Trip Report - Honduras 22-30 March 2015
Participants
Mike Monroe, Software Architect
Lori Monroe, Moderate Needs Teacher
John Potts, Electrical Engineer
Charlene Potts, Writer
Attendees:
University - 21 professors and 215 students
University of Defense - 15 teachers and 150 cadets
Primary and secondary schools - 87 teachers and 510 children
High school - 150 students
Purpose:
Present the new children’s book, Principles that Make you Strong written by Charlene Potts for elementary and high school teachers. Share our professional experiences at the university and schools in special conferences. Motivate the professors to include the teaching of values and principles to their students.
Vision:
To transform Honduras from one of the poorest nations in Central America into a healthy, prosperous nation.
Mike and Lori did a wonderful job in sharing their experience with students, teachers and professors. Lori shared her knowledge in teaching children with moderate needs and Mike talked about the difficulty in working with people from other countries with different languages and culture. Their talks were received with enthusiasm by both professors and students at the university and made an impact on the many children in the grade schools and high schools.
Charly talked to teachers in very poor schools, who are in need of substantial help. She also talked to teachers in bilingual schools. As one of the directors of a bilingual school put it, “We have been focused on education, but we need to spend more time teaching the principles that make us strong.”
In this short time we visited three national universities, three public grade schools, five bilingual schools and the National Defense University.
As you can see from the numbers, we talked to over 1100 professors, teachers, students and children in just 5 days. We encouraged many teachers and are seeing progress in the Values and Principles teaching. This is reflected in the Values Committees that are now encouraging more of their fellow professors to become involved. The head of the business school said in effect, “Twelve of our professors in the business school are involved, but we want all 90 of them to be teaching these things.”
Last September, there were three values committees in three universities, with about 15 professors actually teaching these important life principles to their students. Now there are five committees in four universities with about 30 professors teaching their students.
In Comayagua the university provides a bus every Friday to take university students to grade schools where they share with the children the principles they learn in their classes at the university. This not only begins the values education in the schools but affirms to the university students the principles they were taught in their classrooms.
The CFI building, constructed with the funds many of you provided through Professionals to the World, as well as through the efforts of students and professors in Comayagua, is used extensively. Its sole purpose is the development of the mature student, mentally, spiritually and physically. And it’s happening!
We continue to need you, a professional, to come with us. It’s always a big boost for students and professors to hear from you who have a lifetime of experience to share. It’s not your money that is needed. YOU are needed. Come with us. A one week trip to Honduras will change your life – and theirs!
We can never forget Kevin, one of our former students in San Pedro Sula, who has earned his degree in Civil Engineering. Last September he said he was applying to go to Germany to earn his Master’s Degree. He told us, “After you told us the story of Dr. Ben Carson, I decided to become a professional because I want to help my country!”