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This post is a part of the Season of Gratitude Series. You can participate by writing a gratitude post and telling me about it. For more details, click here.

My life’s dream is to start a school that cultivates children’s lust for learning. It would expose them to different spiritual paths, teach them how to live financially sound lives, kindle their passions, and give them opportunities to explore the world.

I was priveleged to get the benefit of two educational systems and I think I got the best of both. I started off in Trinidad which patterns its education system after the British. The early years are about rigor. It forces you to learn how to think, how to associate known patterns with unknown. It’s strong in foundation.

Then I spent 2 years in the US, where, for an 8 year old, education is about socializing. I enjoyed the break in the US. School was much more about getting together with the neighborhood kids than getting information. I think that it’s important to have a balance.

At that point I went back to Trinidad and got more rigor. In Trinidad, I went to Catholic school which really got me steeped in the rituals of the religion, but it provided a great framework for me to explore God. I could talk about it in school. It was not relegated to a 2 hour Sunday discussion. Also, in Trinidad, there is a lot of emphasis on cultural education - understanding the traditions of the people that make up the country. I topped it off with 2 years of high school in the US, which, for me, was just time in a holding pattern on my way to college.

Education, formal and informal, is the key to many doors in life. The ideas and information in your mind cannot be taken away by anyone. It is leverage when all other resources seem scarce.

I am eternally grateful for the teachers that I have had. For Ms. Redhead who taught me to “cry now not later.” For Professor Brodie who taught me to “let my conscience be my guide.” For Ms. Salandy who taught me that I could be smart and sassy. For Sister Joseph who taught me that you didn’t have to be a nun to be spiritual. Eternally grateful.