Each year Mali Rising honors three of our most outstanding teachers with an award. They are nominated by their principals, and a panel of teachers selects the best candidates for each award — most outstanding, most helpful, and most improved. Last month I was happy to deliver the award for Most Outstanding Teacher to a a very hard-working teacher, Mr. Chaka Diarra.
Why Chalkboard Art Matters
As we start to get closer to the end of the school year, I’ve been talking with our teachers about the Chalkboard Art Contest. This is a chance for teachers to show off how they use the primary teaching tool in a Mali classroom — the chalkboard. Our teachers create beautiful maps, diagrams, and more to help students learn. I asked one of our teachers, Mr. Mariko, to share his thoughts on the contest and the value of chalkboard art.
This Year's Most Creative Teacher Winner!
Learn More About the Teacher Project
Without teachers, a school is just a building. With our supporters' help, we invest in teachers to make sure schools can deliver on the promise of education. A volunteer, Lawrence, recently made us a great video highlighting our teachers and the work we do to support them and I wanted to use this chance to share more information about this important project.
Mr. Mallé Wins Most Helpful Teacher
Mali Rising teachers work hard to help students and change lives. In Mali’s rural schools, teachers face many challenges such as the lack of electricity, limited teaching tools, poor housing and classrooms, a large number of students in one classroom (often 100 and up!), and more. In spite of all these challenges, many teachers just enjoy helping kids and have great relationships with parents and village leaders. Mali Rising has established annual awards to recognize this dedication and hard work. This year we honored Mr. Mallé Brehima with the Most Helpful Teacher Award.
