Off topic - Dulce is Sweet

Dulce - the perfect student. Always two chapters ahead, demands that I check homeworks that I have not assigned yet. Always on time, asking questions that stump the teacher and best of all - always with a contagious smile. She is the leader of her class, intervenes for other's grades, constantly reminds her peers about due homeworks or upcoming tests. In a way, that's what differentiates my sixth graders from my seventh graders. The absence of a peer that reminds, advocates and keep others accountable has drastic academic and behavioral effects.

In turn, and making a huge leap in comparison (if the reader will allow me), but in the spirit that a class is a microcosm of society, the same consequences brought upon by the absence of good leadership fall on a nation as a whole. Take for example, our Honduran President Mel Zelaya.

He lacks foresight, has no accountability and cares less for the Honduran worker. Hondurans are being hit hard by the United State's recession. Just take a look at the labels of your favourite t-shirts or underwear or other garments to figure out that many clothes that Americans wear come from third world countries like Honduras. Heck!!! China is outsourcing its sweatshops to Honduras. If Americans are not buying as they did before, then Hondurans are not producing, and if there is no production then therefore there are no jobs here. 133,000 jobs lost so far (33,000 from garment factories). Mel Zelaya has gone rogue like Venezuelan Hugo Chavez. Trying to be populist, he has exarcebated Honduran economy by instituting an unbelievable minimum wage increase (40-60%). I'm all for more pay for workers specially when it involves international sweatshops that exploit workers, but given the global crisis, this is wrong timing and way too high of an increase in a too short period of time. It's having catastrophic effects for a country where 28% unemployment rate is the norm. At 10%, California should consider itself lucky and for many reasons I rather be unemployed in the States than in Honduras. But I digress, and way off topic and could go on and on about Mel, but for fear of losing your interest let me finish.

My teachers always said that their greatest joy came from knowing that some of us would go and be productive citizens. They felt that they had taken part in developing us as we turned out to be successful in whatever field we chose. I'm starting to experience that as I look at Dulce and others that are similar to her. I can only hope for a better future for Honduras and hope that future leaders like Dulce do not decide to live elsewhere besides her home country. I'm being egoistical and hypocritical, because Dulce is who she is way before I met her and will probably be the same as she goes forward, and I can't wait to go home!!! I'm glad to have taken part in her development. Even if only it means to only have taught her a school year of spelling and science.