By Jane Bauer

“I entered the classroom with the conviction that it was crucial for me and every other student to be an active participant, not a passive consumer…education as the practice of freedom…. education that connects the will to know with the will to become. Learning is a place where paradise can be created.” ― Bell Hooks

Back to School….. The smell of freshly sharpened pencils, erasers, and the excitement of staring anew. Each September is marked with possibility; maybe this year you will become the math whiz, the prom queen, the basketball star, miss congeniality- it is not just new notebooks but the anticipation of coming closer to who we see ourselves to be.

I cannot imagine living a childhood where the maybe is ….. maybe I will get to go to school, maybe the teacher will show up, maybe there will be books. Sadly for many children that is their reality. Gandhi famously said the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated, but I think measuring how a society treats the education of its children is equally telling. Sadly at a time when US/ Canada public schools are suffering loss of creative programs and qualified teachers, it is difficult to find the money and energy to focus on the issues plaguing education in Mexico. Like all change, awareness and understanding is the first step.

This issue we explore learning, not just in the classroom but as an ongoing endeavor. Helping isn’t only about finding ways in which you can teach and donate time/money but realizing the opportunities presented where you can learn. Growing education is an active process! Wherever you are, whether you are busy with your own children or childless, turn your attention this month to education and feel the amazing satisfaction of connecting with the future of your community.