December 24, 2020 • 13 mins
This is the story of the teacher, and students, who changed my life. I’ll also tell you about how a $170 donation led to generations of friendship between the Choctaw and Irish people.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Today's stories about children's laughter, my friendship with a nun,
and an act of kindness that's hard to forget. It's
also about me, your host an opum Care, but mostly
it's about making you smile. Welcome to anupum Cares, Chapter four.
Speaking up. After months of physiotherapy for my facial paralysis,
(00:38):
I managed to recover, but even though I was back
to looking the same, I didn't feel the same. Something
was off. I thought maybe I needed to throw myself
back into work. So I started some new films, but
I didn't quite feel right. I tried medically eating, I
(01:00):
went to therapy. I continued to go about my days,
but I didn't feel whole at that time. Across the
street from my house there was a school, and in
the mornings I could see the children playing. My mornings
became my favorite part of the day. As I stood outside,
(01:20):
I would listen to the laughter, just taking it all in.
Then my car would come and I would drive off.
The school was called Bill Kush Special School, and one
day I began to wonder if maybe there was something
(01:42):
I could do there. Perhaps there was a play I
could help direct, some way in which I could volunteer.
So I decided to visit. When I met the principal,
Spanish nunnamed Sister Maria Dolores, I like her immediately. She
had an air of kindness, and she reminded me of
(02:03):
my grandmother colabaty care and as she welcomed me and
she told me all about the school's history. The Dilko
Special School was established in for students with development disabilities.
The year it opened, fifteen students attended, but today it
accommodates more than a hundred students of all ages. Some
(02:26):
have visual impairments, some have speech impediments, some are on
the spectrum, and Sister Dolores had worked to create education
programs suited to each child's needs. As I listened to
her words, I felt a wave of meaning wash over
me and I blurted, our, Sister Dolores, I would like
(02:48):
to teach at the school, and there was a pause.
It was clear that Sister Dolores did not know me
from my films. Luckily, before I left my house, I
decided to bring my diploma from the National School or
Drama with me. As I showed it to her, I said,
I think with my theater background, I know enough to
(03:09):
assist the children with speech lessons. Is that something that
would be useful here? She looked at me wide eyed.
Mr Kre Are you from the National School of Drama
and you want to teach in our school? That's very
kind and yes we do need help, but miss the care.
(03:30):
I'm sorry there is one problem. We will not be
able to pay you, I assured her. No, sister, that's
that's not the reason why I'm here. I don't want
to be paid. I just want to teach at least
one hour every week. Her face brightened and she said,
Mr Kid, would you like to meet the children. As
(03:51):
we approached the classroom, it was clear that the children
watched more films than Sister Doloris. They started squealing with excitement.
Some hugged mets squeeze my legs, some shyly asked for
a handship. One of the students said, uncle, Uncle, I'll
see you on TV. Another said I've seen you in films.
Yet another said uncle, please don't do badman's role please,
(04:11):
and you do very good comedy uncle, and the flurry
of excitement, Sister Dolores just looked at me in disbelief.
She pulled me aside and said Mr Kre. Are you
some kind of a big shot actor. Yes, sister, I said,
with a bit of pride. Then Sister Dolores said something
I hadn't expected, Mr Kre. We do not want to
(04:36):
be exploited. Other famous actors have been here before, and
they used us as a public city stunt. They spend
time here that children grew fond of them. Then a
fancy film crew shows up to take a video, and
once the camera stops rolling, we never hear from the
actor again. Sister Dolores was speaking from a place of pain.
(05:00):
She took her breath and then said life can be
hard for these children, and we don't want them to
get up. Mr care I'm sorry, I'm going to ask
you to leave. I was stunned, taken aback, I said, sister,
please trust me. I'm not here for me. In fact,
(05:22):
I won't tell anyone that I'm teaching her. I'm not
doing this for publicity. I'm here for the students. It
took some convincing my sister. The lords let me into
the children's lives and for the next year, no matter
which corner of the world I was, and I adjusted
my travel schedule to make sure I was at the
school every Wedness day for two hours of speech lessons.
(05:47):
Week after week we worked together, and my heart felt
full to see for so many mornings these children had
unknowingly brought me joy on the show. And as I
worked with them, as I watched their quandry blossom, I
felt I had finally been able to repay them, at
least a little for the joy they brought me good.
