Because I'm a Girl

I have been inspired to post really early today because of a post by Shimelle.

Many of you will know I am very interested in girls' education because I work in an all girls school. I get to teach girls fromt he age of 3 - 11 (and they go on to our Senior School until they are 18) and I love educating girls. But they are lucky girls, exceptionally lucky. It is an independent school, but even taking that little edge away, they are girls who have a warm safe home to live in, they have food readily available, they are never cold or hungry or alone. They have every convenience you can imagine and they get to come to school every day. Oh yes; that coming to school every day is one of the biggest blessings they have. Much as they may moan on the odd occasions (actually they moan very little because school is a fun place to be with all of your friends and the endless possibilities and new discoveries) the fact they go to school is one of their greatest blessings.

Without education, people don't have the opportunity to move forward, to change their own world and make it a better place. Without education the world makes little sense and becomes an even more confusing place than it ever is. Without education they don't get to share time with their peers and share the love of learning, those special lightbulb moments when we suddenly learn something new.Without education they can't read and so never have the chance of losing themselves in a good book.

The 'becausde I'm a girl' campaign aims at gettinge ducation for girls in some of the poorest countries and most deprived areas of the world. If they get some education they may be able to break the cycle of poverty and opression. It is really really important.

You need to check out her post here and check out the organisation too here

If you sign up for one of Shimelle's classes today (and I can vouch for the fact they are all fantastic .... I'm a bit of an addict) then she will give the money direct to the charirty. So, it is a win win situation. You get to do a great class and you get to help others get the education they deserve and that we, all too easily, take for granted. So hop over there now and check it out.

Here is a very telling quote from Shimelle's blog today Today, I am really hoping you’ll help me with something a little different. Can we – all these lucky girls around the world who read things on the internet and craft with photos and paper and glue – can we get together enough girl power to help some of the girls in the world who don’t get all the things we take for granted? Not even butterfly punches. Things like a basic education and a way out of poverty.

Shimelle shared some pages about being a girl so I thought I would do the same. They are not new pages, but are definitely girl power pages. Maybe you will share some of your own too. I make no bones about the fact that this post is a copy, in many ways, of Shimelle''s own post. Hopefully the very fact it is a copy will make you think twice about the message and perhaps sign up for one of those classes, to give you something great to learn and to help others, with so little, learn too.

Unlike the girls the charity is trying to help, I live a very luxurious life with a safe warm home, food on the table, health care and education. Oh and those perfect little luxuries that add that extra little something.

Without education I couldn't read - and it is another great love of my life.

Our pictures record our world and I love love taking pictures. I guess that is, in part, because the world I inhabit is a beautiful place. It is safe, I am cared for and cared about, I have everything I need. I guess for the girls that the charity is trying to help that isn't the case. In giving them the education they need and deserve they will have the possibility of changing their worl.

We get the chance to enjoyt he beauty of our world because we are not worrying endlessly about the basics in life. Many of these girls would never get to see that beauty because their life is too taken up with plans for daily survival. Education is the tool that can help break them free of that worry.

This page was one made a while ago and is a letter from my 'now' me to my 'then' me. All the things I might want to have told myself. You see, education means so many different things and one of the things is about learning from experience, both your own and the experience of others.

As this was a post about education I have to share one of the many pages I have made about teaching. I know I bang on about it a lot, but I think teaching truly is the greatest job int he world. You get to work with children or young people, full of hopes and dreams and possibilities. You get to see them grow and develop and change and are a part of that. You enable them to see the possibilities in themselves and int he world around them and you get to make a difference. How much better can life get.

And finally - it says it all

So hop over to Shimelle's blog and make a difference.

And I seem to be having a bit of a Shimelle day as my scrapping today was using her challenge sketch from Wednesday. It records some of the sculptures we saw on our recent trip to Beaulieu.