Meet Precious Joy Teeweh. She is an educator and a passionate young woman. She is a student at Stella Marie University reading Early Childhood Education and also a student at the Licosses Mobile Teacher Training College.
Precious is the founder of New Joy Incorporated that all about training teachers to be better in classrooms. She is the winner of the 2022 Teacher’s Award.
Decontee: How are you doing?
Precious: I am doing great.
Decontee: Thank you for accepting my invitation.
Precious: Thank you for allowing me to share my story with other people to motivate them.
Decontee: Who are you?
Precious: My name is Precious Joy Teeweh. I am a classroom teacher and a student at Stella Maria University studying Early Childhood Education and will be earning an Associate Degree this year and also I am a student at the Licosses Teachers College.
Decontee: Let’s talk more about your educational background.
Precious: My high school days were very challenging; things were really hard and that is one of the reasons I started school at age 7 not like the normal age 3 when a child starts school.
I had a whole lot of challenges starting school, but by the grace of God, I was able to come out successful. While in high school I was privileged to attend the St. Michael Catholic High School in New Georgia. I started this school in the 8th grade and I was promoted. During my 12th-grade year, the challenges came back after I thought things were going well.
My father who was the breadwinner had an accident with his legs and he was unable to work again, so my family went back to zero because he was the only one providing for the home; to complete that high school level that year was not easy but by God’s grace and with the help of my mother who sacrificed everything, I was able to graduate from high successfully in 2018.
After high school, it was another challenge to enter university, for like most young girls or people nowadays who are from a poor family like me and don’t have the money to attend university.
I sat down for one year without entering a university, but with the help of the Impact Cap Program which is all about training young women and girls in early childhood education, I obtained a certificate in the Teachers Aid Program and entrepreneurship. Before that, I started teaching when I was 18 years old in high school and doing home tutoring; some parents were paying me and I was doing some for free. But the money I got from these teachings transported me to school.
After high school, I applied at the Gardnerville Christian High where I started teaching first. However, I was not trained in the field, so I got an opportunity to get trained in basic education skills and entrepreneurship and graduated in 2019.
While attending the training I got inspired and decided to forward my education to the university and at that time, I was already working at a school in Duport Road and I heard about the Sister Mary Lawrence Brown Scholarship for Teaching. I did the entrance and I was part of the successful candidates; I went through all the necessary processes and I started attending classes free something, I was so excited about.
I started having issues with transportation coming from Gardnerville where I live, to Duport Road where I worked and then Stella Marie to school. My transportation will be around LD 500, and most often I will not eat on campus apart from drinking water because I never had the money for food and at the end of the day, I developed an ulcer that I am battling today.
Decontee: What are some achievements you have gained?
They are a lot! In 2022, God allowed me to win the 2022 Teacher Award, after going through the process of application, teaching demonstration, and background check, God made me emerge as the winner. I always told myself that in 2022, God brought my sorrow to an end especially the one that has to do with me not eating, getting sick and not taking care of myself, moving from one place to another place, and not having fund to do it.
When I started teaching, I got my teacher’s Aid certificate and my C certificate, I earned a B Certificate and am about to have an Associate Degree
As a young lady, I have so many things that I want to achieve and do to help people, coming from a family who doesn’t have it, I feel so good to help other people who are in the same situation.
I have been able to publish four test books for students and four teachers’ instruction guides to help teachers; all of the books are not for the kindergarten level and I am hoping to do the kindergarten and complete the whole early childhood division.
After I won the award in 2022, the money I got, I invested 70 percent in the book project ensuring that everything came out good
People attacked me in the streets, saying that I won one million dollars and I don’t have a car, and I am still the same. I was like, I have a lot that I want to achieve that will help a lot of people rather than buying a car.
With all the help, I had working with other people. I was able to establish the New Joy Incorporated, establishing the institution was not easy but I did it for my country, my parents, and myself. The purpose of establishing this foundation is to train teachers and help set up the early childhood environment and foundational learning skills for early childhood education because I believe that when the foundation is solid everything that comes after will be great.
Decontee: How are your parents?
Precious: My parents are doing well but my dad is still sick. We have gone through four surgeries; he is still sick. Whatever money we have, goes to his health, it is not a burden for us because God provides the opportunity to help them while they are still alive. It has been six years now since 2017 my dad has not been working. My mom is home selling coal and I appreciate that because she helps me out when I am in need.
Decontee: How were your childhood days?
Precious: My greatest motivation in this life is my parents because they have always been there to inspire me and show me the right way. I never had a good relationship with friends, most of them hated me because I was poor even my teachers called me names. The uniform I had was given to me by our neighbor’s daughter who was in the same school I going to, my father was teaching in the school and I only needed a uniform to start school. I was laughed at on campus for my uniform, and my big shoes and I was like a laughing stock in the class until one day, I said I was not going to school again.
My parent used to buy the $US 5 copybook and share it in two for me and my brother; nowadays we still have children who are experiencing this same thing, especially from the slum communities where I came from in Chicken Soup Factory.
Even at the university level, I keep repeating courses, not because I don’t know the course but because I never had the time from my job to come to school. I dropped out for two semesters and my family, friends and fiancée told me to quit the job and go back to school so I did. I don’t have many friends that I am close to and I feel like society doesn’t accept me because, when I won the award, I heard a lot bad of comments from people and I just told myself that I am used to this because, from high school days, I was mocked at.
Decontee: What are you doing currently for a living?
Precious: I am not working now. I am focusing on the institution and the home touring I am doing. But with the help of my family and my fiancée who advised me to leave the job and go back to university, today I am about to earn my Associate Degree in Primary education; this year since 2019 started. I wanted to give up on the process but they helped me a lot including my boss lady who helped in the process. I felt so good when I got my clearance and shared tears with all the struggles I went through.
Decontee: How do you deal with being a leader as other people look up to you?
Precious: I lead by example because I look at the lifestyle of people I look up to.
I have developed a program for women in primary education to empower women in Liberia. Currently, I am working with 16 students in the program. We started in March and upon their graduation we will give them a ‘C’ Certificate that will qualify them to work with any accredited school in the country. We are investing in this to help these women earn money to support themselves in school and other areas.
I have been working with many people, especially girls who want to be teachers but don’t know how to go about it. Currently, we have seen 10 students for the USAID primary education scholarship to different university
Decontee: How long have you been in the teaching field?
Precious: I have been here for six years, 2018 to 2024. I have been out of teaching for six months, but it is not like I’m not teaching because I am still training teachers.
Decontee: Do you have a message for young women?
Precious: To every young person especially young women, I want you to follow your dream.
I wanted to be a medical doctor, but since I couldn’t, my second thought was to be a physician assistant, I even took the TIMA entrance and passed, but there was a challenge so I didn’t attend. We indeed have dreams, but we need to look at our purpose. After high school, I want you to get a vocational education to have skills that will take you to where you want to be, to those who are getting into the teaching profession. I am encouraging you to get around people; there is a lot of scholarships in this profession; just expressed your interest, take steps, put your hands to work and you will get a scholarship at any university.
And let me say this, if you fail today it is not because of your family, but you. There are lots of opportunities you can take advantage of; just trust God take, a step and stop blaming your aunt or uncle for not supporting you. Put your hands to work to make a change in your life and in the country at large.
