Teachers Seminar

We all have memories of a favorite teacher from our younger school days. A common thread among teachers around the world is their interest in helping students achieve. Last week, two experienced educators (M. Skidmore & S. Miller) from Powell County, Kentucky, in collaboration with Patricia Curtis, director of Lifeline Mission, held a seminar for nearly 50 local teachers. Topics discussed throughout the week included the Haitian curriculum, lesson plan formats & lesson planning, challenges the local teachers are encountering and a very enlightening question/answer session. Perhaps one of the most effective outcomes was the universal bond between the teachers from the U.S. and the Haitian teachers that formed and developed throughout the week. Plans have been discussed for a future seminar.

“I have gained so much from this experience with the fellow teachers of Haiti. As educators, we share so much more in common than stands to differ. My goal is to expand and enrich our professional development and continue to build on it each year,” stated Melody Skidmore, a 12 year teacher from Bowen Elementary in Kentucky.“It has been a privilege during the past 2 weeks to meet and work with professional colleagues who share the same interests and goals as we do in the United States. However, I discovered that the teachers here face unique challenges….not only in the execution of their professional duties but also in their day to day existence. They lack basic services and materials that we take for granted. It has been an enlightening and inspiring experience and we look forward to coming back to follow up on the work that we began and hope more of our colleagues in the U.S. will be involved in this initiative,” comments Susan Miller, a veteran educator and current principal of Clay City Elementary in Kentucky.

Patricia Curtis, also a retired teacher, says, “Education is the most powerful tool that will help Haiti rise above being the most poverty stricken country in the Western Hemisphere and in knowing that, this teacher seminar was a new beginning in accomplishing that goal. I praise God for educators who will take their time, finances and talents in helping those less fortunate then themselves. The teachers left the seminar with high expectations and new ideas for the upcoming year.”