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I have been an elementary and secondary school teacher and administrator. Currently, I am a faculty member in the Faculty of Education at Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. My M.Ed. and Ph.D. had a focus on the educational and linguistic experiences of children who moved from other countries to Canada.

Thursday, March 8, 2018

International Women's Day: Poto Mitan

Poto Mitan is a Haitian Creole phrase to describe women as cornerstones in their communities.

I love this idea.

I have been fortunate to have had many strong women "cornerstones" in my life: mother (and mother-in-law), grandmother, wife, sister, daughters, friends, teachers, supervisors, colleagues.

Not everyone has the fortune of having a host of cornerstones.

But everyone needs at least one cornerstone, one poto mitan.

As I reflect today on the idea of poto mitan, I think of the many strong women cornerstones I have had the privilege of meeting in Haiti.

One picture that speaks to these poto mitan is the one below. I snapped the picture as I stood behind a principal as she sat beside a young student and watched as educators started entering a session we were hosting.

The picture speaks powerfully to the concept of poto mitan.

Today we celebrate International Women's Day but every day is an opportunity to be the poto mitan of our communities.




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