Jorge de León

Project: Active Reading Through Reading Workshops

Quote: “Yes, you can make a change”  

Favorite Book: Animal Farm

Favorite Activity: Playing guitar

About: Having taught all grade levels over the last 28 years, Jorge has extensive experience as an educator. Currently, Jorge works as a primary school principal and teacher at Peña Blanca Primary School in Sololá. Jorge has a Bachelor’s Degree in Pedagogy and Educational Administration, a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, as well as a Diploma in Human Rights. For Jorge, happiness is achieved by working with kids, teaching them, and helping them establish their morals and values. 

To Jorge, being a leader means challenging norms that need change, and replicating good practices. He believes leaders should always leave things better than they found them and ensure that the end justifies the means. For this reason, Jorge strives to expand his students’ perspectives, instill the importance of respect, discipline, and patriotism, and increase excitement around learning.  

“My duty is to help my school become an organization of young people who promote their own development.”

Problem: Students are unmotivated to continue schooling due to the use of traditional teaching methodologies. Since students don’t have access to relevant educational materials, Jorge is concerned that their individual needs are not being met. Additionally, teachers are not gaining new pedagogical strategies in order to improve their teaching and improve learning.  

Solution: Jorge created a Reading Workshop, a space equipped with internet access, and technological and audio-visual resources. This project meets students where they are and supports them to improve their reading and writing abilities so that they can improve their academic performance across classes. Since becoming a Fellow, Jorge has also created classrooms for music, art, and playing board games as well as raised funds for a community library.