(06:13):
I'm grateful that Sister the Lords took a chance on me.
After that first day, we became friends. Whenever I had problems,
she would pray for me on her rosary. There were
so many people she cared for, so many lives she changed,
but knowing she was thinking of me, it made me
feel better. We remained closed until she passed away, and
(06:38):
when she died, she built her rosary to me. She
was one of the most inspiring people I've ever known,
empathetic to the core, generous in her prayers, and kindness
radiated from her. Speaking of kindness, I want to tell
(07:09):
you the story about the people cut from the same cloth,
the Chocta, people who believed in the value of doing
whatever they could to lessen the suffering of others. The
Chocta are a Native American people who once lived in
the areas we now call Mississippi and Alabama, and their
story is heartbreaking. In the early nineteenth century, even as
(07:33):
more and more colonies were formed, the Choctaw worked to
be good neighbors. So when a general named Andrew Jackson
asked for help fighting the British in the War of
eighteen twelve, the Chocta fought alongside the colonists. At that time,
the Chocta people counted Andrew Jackson among their friends, but
(07:59):
the Chocta's allegiance to the United States was one sided.
Shortly after the war, Mississippi was admitted to the Union
and the Chocta's ancestral land was claimed as property of
the state. Then Andrew Jackson was elected president. The Chocta
(08:20):
thought they had a friend in Jackson, Jackson quickly showed
his true colors. Instead of honoring the allegiance to the tribe,
Jackson decided he wanted the Chocta's fertile land, and he
persuaded Congress to pass the Indian Removal app forcing them
to give up eleven million acres in exchange for new
land in Oklahoma that might as well have been a
(08:41):
foreign nation. The Choctaw were evicted by a government they
once helped defend, and they began the tragic March six
hundred miles west, a journey that would later be called
the Trail of Tears. But the Chocta people carried on
(09:05):
the best they could in Oklahoma, and less than two
decades later, in March of eighteen, a group of Chocta
chiefs decided to do anything they could to make sure
nobody had to suffer like that again. Thousands of miles away,
Ireland was in the throes of disastrous potato famine. Many
(09:28):
of the country's problems had been worsened, if not outright caused,
by Ireland's colonization by Great Britain. Historian Turtle Bunberry notes
that when Britain occupied Ireland, many Irish people were pushed
to the barren land in the west of Ireland. This
possessed of their own ancestral lands, and world reached the
(09:52):
United States that Ireland was looking for financial aid. The
Chocta chief script whatever meager funds they had together. The
tribe had very little money, but the story resonated so
deeply with them that they pulled their resources to help
and all was said and done, they were able to
(10:12):
donate hundred and seventy or about five thousand in two
day's dollars to help, as they put it, their white
brethren in Ireland. This wasn't the only donation to help
the Irish. Other people in the United States opened their
pocket books as well. But it was the hundred and
seventy dollars from the Chocta that won the Irish people's
(10:34):
hearts and minds, and Ireland has never forgotten that act
of kindness. In nineties, Irish President Mary Robinson visited Oklahoma
to thank the tribe personally and to announce an Irish
(10:55):
scholarship for Chocta youth, and in nearly a dozen Irish
men and women walked along the Trail of Tears, raisings
for every dollar the Chocta had given. Today, the bond
between the Chocta and the Irish remains strong, and it's
(11:17):
a testament to the power of kindness. The Choctaw's donation
wasn't much, but it also meant the world to the
Irish that from somewhere across the ocean, if people had
heard of your suffering and were doing everything in their
power to put some food on your table and give
you a reason to hope. That's it for today's episode.
(11:47):
I'm an openm care, be kind to yourself and thank
you for listening. Pump Cares is a production of I
(12:08):
Heart Radio. I'm your host a pump Care. Our executive
producer is Senior producer Julian Weller, Associate producer Morgan LaVoi.
Sound design and mixing by Julian Weller and Dan Pauza.
Music by Aaron Kaufman. Production support from Emily Maronov and
(12:32):
Married to You. Writing by Lucas Riley, Matt Riddle, Margon
Lavoy and Julian Weller. Lucas Riley and Matt Riddle are
our story editors. Thanks to Sicken Paru, Hermand de Suza,
Goodwin Amana Sidium Studios, Donald Byrne and pop It. Don't
(12:57):
do Batman's Rule, please,
Today's stories about children's laughter, my friendship with a nun,
and an act of kindness that's hard to forget. It's
also about me, your host an opum Care, but mostly
it's about making you smile. Welcome to anupum Cares, Chapter four.
