My Inspiration

One day I was walking through a prairie in Kenya accompanied by a guide and two friends from the U.S., when we suddenly came across five kids and an adult huddled under a tree.  As we approached, we saw that the adult was teaching the students math.  The teacher threw out a question and the kids feverishly calculated the answer in the dirt using sticks as pencils. A hand shot up and the student answered the question with delight. The teacher confirmed the answer and the other students reveled in their collective victory. It was pure magic- teaching and learning at its essence.  After almost 20 years in education law and policy, that day I re-committed myself to doing whatever I can to make sure that all students have what they need to experience the of learning, as these five kids had under a tree on a prairie in Kenya.