Getting to Know Your International Contacts: Part 1

I have been conversing and gaining insight from an elementary school teacher in the UK. We have a mutual friend that put us in touch and she has been very helpful and forethcoming with information regarding her life and experiences as an early childhood professional. Her name is Mrs. Kailou-Walker and she was originally born in Hawaii. She felt called into the early childhood field after getting her bachelor's degree in biology. She went back to school to become a teacher and has never looked back. She met her husband on a study abroad trip in college and moved to be with him in the UK upon graduation.

She teaches in a remotely wealthy area and has not had to personally deal with poverty issues of an extreme nature. She has "poor" students in her classes but none that would be considered at the poverty level. Back in Hawaii she grew up in a very impoverished area for the time, but it has now been cleaned up and lots of money has gone into the city. She was not rich by any means growing up and saw her parents struggle to pay the bills. She never missed a meal but she certainly had classmates that did. Back then, her school had programs that parents could apply for that would provide free breakfasts and lunches to students in need. This was a source of embarrassment for some of her fellow students and she always feared having to go on the program.

At the school she works at now, there are annual fundraisers to help people in need; which include canned food drives and clothing donations. There is a food program available for students in need but none of her students so far have had to take advantage of it. She considers herself fortunate to live in such a wealthy area although she said she is not considered wealthy herself. She lives on a moderate income, currently supporting her husband and herself while he is unemployed.

She is particularly concerned with poverty in third-world countries and thinks that it has a profound affect on children's ability to learn. Without the proper nourishment, their brains cannot develop and function properly. Their growth and development is stunted and it most likely will affect them the rest of their lives. The school that she works at actually sends canned food  and clothing to impoverished families across Europe.

New insights I have gained after talking to Mrs. Kailou-Walker are that poverty is not evenly spread across the globe and that it can affect children's ability to get an education. If I were hungry all of the time, learning would be the last thing on my mind. I would only be able to think about filling up my tummy first and foremost! I am so fortunate and thankful for my life and would like to truly be able to do something to help those in need.