Beauty is more than just skin deep

I have always believed it, beauty is not just what we see on the outside, but what is at the core. Proof of this could be seen at the small native village I visited whilst in the Amazon. The village was only reachable by boat, a long narrow boat that sails close to the water. As we reached the shore, and the small dock, I could see a row of small wooden houses perched on the shore, one in particular stood out. It was painted white with a burnt orange roof and was the school for all the children not only in the community where it stood, but also for the many children who lived in isolated houses along the river.

The school has one teacher who teaches 4 classes of different aged children. Each morning this teacher boards the school boat, donated by the hotel in which I stayed, and travels to the various houses located on the vast waters edge to collect the students. At the end of the day this process is repeated as she takes them home. It is not an easy life for her, she works long hours, determined to create an educated, sustainable life for both her children and the children of others in the community for many years to come.

As we were told the history of the school and how it began from nothing I began to think of my own experience here in Brazil, and my efforts to create a new conductive group, which will hopefully grow into a school one day. Although Educação Condutiva - Com Amor started with nothing, the one thing it did have was enough money to get it started. This small school did not have this luxury, and the teacher and creator of the school fought for everything that stands there today. Small donations have helped her school grow from a small wooden structure, barely big enough to house 6 children, to a painted school house that is now providing an education for over 20 children.

I am a teacher, a teacher of conductive education, a conductor, and standing outside that small school in the Amazon, full of emotion, I knew I could not leave that beautiful place without also leaving a small donation.