Speaking up. After months of physiotherapy for my facial paralysis,
(00:38):
I managed to recover, but even though I was back
to looking the same, I didn't feel the same. Something
was off. I thought maybe I needed to throw myself
back into work. So I started some new films, but
I didn't quite feel right. I tried medically eating, I
(01:00):
went to therapy. I continued to go about my days,
but I didn't feel whole at that time. Across the
street from my house there was a school, and in
the mornings I could see the children playing. My mornings
became my favorite part of the day. As I stood outside,
(01:20):
I would listen to the laughter, just taking it all in.
Then my car would come and I would drive off.
The school was called Bill Kush Special School, and one
day I began to wonder if maybe there was something
(01:42):
I could do there. Perhaps there was a play I
could help direct, some way in which I could volunteer.
So I decided to visit. When I met the principal,
Spanish nunnamed Sister Maria Dolores, I like her immediately. She
had an air of kindness, and she reminded me of
(02:03):
my grandmother colabaty care and as she welcomed me and
she told me all about the school's history. The Dilko
Special School was established in for students with development disabilities.
The year it opened, fifteen students attended, but today it
accommodates more than a hundred students of all ages. Some
(02:26):
have visual impairments, some have speech impediments, some are on
the spectrum, and Sister Dolores had worked to create education
programs suited to each child's needs. As I listened to
her words, I felt a wave of meaning wash over
me and I blurted, our, Sister Dolores, I would like
(02:48):
to teach at the school, and there was a pause.
It was clear that Sister Dolores did not know me
from my films. Luckily, before I left my house, I
decided to bring my diploma from the National School or
Drama with me. As I showed it to her, I said,
I think with my theater background, I know enough to
(03:09):
assist the children with speech lessons. Is that something that
would be useful here? She looked at me wide eyed.
Mr Kre Are you from the National School of Drama
and you want to teach in our school? That's very
kind and yes we do need help, but miss the care.
(03:30):
I'm sorry there is one problem. We will not be
able to pay you, I assured her. No, sister, that's
that's not the reason why I'm here. I don't want
to be paid. I just want to teach at least
one hour every week. Her face brightened and she said,
Mr Kid, would you like to meet the children. As
(03:51):
we approached the classroom, it was clear that the children
watched more films than Sister Doloris. They started squealing with excitement.
Some hugged mets squeeze my legs, some shyly asked for
a handship. One of the students said, uncle, Uncle, I'll
see you on TV. Another said I've seen you in films.
Yet another said uncle, please don't do badman's role please,
(04:11):
and you do very good comedy uncle, and the flurry
of excitement, Sister Dolores just looked at me in disbelief.
She pulled me aside and said Mr Kre. Are you
some kind of a big shot actor. Yes, sister, I said,
with a bit of pride. Then Sister Dolores said something
I hadn't expected, Mr Kre. We do not want to
(04:36):
be exploited. Other famous actors have been here before, and
they used us as a public city stunt. They spend
time here that children grew fond of them. Then a
fancy film crew shows up to take a video, and
once the camera stops rolling, we never hear from the
actor again. Sister Dolores was speaking from a place of pain.
(05:00):
She took her breath and then said life can be
hard for these children, and we don't want them to
get up. Mr care I'm sorry, I'm going to ask
you to leave. I was stunned, taken aback, I said, sister,
please trust me. I'm not here for me. In fact,
(05:22):
I won't tell anyone that I'm teaching her. I'm not
doing this for publicity. I'm here for the students. It
took some convincing my sister. The lords let me into
the children's lives and for the next year, no matter
which corner of the world I was, and I adjusted
my travel schedule to make sure I was at the
school every Wedness day for two hours of speech lessons.
(05:47):
Week after week we worked together, and my heart felt
full to see for so many mornings these children had
unknowingly brought me joy on the show. And as I
worked with them, as I watched their quandry blossom, I
felt I had finally been able to repay them, at
least a little for the joy they brought me good.
(06:13):
I'm grateful that Sister the Lords took a chance on me.
