Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's World Teachers' Day

Well - I was travelling on last week on Monday (and then the internet flunked enough that loading pictures was difficult), so I missed World Teachers' Day ... I have many teachers that I remember fondly over my life in school.  My piano teacher Sarah Clark is a friend to this day.  I remember Mrs. Rempel from Logos Christian School ... wow - that was kingergarten and Grade 1.  Apparently, my memory is much better from a younger age - because, I forget now the names of my teachers in High School - but my favourite two teachers were my French and English 30 professors.  I love going to school and consequently, I have many favourite classes and teachers in my recent history of my undergrad and masters degree as well - way too many too list!  But, most teachers I have had had taught me more than just the class material - I have learned valuable life lessons as well.  On the humorous side - my high school French teacher taught us that if we repeated something 64 times, we would have it memorized ... obviously, over the three years of high school - she must have repeated that more than 64 times as it stuck with me ... and it reminds me in my lifelong language learning that it takes time and effort to learn a language!!

I found some online articles written yesterday to honour teachers and capture classes around the world:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/reuters-photographers-classrooms_56127df0e4b0af3706e14954

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jasonwells/world-teachers-day-classrooms#.cck75d8XO

My favourite is in the second article - the class in Chile ... one is never too old to learn!

In a tribute to World Teacher's Day, and classrooms around the world, here are two village schools that I am helping over here .... one Tuareg village and one Fulani/Djerma village - both on the edge of the Sahara Desert in Sahel Niger!

Kongou:

Tinadakal:

And - in the spirit of the classroom in Chile .... the adults that I teach in the villages as well continue to learn - agriculture, animal husbandry, health,

Today, as I post this, I am heading to a meeting with the Inspector General of schools in Niger - he has promised to open a government school in Kongou and supply it with a teacher.  On Saturday, the chief's son and I went to the village to census the children ages 6-7 and have a list of 30 students ready to start school this week!  The school hut is being built by the parents today and soon primary school will start for these children!  This is the culmination of work and prayers for the last two years.

The next job?  Start a mini-school in the next village site ... out 10 km that does not have a school.  If there are at least 20 children ages 6-7, we can petition the Inspector to open a school next year at this site as well.  In the words of the Inspector "I am here to ensure equal opportunity and access to school for all the children of Niger!"  Quite the job!!  And I am all too happy to help him find all these children!