Montessori Training for East Pokot Teachers

Overview of Teachers and Schools

Trainees at St. Ann’s Montessori Teachers Training College

Sharon C.,

Florence, 

Dennis,

Irene

Trainees on teaching practice 

Denzel – St. Luke’s Nursery school

Victor - Katikit Primary school 

David – Kolowa Primary School

Employed teachers 

Gladys C. – Barpello Nursery School

Evelyne – St. Luke’s Nursery School

Maureen – Nasaltuko School

Linet – Nasaltuko school 

Sharon A. – Karolwa School

Mentor teacher 

Gladys L. – AMI 3-6 International Diploma training 

Introduction 

Peace has reigned in East Pokot for the past months. As security is restored, the children, teachers, and community are back to normalcy. In the last few months, it has rained in most parts the country, which made the land green and lush. Animals have plenty to eat. Schools reopened in late August for the third term, and most of the children are back at school, with the exception of a few children whose families migrated to other areas. 

Trainees at St. Ann’s Montessori College, Nakuru

It is the last term before the national certificate exams in November and the trainees at St. Ann’s have made almost all mathematics and culture materials. This is the last part of the course. Working under the guidance of Corner of Hope teachers Danson and Zipporah, the three trainees from East Pokot have completed their files and an assessment of their materials. Dennis says, “I am very satisfied with what we have learnt since we started the training. Teachers Danson and Zipporah are very gentle yet assertive, and we met every deadline for the materials.”

The teachers brought together the materials they have made. “I am astonished at what a full set of materials entails, it is a lot!” Sharon C. exclaims. Sharon C. from Barpello admits that it is through determination and hard work that they have achieved a lot during the year. As the term comes to an end, they are now completing their materials and preparing for exams. Florence excitedly shares: “It is unbelievable that we are almost done with the certificate course. I can only imagine how I will be working with the children in my own classroom. I am very excited to work in the Nasaltuko School next year.” Florence was a volunteer teacher at the school before she joined the training. 

Trainees on Teaching Practice 

The 3 trainees on teaching practice, Victor, Denzel, and David, are preparing for the graduation in November. “It has been a wholesome year working at the school with the children and the teachers at St. Luke’s Nursery School,” Denzel shares. “The only thing I was not prepared for is the many different people I have met; I am very happy that I got to experience the journey with the wonderful children.” The trainee teachers are hopeful that they will continue to work at the schools they are in on a permanent basis. “It is just impossible to part with these children,” shares David. David has been working at Kolowa Primary School since January. The headteacher of the school is full of praise for him, “If we had all teachers as committed and humble as David, our children would have a very bright future,” he says. 

Katikit Primary School

At Katikit Primary School, Victor has been working with over 40 children. “The number fluctuates but we are thankful for the peaceful season as the children are back in school,” says Victor. The headteacher Mr. Patrick hopes to get another Montessori teacher in the school next year. “I believe in the Montessori method. I can witness the unique way of learning that gives the children a good foundation and independence from the early years.” He is grateful to Montessori for Kenya for the guidance given to the trainee teachers. 

Barpello School

Gladys C. has maintained her materials well at Barpello Nursery School. “It is through a lot of sharing with the children on how to handle and care for the materials that we manage to keep them intact. I have made a few repairs. I love seeing the children working with beautiful and complete materials.” Gladys C. is hoping that another trainee teacher will join her in the school next year as the number of children has grown, increasing the need for another Montessori classroom. The school is happy to receive another trained teacher to work alongside Gladys C. 

Nasaltuko School

Linet recently joined Maureen at Nasaltuko School. She is very happy to be back with the children. “I am re-energized after a long rest to care for my baby. I love the new school and the children.” Maureen has been at Nasaltuko School since the beginning of the year and is excited to have Linet working alongside her. Sharon A. left at the beginning of the term to work in a school near her home. She is part of a team that is helping the Catholic mission to support children in an abandoned school in Karolwa. “In East Pokot, teachers are not motivated due to a lot of hardships. We have to come up with ways to reach out to the children,” the local Priest Fr. Timothy shares. “Sharon’s home is about 3 kilometers from the school, that is why we asked her to go there. She is the nearest teacher to Karolwa.”

