Meet the student where she is, not where you think she should be.
When I met Michelle Welsch she was a 17-year-old student in a required one-year writing course I was teaching at New York University. Although I had been teaching for several decades, my practice was (thankfully) still evolving as I discovered that teaching was really about active, experiential, learning. My role was to be a facilitator of a process and a builder of a community of learners.
Over a long career as a writing teacher, I occasionally had the opportunity to work with a student that showed great potential from the very first day of class. I saw that potential in Michelle, and now, eighteen years later, I see it still—Michelle is a teacher, a learner, and so much more.
“When we write, we present ourselves as the fragile beings we truly are. We become susceptible to scrutiny and criticism. We allow ourselves to become open to those we usually slink away from. We emerge from the shadows of insecurities to tackle the world head on. Writing empowers. Writing strengthens. Writing perseveres.”
—Michelle Welsch, 2002
Michelle has led an extraordinary life—she is an entrepreneur, an adventurer, a writer, and a woman who inspires others. We have stayed in touch over the years and throughout her travels. More than six years ago Michelle was fundraising for an event that would require her to climb to the base camp at Mt. Everest. She achieved that goal and from there she volunteered to teach English at a monastery in Nepal. And then, so changed by her experience, she moved to Pokhara and, with the help and support of the local community, she founded the incredibly aptly named “Learning House.”
Michelle and her team have built a community of learners literally from the ground up. Learning House shows what is possible (even when it seems unimaginable); how a community can grow by listening and responding to the needs and dreams of its members.
Of course, a community needs support to stay alive. Learning House needs volunteers, visitors, and money, so please send a donation and be an active participant (even from thousands of miles away).
Carole Deletiner, Board Member
Lifelong Learner