A teacher who left her heart in Tawau

Together again: Diane (seated, far left) visiting the classroom in Tawau, where she used to teach. With her are her former students, and the school’s current cohort and their teachers.

The Peace Corps programme which was established in 1961 by the United States government was intended to train volunteers to provide international development assistance. In 1962, the first Peace Corps volunteer group of 36 young Americans arrived in Kuala Lumpur to work in the villages and towns throughout Malaya.

Among them were schoolteachers, including my good friend Diane Larsen Freeman, who brought their knowledge and skills to our early Malaysian classrooms and very quickly became part of the nation’s education history, forming bonds with their Malaysian colleagues, students and community.