Growing up in Kenya, Racheal Butiko harboured an immense interest in mastering the language that came in boats; English. Her commitment to learning it was unshakable.

60 years down the line Racheal Butiko can finally bask in the glory of her achievements after being named the best English teacher at Hodges Bend Middle School in the US.

This was an extra feather in the illustrious cap owned by the PhD doctor

Dr Butiko received the award in recognition of her hearty contribution to the school. Houston Life TV crew surprised her while she was in the middle of a class and gifted her the award.

In a televised interview with a local station, Butiko reveals that her teaching passion formed its roots in her early years. She says that those surrounding her during her upbringing were pivotal in shaping her life.

Butiko recalls that oftentimes, her salary as a young girl was bananas. Her job was to read out love letters to illiterate wives in the village; messages sent by their employed city hubbies.

“At the time, most males left the countryside for urban employment. Therefore, they would compose letters to their illiterate wives,” Racheal Butiko recalled.

“So occasionally, a woman would say, ‘Hey, I’ll give you a banana if you read this for me’… My salary was a banana,” she added.

She says that her breakthrough came in the years preceding Kenya’s independence in 1963.

At that time, the majority of Kenyans lacked education and some hugely relied on her prowess, developed at a young age, to translate written communications.

“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,” Butiko elatedly revealed.

Racheal Butiko began her career in Kenya as a teacher before migrating to the US where she has been working for the last 15 years.

She holds a Bachelor of Education in secondary education from Kenyatta University and a Masters in Curriculum Instruction (ESL) from Dominican University.

Clearly not a stranger to books, Butiko’s highest academic achievement is a PhD, Leadership in Literacy and Reading from Walden University.

While working in the US, Dr Butiko learned how to teach new audiences. Her determination and passion to teach literacy in a foreign nation have eventually paid off.

At Hodges Bent High School, she teaches non-English speaking children. The most important lesson she teaches them is how to ask for assistance.