An Eight Year-Old School Teacher?

Eight year-old Sierra is teaching at school! Or, should we say, schools. Sierra is getting an exciting opportunity to inspire other children at schools by attending classes as a guest speaker and reaches out to her fellow peers to help raise awareness for children around the world, many who live such a vastly different lifestyle than most children in America. Sierra speaks about her new vision to raise money for 8 year-old Gracious, who lives half way around the world in Zambia, Africa.

"Does anyone know where Zambia is?" she proudly asks the kindergarten class of 15 children circled around her. She speaks about life in Zambia from the perspective of an 8 year-old girl, talks about their small mud and grass roofed houses, the food they might eat, and their limited water supply and the toys they play with. "These children in Africa live very different lives than we do here. They don't have running water like you and I do. They don't turn on lights at nighttime. They have very different houses, different toys, not much money and different food. But there is one thing that they have that is just the same as us. They have an intuition."

The children sit in suspense, embracing each word that she shares. "Who would like to help me raise money for Gracious?" Sierra asks the eager children. All hands go up! She provides beads for the children to make a variety of items, which she then sells at local markets, art fairs and any other venue that will allow her presence. All of the money generated for these handmade items is then sent to Gracious, to support her family of 6 children helping children!

Her younger brother Canyon is on the sidelines taking photos of his big sister.

It is an honor to be their mother. I feel so grateful to share their love with the world. What an awesome journey this allows.

Sierra is enjoying visiting new schools to see inside those mysterious classroom walls . . . and as much as she loves being with the children, sharing her wisdom, learning, snacking and playing with them at recess, most of all she embraces the fact that she has a choice to come home before the bell rings . . . After all, Sierra has a lot to do!