Last week I saw the difference that a talented and dedicated teacher can make. Brenda Salter-McNeil, a friend who works to build inter-culturally competent leaders in the Christian community, spent two days working with the PathLight sponsorship students. It was an amazing weekend!
Brenda and Rosanne working with the students.
Along with her colleague Rosanne Swain, Brenda guided the students through a process of discovering their own racial identity. This workshop showed the students how important diversity is and it also reinforced a positive self-image. Based on Biblical principles, and often tracing the story of Esther, the curriculum was truly the integration of faith and learning. It gave the students something deep and meaningful to ponder as they grow from youth into adults.
This was unknown territory for all involved. The students certainly had never done anything like this. Neither had our PathLight leadership. Even Brenda and Rosanne were breaking new ground, as they had never before worked in Belize.
But due to their giftedness as teachers, Brenda and Rosanne pulled it all together and the student responses were amazing. Here are a few student quotes as examples:
“This weekend I learned that we cannot judge the book by its cover. Meaning that we cannot judge other people if we don’t know them from the inside.”
“This weekend I learned that we are made in God’s image and God loves us no matter from what culture and what language we speak; he loves us.”
“This weekend I learned that I don’t have to be ashamed of who am I or of where I come from.”
After watching the weekend unfold and seeing the change in the hearts of PathLight students, I was struck by the value of good teaching. Brenda and Rosanne kept those kids spellbound for two days. The classroom atmosphere was organized, fun, productive and generous. Best of all, the students grew spiritually and socially. Their hearts, minds and souls were touched.
What I saw reinforced what we all know: good teaching is transforming.
Over the past few months I’ve been sharing ideas, stories and videos about the work that PathLight does with teachers. We launched our Support A Teacher program (SAT) with the goal of building support for Belizean teachers. Supporting one teacher can impact thirty students, and watching Brenda and Rosanne in the classroom with fifty-plus students reinforced how important our SAT effort really is.
Today is National Teacher Day in the United States. It’s a day to celebrate the importance of teaching and honor those who dedicate their time to teaching. Perhaps today is a good day for you to reflect on the teachers you had as a student. Who stood out to you? Who showed that extra amount of patience when you struggled? Who made a difficult topic fun? Or as one professor I had once said, who turned the light on that made you go from merely attending a class to being a true learner?
If you can think of such a teacher in your life, I have a nice way to honor him or her. Make a gift to PathLight’s SAT program, tell them which teacher you wish to honor, and the PathLight folks will send a thank you note reflecting your appreciation. It’s a great way to say thank you to somebody that perhaps needs to hear that thanks. And a nice way to remember somebody that you may not have thought of in a long time.
In addition, your gift will impact an under-resourced teacher who desperately needs assistance. Most Belizean teachers have only a high school education and virtually no classroom budget. By honoring the man or woman who helped you learn, you will help a teacher do her job, which will in turn impact thirty under-privileged students in a classroom.
So can you help with this today? Please click here and fill out the online form. PathLight will get a letter of appreciation out to your teacher as soon as possible.
Thank you!
