The Village Education Project: Summer of 2011

1. The Village Education Project: Summer of 2011 Eva Xiao, Class of 2014 (1) Parting celebration at our school in the town of Espejo (2) A regular day in computer class LOCATION: Otavalo, Ecuador FOCUS OF THE VILLAGE EDUCATION PROJECT: To provide free math, English, and computer courses during the summer to the surrounding rural areas with an opportunity to earn a scholarship that pays for high school expenses

2. What I Learned: I learned that teaching involves a large amount of improvisation and adaptation as a thousand problems can arise in one lesson plan, and that good teaching can have an incredible impact on both student and teacher. I also learned how to listen better and, consequently, how to understand more completely. What I Did: I taught computer skills to middle schoolers three classes a day, five days a week. I taught them the basics such as: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Powerpoint, typing, and email. “My experience in Ecuador has taught me how ingrained and comfortable prejudices and injustices can become and how easily some evils are accepted…Life is unfair but we should fight against that instead of living in quiet acquiescence or worse, helping it along.” Me: Eva Xiao Class of 2014