T he Master Teachers whom I have trained have made many such changes in their communities. More important than any specific change is the fact that poor families affected by the Master Teacher program are beginning to feel empowerment. They now have the spirit and energy to aim for a better quality of life. They are beginning to see hope for their children. They are successfully networking with mainstream society.
Mutual respect seems to be a key element.
I had knowledge, skills, and connections within mainstream society. The natural leaders I recruited knew all the issues firsthand and could devise strategies to address them. Together we produced a program that worked. T his program can produce the same feelings of empowerment in any poor community, whether in the inner-city, pockets of poverty in the south, or in the rural communities of the United States. More than funding or political support, however, this program needs a dedicated trainer who really cares about families at risk.