Field Trip: Screening of Girl Rising

Recently, I attended a showing of the film Girl Rising at the University Center. This documentary takes viewers into the lives of nine girls in various parts of the world. These girls live very difficult lives and do not always have the opportunity for education or even choice.

1. Wadley, a little girl in Haiti, absolutely loved attending school and learning with her peers. Then, one day, an earthquake ripped apart Wadley's life. The school that she loved so much was gone and she had to take on the responsibility of fetching water for her family, who was now living in a tent. One day, as she was walking to get the water, Wadley noticed that her former teacher was teaching a group of children in a tent. Excited at the thought of going back to school, Wadley ran home to tell her mother that the school was re-opened. Wadley's heart broke when her mother told her that she could not afford to send her back to school, but she did not give up. Wadley went back to the tent school and stood up for herself, telling the teacher that she would keep coming back until she was allowed to stay. The teacher must have admired Wadley's passion because she told Wadley to sit down and continued to teach. I was amazed by the persistence this young girl showed in the name of her education. She showed a great deal of strength and inspired several people, including me.
2. Two of the girls in this documentary were portrayed by other people because they were afraid to show their faces in the film. They said that their lives may be at stake if anyone saw them. This was a surprise to me. Girls could lose their lives for sharing their story? In the United States, people share their entire lives on social media on a daily basis, but these girls cannot share theirs. Another thing that shocked me was their willingness to still share their story in spite of the threat. That shows a great deal of courage and strength.
3. My favorite story from the documentary was about a little girl who lived in India. She and her family were living in a tent on the sidewalk in the slums if the city. They moved to the city from the country in order for the children to get an education. Ruksana was getting into trouble at school for doodling during class. One day, she was kicked out of math class for drawing and was afraid to face her father because she had promised him that she wouldn't get into anymore trouble at school. Her father looked at the drawings in the notebook, looked at Ruksana, took her hand and silently led her down the street. They ended up in an art store where her father bought her a sketchbook and some colored pens. I thought about where this family lived and how little they had and had to fight back tears. This family was living on the street, yet the father managed to find some money to support his daughter in what she enjoyed doing.

After watching Wadley's story, I started to reflect on my own life. I have always taken school for granted. I never really thought about how lucky I am to even be able to go to school. It never occurred to me that some people do not ever get that chance. In the United States, children are required by law to go to school. I couldn't fathom a place where children did not go to school, but there are places like this all over the world. What made this even worse is the fact that Wadley was allowed to go to school, but a lack of money was holding her back. In the United States, education is free until college, unless you go to private school. Maybe this is the teacher in me talking, but money should never be the deciding factor when it comes to educating a child. I was very happy to see that Wadley's teacher, impressed by her courage , persistence, and passion, allowed Wadley to stay and be educated without paying the necessary fees. I think that this movie was very eye-opening and I would recommend that everyone, especially those in the field of education, watch it. Here is a link to the trailer. I hope more people watch this movie, reflect on their own lives, and decide to be advocates for children, especially girls, around the world.

I thought I posted this last week, but I only saved it as a draft. Sorry.