Future World Changers

My ambition began after teaching in Kosovo for two years and seeing how poor the education system is there. There were no book stores, no resources for education and no training for teachers. The people there want better for their country, but they don’t know where to start.

I believe education will change the world for the better, but there are so many barriers to education. I have done what I can to change the face of accessible education, by partnering with online resource programs and donating books to classrooms in need. However, so much more needs to be done.

There are many steps that need to be taken to improve the face of education in
developing areas. I believe the first is to inform others about what these impoverished schools look like and what small things we can do from our own home to help, like organising book drives and supplying donations.

There is a lot of work that needs to be done in lower income areas in my own country, as well as in the UK. But who is helping those other parts of the world who slip to the back of our minds?

So many schools across the world need basic resources, and online programs to improve teaching skills among other teachers comes after that. Making online programs for educational resources is a step towards a more literate and educated world, and this is what I hope to deliver.

Why Glasgow?

I chose to study at the University of Glasgow because I was already in Europe teaching, but I wanted to go to a school that was well established and reputable for the education programmes. I saw that UofG had a course in Children's Literature and Literacies and I was instantly sold. I applied right as I saw the programme online and got accepted within a couple days. The rest is history!

Why Children's Literature and Literacies?

I chose to study Children's Literature and Literacies because the subject of literacy in schools is an ever-developing field that educators explore and find new things about constantly.

There are so many ways to teach it but I wanted to become an expert on how to teach reading skills and literacy to my future students.

I had to experiment a lot with different literacy programmes when I was teaching in Kosovo and I loved sharing different books with my students. I love that Children's Literature and Literacies explores so many books I had never heard of and how I can make meaningful lessons from them. I also love that we learn how to make reading enjoyable again for children and educators.

Brittany is one of the University of Glasgow’s Future World Changers: students with ambitions to improve lives across the globe. Follow their journeys using #UofGFWC.