I recently visited a school on the border with India. 1000 children, not a single book in the entire school. No teaching materials apart from a singke white board in each classroom.
As I walked from class to class talking about life and education I asked the same question. “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
I was answered with the same response from each and every child.
The girls replied “nurse” , bizarre (that every girl wanted to be a nurse) but also noble.
But my shock came when I questioned the boys. As in the picture the boys when asked “What do you want to be?” Each and every boy repeated the same answer. “Soldier.”
My heart was broken. Nepal isn't fighting any wars, it's a peaceful place so I asked this boy “Why?”
He said “So we can travel the world” Without exposure to literature and a chance to visit the outside world, the only hope they have of travel was to become a fighter. He just wanted to hear the waves crash, see the sunset over the Sahara or taste the ice cream on San Hose boulevard and the only way to get there was to train to kill
And this is why I’m a teacher and each and every parent out there is a teacher in their own right. The world is a big place and everyone should have a right to see it before it gets dark. ❤️
