?Three Cups of Tea — One Man”s Mission to Promote Peace … One School at a Time” by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin Books)
In America, the current discourse and disagreements over how best to measure student achievement often overshadow the most fundamental and far-reaching effects of education: its power to change lives.
Reading “Three Cups of Tea,” the factual account of one man”s quest to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, I was reminded not only of the impact of education on any one individual, but its ability to exert a positive influence on a whole culture, and thereby the world.
In 1993, Greg Mortenson, after a failed attempt to climb K-2, became lost and stumbled into a remote Pakistani village. His encounter with the elders and children and the kindness he received there, lead him to promise to return and build a school. Mortenson had no money, no technological savvy, no political connections. What he had was determination and commitment. Over the course of the next 10 years Mortenson would ultimately find a financial backer, create an organization (the Central Asia Institute), and build 55 schools in the most remote and hostile areas of the region. He made countless trips to Pakistan and Afghanistan at great personal risk; he had fatwa declared against him twice and was held hostage once for seven days.
Mortenson built not only schools but relationships with local religious leaders, village elders, and the girls and women his efforts impacted so profoundly. In a time when the war on terrorism is being fought with bombs and guns, this book reminds us that lasting peace will be determined by what happens after the fighting stops. Will we re-build water systems, hospitals and schools? Will we create opportunities for people to develop skills, have options and make choices?
Mortenson”s story is an incredible testament to the impact of one man. It also shows that the belief in the importance of education cuts across cultural and geographic lines. The book”s subtitle, “One Man”s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time,” is a true and timely reminder of the transformative power of schooling.
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