One of the most amazing stories that I learned on my trip to China was that of my roommate Allie. We both teach at high schools of about 1000 students, our school colors are blue and gold, and both our schools lack racial diversity. That is where the similarities end. I am at a high achieving suburban school that is about 88% white. Her school in urban Washington DC is approximately 98% African American and struggles to meet academic standards. Which school would you think is sending dozens of students to Africa and Central America this year?
Allie teaches Spanish at Ballou High School where continuous teacher turnover is typical. However, Allie has not only survived as a young teacher, but has thrived and brought the world to her students. For most students in inner-city DC international travel has never crossed their minds, but this has changed at Ballou with the organization of Ballou International. With Allie's guidance this group raises thousands of dollars each year to send students around the world. This year Costa Rica and Ghana are on the agenda. This is just another example of a wonderful educator bypassing the issue of finance and making the world "smaller" for her students. Please check out the website below for more about Ballou International.
www.ballouinternational.com
No comments:
Post a Comment