Girl Rising

Girl Rising is an eye-opening documentary that tells the strikingly genuine story of nine girls who are facing tremendous obstacles in their journey to receive an education. These nine girls, each growing up in a different part of the developing world, struggle each day with the difficulties their countries, cultures and religions have caused as they strive toward educating themselves and creating a better, brighter future.

While their end goal is common, the hurdles faced by each girl are unique to their situation. For example, Wadley, a seven year old girl living in Haiti, watches her whole world crumble before her very eyes when a massive earthquake destroys her home, her village, and her school. Left with a shelter made of tarps and sticks and no money to pay for school, Wadley's mother leaves her with the responsibility of finding clean water each day. Reluctant to accept her dim circumstances, Wadley insists on continuing her education and is willing to stand up to anyone who stands in her way.

Amina, an eleven year old girl from Afghanistan, has her dreams of an education repressed by the harsh Afghan customs with each new day. After being married off to a distant cousin by her parents in exchange for a small stipend, Amina struggles with the new burden of mothering a newborn and pleasing her husband. Fed up with the dead set outcome for females in Afghanistan, Amina is determined to do whatever it takes to bring about a revolution and give girls in her country a chance at a real life full of promise and opportunity. Even with nothing more than a few years of formal education, Amina realizes the awful disadvantage of being a female in Afghanistan, her resolute stance on this issue is expressed perfectly when she states "Look into my eyes. Do you see it now? I am change."

While these girls' stories are just two examples of the many heartfelt accounts that are narrated in Girl Rising, they have a shared theme; the obstacles facing Wadley and Amina are due to forces they have no control over. For Wadley, a natural disaster pushes her dreams of being an educated Haitian woman even farther from her reach. For Amina, an oppressive government and long-standing cultural traditions prohibit her from expressing her feelings and following her dreams. Luckily, Wadley, Amina and the other seven girls have more in common than just defeat; they each posses unquestioned optimism for their ability to bring about change in education for themselves and girls everywhere.

When reflecting on the themes of Girl Rising and how they relate to the students in my class, I am discouraged. Unfortunately, I am faced each day with students who couldn't be less enthused about their opportunity for an education, let alone one that is free. The apathy that some of my students exhibit is disheartening and makes me question if I have what it takes to make a difference in how they view their chance to better themselves in such an extraordinary way. It seems that not a day goes by where a student doesn't express their desire to be "anywhere but here", even while I am giving it my all as their teacher and doing my best to engage them in the learning experience.

What I wish my students would realize is the magnitude that a solid education will have on the rest of their lives and how fortunate they are to have such resources at their fingertips. As an educator, it is part of my job to inspire and lead my students in the right direction so that they have the best chance of being a successful learner and global citizen. While motivating the indifferent student is not something that will happen in a day, or even a week, it is imperative that educators, as a unit, do not give up on these students and do whatever we can to make a positive impact on their impression of education. Doing so will not only directly influence the lives of my students but will also play a role, no matter how small, in spreading awareness of the importance of educating our children and children everywhere.

Resources:

Barriers to Girls Education [Graphic]. Retrieved March 24, 2014 from: http://www.irex.org/sites/default/files/u81/map-survey-V4.jpg

Girl Rising [Graphic]. Retrieved March 24, 2014 from: http://girlrising.com/