After that first day, we became friends. Whenever I had problems,
she would pray for me on her rosary. There were
so many people she cared for, so many lives she changed,
but knowing she was thinking of me, it made me
feel better. We remained closed until she passed away, and
(06:38):
when she died, she built her rosary to me. She
was one of the most inspiring people I've ever known,
empathetic to the core, generous in her prayers, and kindness
radiated from her. Speaking of kindness, I want to tell
(07:09):
you the story about the people cut from the same cloth,
the Chocta, people who believed in the value of doing
whatever they could to lessen the suffering of others. The
Chocta are a Native American people who once lived in
the areas we now call Mississippi and Alabama, and their
story is heartbreaking. In the early nineteenth century, even as
(07:33):
more and more colonies were formed, the Choctaw worked to
be good neighbors. So when a general named Andrew Jackson
asked for help fighting the British in the War of
eighteen twelve, the Chocta fought alongside the colonists. At that time,
the Chocta people counted Andrew Jackson among their friends, but
(07:59):
the Chocta's allegiance to the United States was one sided.
Shortly after the war, Mississippi was admitted to the Union
and the Chocta's ancestral land was claimed as property of
the state. Then Andrew Jackson was elected president. The Chocta
(08:20):
thought they had a friend in Jackson, Jackson quickly showed
his true colors. Instead of honoring the allegiance to the tribe,
Jackson decided he wanted the Chocta's fertile land, and he
persuaded Congress to pass the Indian Removal app forcing them
to give up eleven million acres in exchange for new
land in Oklahoma that might as well have been a
(08:41):
foreign nation. The Choctaw were evicted by a government they
once helped defend, and they began the tragic March six
hundred miles west, a journey that would later be called
the Trail of Tears. But the Chocta people carried on
(09:05):
the best they could in Oklahoma, and less than two
decades later, in March of eighteen, a group of Chocta
chiefs decided to do anything they could to make sure
nobody had to suffer like that again. Thousands of miles away,
Ireland was in the throes of disastrous potato famine. Many
(09:28):
of the country's problems had been worsened, if not outright caused,
by Ireland's colonization by Great Britain. Historian Turtle Bunberry notes
that when Britain occupied Ireland, many Irish people were pushed
to the barren land in the west of Ireland. This
possessed of their own ancestral lands, and world reached the
(09:52):
United States that Ireland was looking for financial aid. The
Chocta chief script whatever meager funds they had together. The
tribe had very little money, but the story resonated so
deeply with them that they pulled their resources to help
and all was said and done, they were able to
(10:12):
donate hundred and seventy or about five thousand in two
day's dollars to help, as they put it, their white
brethren in Ireland. This wasn't the only donation to help
the Irish. Other people in the United States opened their
pocket books as well. But it was the hundred and
seventy dollars from the Chocta that won the Irish people's
(10:34):
hearts and minds, and Ireland has never forgotten that act
of kindness. In nineties, Irish President Mary Robinson visited Oklahoma
to thank the tribe personally and to announce an Irish
(10:55):
scholarship for Chocta youth, and in nearly a dozen Irish
men and women walked along the Trail of Tears, raisings
for every dollar the Chocta had given. Today, the bond
between the Chocta and the Irish remains strong, and it's
(11:17):
a testament to the power of kindness. The Choctaw's donation
wasn't much, but it also meant the world to the
Irish that from somewhere across the ocean, if people had
heard of your suffering and were doing everything in their
power to put some food on your table and give
you a reason to hope. That's it for today's episode.
(11:47):
I'm an openm care, be kind to yourself and thank
you for listening. Pump Cares is a production of I
(12:08):
Heart Radio. I'm your host a pump Care. Our executive
producer is Senior producer Julian Weller, Associate producer Morgan LaVoi.
Sound design and mixing by Julian Weller and Dan Pauza.
Music by Aaron Kaufman. Production support from Emily Maronov and
(12:32):
Married to You. Writing by Lucas Riley, Matt Riddle, Margon
Lavoy and Julian Weller. Lucas Riley and Matt Riddle are
our story editors. Thanks to Sicken Paru, Hermand de Suza,
Goodwin Amana Sidium Studios, Donald Byrne and pop It. Don't
(12:57):
do Batman's Rule, please,
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