972 graduate of St. Mary's High School, Seaver first served with the corps right of college, teaching English as a second language on Africa's Ivory Coast.
More than 30 years later - and now married with two sons - she said she was eager to volunteer again, knowing she had "kind-of unfinished business."
"It's always been my intention to go back," she said.
Seaver, who works in the San Diego school system, put her skills to use mentoring directors at the Kakata Rural Teacher Training Institute.
The students at the college were taught so they could go out to villages and start educating kids in nursery school through grade 6, Seaver said.
Seaver, who has a doctorate in education, instructed the directors on strategic planning, transparency and training.
She also worked on getting the college's library up and running.
Despite limited electricity and resources - no paper, no Internet, and water pumped from wells into buckets - incredible progress was made, Seaver said.
Her proudest moment was the graduation ceremony under a big tent in June, when the climate was tropical and emotions ran high.
A crop of 240 students earned their diplomas to go out and teach, she said.
"Very emotional - especially for all the teachers," Seaver said.
"That was the biggest example of our impact there," she added.
Seaver has since visited her hometown of Milford. On a recent day, she wore a colorful cloth shirt handmade by a tailor in Liberia and discussed her tour.
In the African country, she said it was heartening to see the society start to rebuild itself, between the schools reopening, farmers taking to the fields and weavers and potters beginning to make their crafts again.
"It encouraged me to continue to work hard with all of the faculty and the students at the teacher college," Seaver said. "I knew that acquiring sustenance farming skills and education are the answers. I was happy to be a part of that."
She was stationed 1<+>1<+>/<->2<-> hours north of the capital city Monrovia in what she described as a typical rural African town with a market and stores.
The majority of the population is unemployed, and the natives really struggle, she said. "People are just eking out a living day by day in order to put rice and a very small amount of protein on the table."
For education, the Liberian government had help from other countries creating a curriculum that Seaver said "is fabulous."
"Fortunately, it's designed to the local culture. All the stories are about Africa and Liberia," she said.
Students are taught the same subjects as in western culture, she said: math, English, social studies and science.
Seaver said the experience of volunteering was gratifying, and she encourages "anyone - young and old" to do the same. "The Peace Corps is a great opportunity for community service."
