The Teacher's Task: Finding Hope in the Children of the World

Every year, more than a third of the children in developing countries drop out of school before reaching secondary-level education.

121 million children worldwide are out of school entirely.

Almost one fourth of adults in developing countries are completely illiterate.

My dream to become a teacher is to change these statistics. I believe that through educating and enabling the children of today, we are preparing the leaders, mothers, and world-changers of tomorrow. I want to instill in those I teach a sense of self worth, a sense of pride, a sense of potential. I want to help my students aspire to greatness; a greatness that comes from fulfilling their deepest potential. Students that are empowered in their gifts and talents will excel in everything they put their hand to - not by trying to compensate for their weaknesses, but by shining in their strengths. "The child is the spiritual builder of mankind." - The Absorbent Mind, Clio Montessori press.

When I was sixteen I traveled to Tepic, a small city in Nayarit, Mexico. I there moved in with a host family and started working at a local orphanage - a job which quickly led to teaching grades K-6 Art and English at the conjoined elementary school. Working with those children was one of the most dramatically impacting experience of my life.