Fanaye Dirasse

Fanaye Dirasse

March 25, 1953-August 20, 2012

Celebrating Fanaye Dirasse

It is hard to sum up a person with a smattering of adjectives. To say Fanaye Dirasse was selfless, loving, kind, and driven is to only come close to the beginning of the truth. She was that and more. Her life revolved around her family, friends and her students. She gave them her heart and kept their memories. Her bedroom was filled with albums and cards – lifetimes of shared memories. Whereas most people reach out to one another in times of tragedy, Fanaye reached out daily. She knew that the most important thing in life was to connect. Her love for others filled and enriched her life. It was this quality that led her to her life’s passion – TEACHING.

Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on March 25th, 1953 to Woizero Ethiopia Yirdaw and the late Lt. General Dirasse Dubale, Fanaye was the fourth child of eight. She is survived by her mother, Ethiopia Yridaw, and her siblings Laketch Dirasse, Getabicha Dirasse, Adelahu Dirasse, Addis-Hiywot Dirasse, Mulualem Dirasse, Tegest Hiywot Dirasse, and Dubale Dirasse, her nephews and nieces and an extended family of loving aunts, uncles, cousins, and their families.

At the age of 17 Fanaye followed her lifelong love of learning to leave Ethiopia behind and travel to Minnesota, where she attended Oak Grove Lutheran High School graduating in 1971. From there she went on to Moorhead State University. Despite being in a new country, far from friends and family she flourished. During her time at Moorhead she was the President of the International Student Association, a member of Alpha Delta Kappa (the Honorary Teachers’ Society), worked at the campus bookstore, and was a member of Women’s Bowling League. Moreover, she was the recipient of the 1973 Foundation Merit Award, the 1974 recipient of Moorhead State University’s Foundation Scholarship, and during all of her four years there she won Honorary Mention Awards. In 1975 she proudly graduated with a Bachelor of Science majoring in Elementary

Education and minoring in History.

From then on she taught. Fanaye worked with children in the Fort Dodge Community Schools in Iowa for eleven years, four years as an elementary instructor and seven years as a middle school teacher. She then worked as a traveling tutor in Dallas, Texas and in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It was here that she was able to give birth to a lifelong dream: The Tibeb Educational Center. With its motto as “EDUCATING THE FUTURE,” the Tibeb Center created a warm and caring environment in which it worked hard to stimulate a love of learning in its students. It succeeded. For her excellent work she was honored by the Society of Ethiopians Established in Diaspora.

Exemplifying the generous nature of her spirit, in 1999, Fanaye donated a kidney to a woman – a complete stranger, upon hearing her story from her daughter. She always selflessly extended herself to others. Despite various illnesses over several years, and through all her hard times Fanaye found strength in the Church, family, friends and Community. Whether it was driving someone to an appointment, visiting sick friends and family, or vigorously campaigning for President Obama, she never stopped reaching out.

Her Life in Her Words

As a teenager, I left my homeland, Ethiopia. At an early age I learned that nothing is unobtainable to the searching mind so I journeyed twelve thousand miles in search of a better education and a better way of life in the land of opportunity! As a teacher, my role is to help children realize that they need to dream dreams as early as possible, for in their dreams will they be able to plant the seeds of life that will give their lives direction.

A product of a land where less than 10% of the population have seen the light of education I was taught to have reverence for learning. Through books I have been able to open my mind thus opening the gates to the world. As a teacher my role is to instill in our children a respect for learning. I encourage reading so that they may be able to purify their vision and get a good view of the world outside themselves. I would like children to have fun with the limitless windows that books can, unlock for them.

We live in an age of escalating violence. There are signs of war everywhere. My country, Ethiopia, has been one of the many nations that has been torn apart by “man’s inhumanity to man.” I am a person who has been forced to give up a homeland as a result. I care about the future of our world. As teacher, I am in a position to touch the future through our most vital resource, OUR CHILDREN. My role is to inspire visions of worth and beauty in each and every one of them so that each can contemplate his niche in life. As I teach, I TOUCH! I teach with feelings, hoping that every touch is felt, every feeling expressed, and every expression acknowledged.

Teachers have played an important role in my life. My teachers have had such an impact on me that they were a contributing factor in my becoming a teacher. I am now able carry on the tradition of preparing children for life. And so the dream goes on. I take great pride in being a part of a great institution which through the course of time, has, is and always will specialize in broadening children’s intellectual horizons.

Yes, I am a teacher LOADED with questions, LOADED with ideas, LOADED with firsthand information. LOADED with knowledge; reaching out to all the forces of society. I am a teacher holding hands with children, fellow teachers, administrators, friends and neighbors; hoping the bells of freedom will ring the world over!

With hopes for the future. Yes, I’m LOADED!

With dreams that will someday come, Yes, I’m LOADED!

SO PROUD TO BE A TEACHER!

UNIVERSAL STRUGGLE

By: Fanaye Dirasse

The universe within me is LOADED

LOADED with QUESTIONS.

QUESTIONS to try to UNDERSTAND,

My thoughts, feelings, hopes and dreams.

There are so many questions,

I’m not even sure which to tackle first

Oh yes, I feel the fullness of me.

I’m LOADED

But not LOADED to kill.

I’m LOADED

But not LOADED with money.

I’m LOADED

But not LOADED with drinks.

With hopes for the future.

Yes , I’m LOADED!

With dreams that will someday come true,

Yes, I’m LOADED

With feeling of sadness and happiness taking turns,

Yes, I’m LOADED

With thought provoking questions,

Yes, I’m LOADED

One thing for sure, I’ve struggled with my questions,

And questioned my struggles, and found out that

Life was a circle for me as long as

I let my universe revolve within me.

“Reach out!” “Reach out!”

A yearning comes from the innermost self.

“Why carry all that load all alone?”

The UNIVERSE WITHIN needs to come

In contact with the UNIVERSE WITHOUT

Reach in

and reach out

Reach within

and without

There lie the clues

To what we’re all about:

LIVE and LEARN

Psalm 23

The Lord Is My Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.