Juleus Ghunta is a published children's author and award-winning poet. But when young, he could 1 read.
He grew up with his three sisters in rural Western Jamaica, raised by their single mother. Life was tough, and proper schooling was out of the question due to 2 resources.
When Ghunta finally went to school, he couldn't 3 on reading. Not only had he been kept home from school as a child, but he had not been 4 to books.
By sixth grade, he could spell his name, but still couldn't make out words or read with 5 . He struggled in school with a deep sense of 6 and worthlessness.
At age 12, a young teacher-in-training 7 a special reading program for 8 students. Ghunta was the first to join. That teacher, whose name he does not 9 now, became Ghunta's unsung hero — the person who changed his life.
The teacher was incredibly kind to him. Under her guidance, Ghunta's reading skills saw marked improvement, and his sense of inadequacy began to 10 .
"She had left me with the gift of literacy," he said. "And a deeper 11 of my talent."
After Ghunta's experience with the teacher, his life course 12 . He graduated with academic 13 and is now the author of two children's books, including "Rohan Bullkin and the Shadows."
Years later, Ghunta returned to his old school and asked the principal and teachers if they knew her 14 , but none did. Carrying this memory, however, he still hopes to find and thank her for seeing his 15 and being a source of light and hope in his life.
