"Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela

World Teacher’s Day is celebrated every year on October 5th and is an occasion to display our gratitude for educators who have had a powerful effect on our lives. Teachers over the years have played a much bigger role than simply imparting textbook knowledge - they are one of the primary lenses through which we see the world. Most of us, no matter our background, can recall the impact that a teacher has left in our lives - whether an educator, mentor, advisor, or colleague.

This is an opportunity to celebrate the strength and resilience that mentors, advisors, and teachers have displayed, especially over the past couple of years. The frameworks of education have changed tremendously as the world has had to learn to deal with a pandemic almost overnight. Even with limitations such as school closures, isolation, practical issues such as Internet and technology problems, as well as inadequate resources, educators have still worked tirelessly to fulfill their responsibility of ensuring that every child everywhere has a right to education. In many parts of the world, delivering education is also risky - particularly areas affected by conflict, poverty and violence. In a world that is evolving rapidly, where information is plenty but we struggle daily with issues of injustice, inequality, illness, climate change, and war, teachers are more important than ever as they help us make sense of the world. Teachers need our support now more than ever.

At TeachAids, we consciously design context-appropriate resources and learning materials that enable every individual to teach those around them. CoviDB for Kids, for instance, is an interactive database that covers complex COVID-19-related topics such as social distancing, face masks, and hand washing in a language that is easily understandable for the youth. This helps parents as they inform and support their children through the pandemic. In the relaying of personal experiences with concussions, our Concussion Story Wall project helps raise awareness about this ‘invisible’ illness and combat feelings of isolation for those struggling with symptoms. ‘Prevention Begins With Me’, our series of interactive animated films, completely changed the way that HIV/AIDS education was delivered to young people.

It is our passion at TeachAids to create and impart knowledge rooted in rigorous research. We have tried to leverage the expertise of our educators to enable individuals everywhere to act as teachers too. Our goal is to educate, inspire and empower communities in all corners of the world. But achieving this goal would have been impossible without the consistent commitment of our teachers and advisors.

This year, in addition to honoring teachers across the globe for their dedication and commitment to our young people, we would like to especially recognize the leadership at the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) for their 46-year history in investing in our teachers.

Led by their fearless leader, Dr. Gary Mukai, our 12-year partnership with SPICE has allowed the TeachAids education content to reach many thousands of students globally. SPICE distributes content across the largest school districts in the United States, including New York Department of Education, Los Angeles Unified School District and the District of Columbia Public Schools. Their reach is far and wide into countries such as China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, China, South Korea, Philippines, India, Thailand, France, Italy, Switzerland, Great Britain, Germany, South Africa, Ecuador, Mexico, Brazil, and Australia.

“It has truly been an honor for SPICE to partner with the Founder, CEO, and visionary leader of TeachAids—Dr. Piya Sorcar—and her extraordinary team at TeachAids in helping to promote the extremely creative and leading-edge work of TeachAids to schools throughout the United States and abroad.” —Dr. Gary Mukai, Director of SPICE

Thank you SPICE for all you have done, and continue to do, to support our educators and honor our future generations. Yours has been an invaluable partnership, and we are so proud to call you our own.