Mentorship

The teachers are frequently visited by experienced mentor teachers. Mentors Gladys L. and Danson, who recently graduated with the AMI International Diploma Course, have been working with the teachers, meeting with the parents, and helping the teachers to maintain and improve their Montessori classrooms. Gladys is a role model to the Montessori education in East Pokot as she helps more young people to realize their potential and become the best Montessori teachers in their community. Furthermore, Montessori for Kenya organizes monitoring visits and coordinates the East Pokot initiative in close collaboration with AMI. Recently, Montessori for Kenya hired Beth Kosgei as Pedagogy Coordinator to lead the Montessori mentors’ team to ensure high quality Montessori education is practiced in all schools. She will also work closely with the schools to ensure that the teachers are well supported in their practice.

Workshops

During the August holiday, Montessori for Kenya hosted teachers working in early education centres for a two-day workshop at St. Luke’s School in Tangulbei. Mentors Beth, Gladys L. and Lilian gave an overview of Montessori education, along with the role of materials in the Montessori environment, and how to support independence. The teachers later visited a prepared Montesori classroom. They shared on how the Montessori method is very beneficial to the child and teacher. Another workshop is being organized in the western region of Pokot to reach out to more teachers. After the workshop, the teachers requested for Montessori training in Pokot so that more teachers could gain the knowledge and practice. 

Future Plans

The community is requesting for more trained Montessori teachers in order to reach more children in Pokot. The administrator of Early Childhood Development in Education (ECDE) in the region shares the same sentiments: “Over 90% of the teachers in early education centres are not trained. If we could get support to train the teachers, this will impact the future of our children,” shares Mr. Ousman.  “The county government is doing its best to ensure there is a teacher in every centre, and what we lack is trained teachers from the community,” he continues. Montessori for Kenya hopes that with enough funds, there will be a chance to train more teachers from the Pokot community. 

 Overview of Teachers and Schools

New Trainees at St. Anns Montessori Teachers Training College:

• Sharon C
• Florence
• Dennis
• Irene

Trainees on teaching practice: 

• Denzel – St. Luke’s Nursery school
• Victor - Katikit Primary school 
• David – Kolowa Primary School

Employed teachers: 

• Gladys C – Barpello Nursery School
• Evelyne – St. Lukes Nursery School
• Sharon A – Nasaltuko School
• Maureen – Nasaltuko School

Mentor teachers:

• Gladys L
• Danson
• Zipporah 
• Lillian

Background

In the recent months, the security situation in East Pokot has improved. Not all children have returned to school for the second term, as some schools are still closed. The new term commenced in May with a delay of one week, due to heavy flooding in many parts of the country. In East Pokot, roads were impassable as rivers broke the banks, overflowing into homesteads and bridges were also swept away. Now that the rainy season is over, normalcy has returned, and children are slowly returning to school. 

The perennial insecurity situation disrupted the mentorship visits and monitoring progress from Montessori for Kenya. There was no available public transportation, and entry into the area was nearly impossible for many months. Despite that, different options were sought to ensure the teachers were supported and motivated. Danson, as seen in the photo below, from Corner of Hope went out of his way to ensure to offer mentorship support to the teachers and trainees at the schools. He traversed the region with caution, motivated by the teachers’ resilience, perseverance, and hard work. He shares, “the children are innocent in all this, and we cannot stop reaching out to them to ensure that they get the best education. The teachers depend on the mentors for guidance and if we fail, we will not have done our part.” He is very committed to support the teachers in East Pokot to give the best foundation to the children.

Although the roads were badly damaged by the heavy rain, Danson was able to get to all the schools by motorbike. He is confident that the community, teachers and schools that he has visited are his friends because of the support they offer him. He was advised on safe routes as he ventured out, and they offered him some space in their homes to rest in the nights. The trainee teachers admire and look up to Danson as their role model, a reason to overcome the many challenges they face as teachers in East Pokot.

Trainees at St. Ann Montessori College, Nakuru 

At St. Ann Montessori college, the trainees are in their second semester. Irene, Sharon C, Dennis, and Florence just presented their complete materials for practical life and sensorial for assessment to the tutors at the college. They have learnt a lot about Montessori principles and practice. Dennis shares, “I was not aware what materials were, but after they have been presented to us alongside their use, I am mesmerized.” Sharon C adds, “I did not imagine that the very basic things we use at home are essential to the children in their development. I am used to only seeing adults using some utensils like teacups and water glasses.” The trainees appreciate the knowledge that they have gained since starting their training. The tutors share how a lot of time is spent to develop an understanding on how to guide the child. They take a lot of time to explain Montessori principles so that the trainees learn how to work with the children in the future.

