Teacher Mentors Abroad was founded in a spirit of partnership.

In January 2005 a mission team of Canadians from
St. Paul's Presbyterian Church in Leaskdale, Ontario hosted a youth leadership camp in Hainamosa, a needy community outside Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. In this community both public and private schools face the challenges of being under-resourced. Dominican teachers noticed the co-operative learning strategies used by the Canadians in working with the youth, and asked to learn more about this instructional approach.          

Teacher Mentors Abroad (TMA) was created in response to this request. A group of Canadian educators facilitated   a summer workshop for 70 teachers in Hainamosa. It was such a success that both the Dominicans and the Canadians realized there was a need for a bigger   program. Future workshops on instructional strategies   were planned based on a training of trainers (TOT) model.

Using this sustainable model of teacher development, TMA builds dynamic learning partnerships with teachers in under-resourced communities. We first identify instructional leaders in our partner communities who are committed to building their professional skills. Then we determine   the specific needs of these teachers, based on their input, and train them in good instructional practices for engaging students in their classrooms. Finally, we help facilitate training sessions where lead teachers share their newly acquired skills with   their colleagues.

There is no fee charged to the host community for the services of the Canadian professionals. TMA takes care of all program costs. Donations from sponsors both large and small fund our projects. To encourage donor support, TMA has registered in Canada as a not-for-profit charity.

We invite you to support our work, either through a secure cash donation on PayPal or through donating your expertise and skills to the organization.