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Aspen, CO
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I'm
sitting in AZ at the Hampton Inn so I'm not exactly sure if I'm following
the right form or if this is the kind of information you want or .... but
here goes
A teacher in Texas or in Colorado or in Iowa is not so different than a
teacher half a world away, save for resources and training. A
close friend, Marilynn Hitchens, and I created Teachers Across Borders
(TAB) in 2002. Both of us had been world history teachers and had worked
closely in the development of world history programs in the United
States. Our work taught us lessons in the fundamental nature of education
in addressing issues of poverty and leadership. The mission of Teacher's
Across Borders is to support teachers working in fragile educational
environments. In places where we work, teachers have little or no
opportunity to learn how to teach or learn new subject matter. We have
discovered teachers teaching on sidewalks, in dumps, or under a large tree
with nothing more to define the classroom than the tarp children sit on.
Our teaching experiences were privileged in comparison with the efforts of
millions of teachers around the world who teach without adequate
materials, heat, light, school structures, running water, and salaries.
Over the last six years TAB has sent 75 volunteer teachers to lead two
week workshops in content and teaching methods in Myanmar and Cambodia,
donated money for a lunch program in the Dominican Republic, matched
teachers across the US who had extra textbooks with teachers in
Mississippi and Louisiana who had nothing after Katrina. After visiting a
teacher training center where 2000 students shared 3 English dictionaries,
TAB started book shipments. Tucked into those shipments have been many,
many books contributed by friends of the Pampa library.
All of TAB's work is volunteer. This year TAB will be sponsoring 40
workshops in 4 cities for 1000 teachers. TAB volunteers are from Europe,
Australia, and the US....including Jane and Richard Steele from Pampa.
It's not so difficult to travel to Cambodia. Usually a whole group goes
together. There are plenty of opportunities to make friends with teachers
from the opposite side of the world and be amazed by new things. Every
day we are reminded just how fortunate we are. We return home better and
wiser from our experience.
TAB has reconfirmed my belief that educating one person improves that
person's life, the life of their family and the well-being of their
community.
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