One of my job responsibilities includes traveling to various
locations to train teachers in literacy strategies. My objective is to empower
teachers with additional tools for their teaching strategies toolbox. I’ve
traveled to urban middle schools and high schools, community colleges and universities,
literacy centers and libraries, and a myriad of other sites to train teachers,
paraprofessionals, and tutors. I’ve met hundreds of teachers and students, and
in the process, I’ve witnessed a variety of different backgrounds and needs.
Once in a while, I have experiences while training that teach me life lessons,
whether it be a lesson learned about how literacy strategies unlock a struggling
student’s world of learning, or feeling inspired by a teacher’s passion.

This year I had a unique training opportunity. I traveled to Zimbabwe
to provide literacy training for people in various remote villages where such
services had never been provided. During this experience, I learned life
lessons about individual dignity and the hierarchy of needs—physical, social, and
educational. We drove on long, bumpy, dusty roads without air conditioning and
proper suspension, and we traveled with little water and food. We traveled
through and camped in wild game parks, witnessing rare sightings of wild
animals and waking up to the sounds of the competing roars of lion prides. Although
the conditions were not ideal, I felt privileged to have had the opportunity to
interact with teachers and students that few people will ever get to meet.