Happy World Teachers Day 2010!

I first heard the story of the intrepid Nebraksan teacher Minnie Freeman years ago.  During the blizzard of 1888, she tied her students together with a ball of twine and led them from her sod schoolhouse to the safety of a sturdier building. Because of these level-headed actions, Minnie’s students survived. This image of a teacher navigating crisis has stuck with me. Over the last year, we have seen many examples of educators leading students and communities through difficult times.

Haitian teacher Abel Mercier participated in the Teaching Excellence and Achievement program from September-November, 2009. When the earthquake struck his country in January, he got to work helping his students at the Lycée National de Cite-Soleil recover. Recognizing that many of them were profoundly traumatized, he wanted to help restore their psycho-social wellbeing. “We teachers feel indebted to a number of panicked youngsters aged 16-20 from the Lycée for their learning achievement, their motivation in life, and their hope in a better future,” he wrote. Abel planned a day-long picnic and workshop on disaster preparedness for his students. He received small grant funding from IREX to execute this event on July 24. “I certainly managed to be a real change agent in my work environment,” he reflected.

Educators like Abel are being called upon to help rebuild communities across the world. This week, Indian officials sought to regain calm in Kashmir by reopening schools in the conflict-battered region. In Kyrgyzstan, Abel’s fellow TEA alumni have carried on work in their classrooms, despite their country's political tumult. Teachers often fill the leadership vacuum that emerges in the aftermath of crisis. Sometimes just by continuing to report to work everyday, they serve as important examples of courage and calmness for community youth.

On October 5th, UNESCO celebrates World Teachers Day and urges students, parents, and activists to “pay homage to all teachers who have been directly or indirectly affected by a major crisis.” You can visit www.5oct.org to send an e-card to your favorite teacher or post photos of your celebration. Whether they have tied students together with twine, mitigated sadness in the aftermath of an earthquake, or helped relieve conflict on a personal scale, teachers worldwide deserve our gratitude. Happy World Teachers Day!

Amy Ahearn is a program associate at IREX.