Florence is from Nasaltuko and she had previously been volunteering as a teacher. “I have realized the mistakes I made when I was working with the children. Who would think that children can learn on their own and only rely on the adult for guidance?“. Florence shares that she thinks the Montessori method is the best because once the adult is aware that the child is a master on his or her own, supporting the child becomes easier. The trainees appreciate the support given to them to train as Montessori teachers. They receive support from the tutors as well as Corner of Hope Teachers Danson and Zipporah, who help them to make quality materials. They mention that their most enjoyable days are spent in the college workshop making the materials with the other trainees. “We have made so many new friends,” Irene beams as she smiles at Rose, a trainee from Corner of Hope. 

Trainees on Teaching Practice 

The three trainees on teaching practice at schools in East Pokot; Victor, David and Denzel continue to work with the children. 

Katikit Primary School

Victor is at Katikit primary school. He has over 40 children in his classroom who really enjoy working with the materials. “I introduced the children to so many activities and they can do them on their own now. The older children are guiding the young ones on how some of the activities are done.” His biggest challenge is that the children are frequently absent. He shares, “when there is no food or lunch, they don’t come to school at all.” Victor appreciates the mentorship support they receive from the Corner of Hope teachers. “It helps us to become better teachers,” he says. 

Kolowa Primary School

David also works with many children in a small room in Kolowa primary school, which is a government school. “Our challenge is having enough space for the children. There are so many children thirsty for education but not enough classrooms. I wish we had enough classrooms for the children to enjoy as they learn.” He shares that working with the children is different from training at the college. He says that he can see the children have changed since he started with them at the beginning of the year. He deeply appreciates the training he received from the college.

St. Luke’s School

Denzel is with Evelyne who is employed at St. Luke school in Tangulbei. He works with 35 children in his classroom. Denzel shares, “the children I work with are very confident and can do their work independently. At first, I wasn’t sure if using the materials was easy, but seeing the children advance with problem solving skills gives me a lot of confidence. I now enjoy going to school to meet them.” He is sure the children will have achieved a lot by the end of year. Evelyne in the next classroom shares that she has seen a lot of improvement with the children. They are more confident, respectful, and very easy to manage. She shares that parents often visit the school to see what the children are doing after noticing a difference in them. “I believe that Montessori education is very good for the children of Pokot,” Evelyne says proudly. She wishes to go back to college to advance with the national diploma.

Barpello School

At Barpello school, Gladys C is in her second year since she joined the school. Gladys C shares that the children she had worked with her can now speak Swahili and English. “When we started, the children only spoke their mother tongue. We were patient with them and now they are now taking instructions and speaking confidently in Swahili and English.” At the beginning of the year, many children went to the nearby government school to continue in grade one. Gladys C shares that the teachers from other schools pass by to learn about Montessori education. “The Subcounty Director of Education also came to visit our school and she really loved the Montessori classroom,” Gladys C adds. 

Nasaltuko School

Sharon A and Maureen are at Nasaltuko school. They have received so many children since the new school was built. There are significant changes in the school: the children wear uniforms made by the sisters, they can speak Swahili and a bit of English, the children get porridge during break and lunch, the school is fenced off so there is no interference by people or animals passing through, and they have teachers who are with them every day of the week. “Although not all children from the community come to school, the parents are very happy to see the children going to school. It is like a dream come true,” says Sharon A. Maureen supports Sharon A in the Montessori classroom. 

Mentorship

Mentor Teacher Gladys L is about to complete the AMI 3-6 International Diploma course in Tanzania. She is very happy to be among the teachers who will go back to share their knowledge regarding the Montessori method. “The Pokot community is very lucky to have teachers training in Montessori colleges, and we can do a lot to change the community with children who are independent and able to reach their potential in life. This is what we need!” she adds, “When the borders to East Pokot were closed due to security concerns, teachers who are originally not from East Pokot were not able to stay and work, so the children missed out on their education. However, the Montessori teachers from this community continued working with children despite the border closure and hardships! I think what AMI and Montessori for Kenya are doing to educate the young people from this community is a breakthrough.” Gladys L is the first Montessori teacher from the community and now mentors the new teachers in East Pokot.