Open Book Project - Clarinda Foundation

Imagine a library full of stories - not written in books, but told through the lessons learned by people with real-life experiences. Books are people. They are our neighbors from diverse backgrounds who are willing to share their personal experiences and defining moments. Readers are people like you who are interested in hearing stories that inspire joy, awe, wonder and disbelief. The conversations that follow will eave you feeling even more like you belong within your community. Funding for this program was provided by the Clarinda Foundation.

Speakers:

Treyton Schaapherder

Treyton Schaapherder was born in Southwest Iowa. At the age of two he moved to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He went to an international school where he was able to meet people from all over the world. He developed a love for travel, sports, and meeting new people. When he was in fifth grade, he moved back to Iowa.

Treyton shares his story about what makes him, him, regardless of the place he is in. He also shares how his experience with travel has shaped his perspective on the world.

Tammy Schaapherder

Tammy Schaapherder’s teaching career has spanned more than 32 years and a few continents. Growing up in Southwest Iowa, she began her teaching career as a special education instructor in Clinton, Iowa but soon found herself teaching at an international school in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She founded her own school in Beira, Mozambique, taught in an alternative school setting, and instructed incarcerated individuals in an adult correctional facility(prison). Whether teaching in a public school, alternative school, international school or in a prison, she found students’ wants and needs were similar.

She shares the stories of four different students in vastly different settings, so you too can experience the joys and heartaches of teaching.