Helen Wolfe - Terrific Women Teachers

THINK ABOUT IT for a minute. Teachers are a huge part of our lives.

Many kids meet their first teachers at daycare, before they can even walk or talk. Those first teachers are very important. Not only do they care for and nurture very young children while their parents go to work, but they also introduce them to the alphabet, language, and numbers, using games and music. Once we are in school, our teachers help us to read, write, do math and science, and sometimes even lend us a hand in solving our day-to-day problems.

If were lucky, weve met teachers who have made a big difference in our lives. Sometimes it may be for the ideas they have shared with us, ideas that struck a chord deep inside, and that will remain with us forever. But, more often than not, we love and remember teachers not because of what they taught us, but because of who they are. The most memorable teachers are our role models, those who guide us toward being better people by their own examples.

Not surprisingly, teachers become attached to their students as well. Ive been a teacher for more than thirty years, and have had the chance to spend time with many different kinds of studentsfrom kids with special needs to adults who are learning English as a second language. I feel fortunate to have taught some unforgettable students in my classes, and I have such warm memories of those experiences. I really believe that Ive learned much more from my students than they may have learned from me.

Some of the teachers you will meet here lived long ago, and paved the way for how I teach my students today, while others are admirable teachers of my own time. Several of the teachers in this book had major obstacles to overcome when they were young girls. Annie Sullivan Macy grew up almost blind, and lost all of her family when she was just a child. She spent most of her childhood in an institution. But with intelligence, hard work and determination, she became a celebrated teacher whose lifelong dedication opened up the world to her student. In turn, Annies student, Helen Keller, who was mute, deaf, and blind, grew up to be a world-famous educator and advocate for deaf and blind people. Another specially challenged teacher, Denise Fruchter, was a young girl with brain disabilities who struggled at school, and could not enjoy the summer camp experiences that most of us take for granted. There were no camp counselors who understood what she was going through or could help her. So, when she grew up, she created a camp where kids with brain disabilities could have fun and learn many new things, just like everyone else.

Teachers in big cities have their own challenges to overcome. Marva Collins taught as a substitute teacher for many years in poor, inner-city schools, and realized that her students were not being encouraged to excel in high school and go on to college or university. A strongly opinionated woman, Marva decided to open a school that set extremely high expectations of both teachers and students. Very simply, she would not allow students to fail or do less than they were capable of.

Erin Gruwell was a student teacher working with a multicultural group of students who could not get along with each other. In fact, they couldnt sit in the same classroom and have simple discussions without calling each other names and getting into fights. So, Erin created the Freedom Writers project where her students from violent and crime-filled neighborhoods could share their feelings online, and learn more about each other. Hundreds of years earlier, and against everyones advice, pioneer teacher Onsime Dorval also blazed new trails in bringing students together. She left her comfortable home in Quebec to teach Aboriginal people in isolated communities, earning their love and trust with her devotion and respect for their language and traditions.

These exceptional women teachers are part of this book because they knew that their students should not be defeated because of their environments. These teachers were determined that the kids they taught would be successful, no matter what odds were stacked against them.

Youll also read about several pathfinders who didnt plan to be teachers, but made amazing contributions to education nonetheless. Maria Montessori started out as a doctorthe first woman doctor in Italy. One of Marias early jobs was as supervisor of a primary school. She could see that lots of kids just couldnt learn much in that strict environment. Maria became the first educator to create a classroom where children could sit in different groups throughout the day, learning skills and exploring their creativity. The kind of classroom that Maria created so many years ago is still with us today.

Raden Ayu Kartini lived in Indonesia all of her life. More than 150 years ago, when education was not available to girls in her country, she managed to become a superb writer. She became a crusading pen pal writing about the frustration of young Indonesian girls who had to stay at home and learn to do housework so that they could become good wives and mothers. Long after she died, the ideas in Kartinis letters were used to improve the system of education for girls in her country.

Malalai Joya is a young politician in the war-torn country of Afghanistan. She understands all too well that the women and girls in her country are denied the basic rights that are given to men and boys. Until very recently, Afghan girls have not been allowed to go to school, and are sometimes severely punished if they try to do so. As a member of her countrys government, Malalai has tried to advocate for improved education for Afghanistans girls and women, but most of the time she is met by extreme hostility, because powerful people want things to stay the same. Malalais life is difficult: she must hide her face whenever she leaves her house because so many have threatened to silence her.

Finally, Ive written about some exceptional women teachers who were lost to the world too young. Christa McAuliffe was an accomplished high school teacher who dreamed of traveling to space. By becoming the first teacher in space, she felt she could motivate young girls to reach for the stars, just as she had. Christas life ended too soon, but her legacy of love for teaching lives on in the many schools and special programs that carry her name.