Malala Yousafzai, the teenager who was shot in the head by Taliban thugs who don’t want girls to be educated, spoke at the United Nations and was amazingly eloquent in calling for free, compulsory education for every child.
What an incredible and heroic young woman.
Some heard her and got goosebumps.
The attempt to murder her made her more courageous.
““Let us pick up our books and our pens,” Ms. Yousafzai told young leaders from 100 countries at the United Nations Youth Assembly in New York. “They are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world. Education is the only solution.”
The NY Times reports:
“Ms. Yousafzai, noting that she was proud to be wearing a shawl that had once belonged to Benazir Bhutto, spoke in a calm, self-assured voice as she delivered her first major speech since she was shot on the left side of her head Oct. 9 on her way home from school in Pakistan’s Swat Valley.
“In her speech, she recalled how the attackers had also shot her friends. “They thought that the bullets would silence us,” she said, “but they failed.”
She said:
“And then, out of that silence came thousands of voices. The terrorists thought that they would change our aims and stop our ambitions but nothing changed in my life except this: Weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born. I am the same Malala. My ambitions are the same. My hopes are the same. My dreams are the same.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Texas Education.
Brave Malala. “And a little child will lead them.”
Like.
Truly a brave girl with amazing commitment for education….
“I am the same Malala. My ambitions are the same. My hopes are the same. My dreams are the same.”
Malala speaks for ever child the world over. She speaks for the children of Philadelphia!
She speaks for the children of Chicago! She speaks for the children of Los Angeles!
She speaks for the children of Appalachia! She speaks for the gifted learning child, the average learner child, the learning disabled child!. She speaks for the poor, middle class, and wealthy child!
In her own words… “Let us pick up our books and our pens,” Ms. Yousafzai told young leaders from 100 countries at the United Nations Youth Assembly in New York. “They are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world. Education is the only solution.”
Here is where the Rheeformers lose! Here is where those that believe they can sort the children in this world into the boxes called Charter/Private/Voucher Schools and invade the public schools with tests to measure and measure and measure their potential for the use of a future workforce fail. In finding the unlimited favored value added few and believing they can discard what they see as the many valueless children beyond their own ambitions, hopes, dreams and ideas of what they may like to be or do, these entrepreneurs of their own lofty greed and power ambitions will lose. Why!! Because as long as there is Malala her words will ring in the minds, ears, hearts and live in the souls of the survivors.
We are a country of survivors and dreamers. We are the immigrants and the generations of children of those immigrants who risked their lives for Freedom, for Education, for Choice, for Life.
Tee shirts, banners, flags, should be worn and raised throughout the land. All they have to say is MALALA and the words “I am the same Malala. My ambitions are the same. My hopes are the same. My dreams are the same! Let us pick up our books and our pens. They are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world. Education is the only solution.”
Oops missed letter corrected sorry! Ever should be every but I hope it is forever!
Every student everywhere in the world should see this speech. Every teacher, every parent, and every official should as well. God grant that this girl may grow up and live out her destiny as a leader, not as a martyr.
Amen!!!!!!
This girl — this brave young woman — should be an inspiration to all women everywhere, especially in the US where misogynists and conservatives are working overtime to wreck public education, destroy teacher unions, and eliminate women’s rights of conscience. It’s time for every woman in America, and the men who respect them, to rise up, organize and save our public schools schools and women’s most fundamental rights of conscience. — Edd Doerr (arlinc.org)
I have posted her portrait in my classroom!