Tobin Teaches Poverty Stricken in Guatemala

“I love children and feel very strongly that every child should have the best education they can possibly have,” stated Jessica Tobin of Des Moines, IA. She has been to Guatemala twice, teaching English for those that were victims of abuse. “I fell in love with the country and teaching English,” Jessica said. “It was then that I decided to teach En

Jessica provided the pictures from her classroom in Guatemala. Congratulations to her and her desire to teach those in need. What a happy looking group of children!

glish after college. I got my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification my senior year of college and started looking for jobs shortly after.”

She graduated from the University of Iowa in May of 2013 with a degree in International Relations, Certificate in Nonprofit Management and a Spanish Minor.

She began working in Guatemala for a nonprofit organization based out of the UK called the Education for the Children Foundation. “The Foundation runs a school called El Proyecto Escuela la Esperanza (school of hope). I taught first grade English and art to grades K-3. The children that attend the school come from extreme poverty,” Jessica stated.

The school she worked at began a bilingual program as well. “Students received half their studies in English and half in Spanish. There are many benefits to learning another language,” Jessica said. “Learning English is particularly important in Guatemala because of the amount of business they do with the United States and because their area is very dependent on the tourism industry.”

The school provides more than an education. “Students receive three nutritious meals a day, clean water, counseling, health care and more,” Jessica stated. “We make frequent home visits to make sure everything is going well at home.”

Her trip to Guatemala was a completely independent trip. “I found the job online, much like how people find jobs. When I accepted the position, I had to move to Guatemala,” Jessica said. “I did not know anyone before moving there but I was able to make friends and found an apartment with two other English teachers, one from Boston and the other from Kentucky.”

Jessica also received an education while in Guatemala. “I wanted to improve my Spanish and what better place to do that than Guatemala,” Jessica stated. “I also think that having international experience is very important for the field of work I want to get into.”

Jessica isn’t sure where the future will take her, but she does have ideals. “I think graduate school is in my future. I would like to work for a nonprofit focused on international issues,” Jessica said. “I am interested in immigration/refugee services and education oriented nonprofits.”

Her optimism is amazing, and hopefully contagious by all. “I have a long life and career ahead of me. I am sure I will dabble in this and that,” Jessica stated.

She is the daughter of Phil Tobin, a Tekamah-Herman graduate, and Jill (Rogert) Tobin. Her grandparents are Dave and Mary Ellen Tobin of Tekamah.