Zamir Montero

Zamir Montero is a passionate teacher who has dedicated his career to transforming lives through education. Born in Santa Marta, Colombia, Zamir began his teaching journey with a deep commitment to serving his community. His career took a significant turn between 2009 and 2014, when he worked in the rural town of Caraballo, a marginalized area plagued by poverty, displacement, and malnutrition. There, Zamir realized the immense power of education to break the cycle of poverty and improve the lives of young people. His commitment to education led him to pursue a specialization in Educational Information Technology Administration, a master's degree in Educational Technology Management, and a doctorate in Educational Sciences. 

Zamir’s teaching philosophy emphasizes innovation, social inclusion, and community impact. Since 2017, he has led groundbreaking projects at IED John F. Kennedy in Fundación, Magdalena, such as “Design Thinking for a More Inclusive World.” This initiative uses innovative pedagogical and technological tools to address social and environmental issues. Zamir’s students have created projects like an app to help children with Down’s Syndrome improve their reading skills and another project, AUDIT, designed to help students with hearing impairments communicate better. A notable project, the Hydrometeorological Monitoring System, combines robotics, programming, and natural sciences to provide early flood warnings, helping communities in vulnerable regions. These initiatives have earned Zamir recognition at international conferences and inspired educators and students across the globe to adopt similar approaches. 

Zamir’s work extends beyond the classroom into the community, where he has worked with Afro-descendant and indigenous populations such as the Palenqueros and Kogui. His projects preserve their cultural heritage, using technology to document and share their ancestral knowledge. Zamir's collaboration with organizations like the Compartamos con Colombia Foundation has helped ensure the sustainability of these projects, providing resources and training for local families. 

The challenges Zamir faces are formidable. His school serves over 1,200 students, many from families displaced by armed conflict and living in extreme poverty. These students face significant barriers, including lack of academic support at home and limited access to technology. Yet, through his innovative pedagogical strategies, such as the integration of STEM education, research as a pedagogical strategy, and design thinking, Zamir has helped his students overcome these obstacles and thrive. His work has led to measurable improvements, including an increase in university admissions from 20% to 60% and a significant boost in national test scores. 

On top of his classroom work, Zamir is an active advocate for education reform, sharing his methods with educators across Latin America through workshops, conferences, and publications. His work integrating technology into the curriculum has helped teachers overcome challenges and inspired others to adopt similar practices. Zamir's commitment to climate change education is evident in projects addressing environmental sustainability, such as a hydrometeorological monitoring system and a waste classification initiative that has greatly improved recycling rates in his community. 

Zamir’s dedication to education goes beyond teaching in a lifelong mission to create global citizens and empower students to become active, responsible members of their communities and the world. His integration of design thinking, global collaboration, and interdisciplinary projects has instilled in his students the skills they need to navigate a rapidly changing world.