Montessori Training for East Pokot Teachers

East Pokot Update - October 2023

As the 2023 academic year draws to a close, all the hard work and mentorship provided by Montessori for Kenya to the teachers and trainees from East Pokot is evident in their progress and commitment. The trainees are happy to be part of the Montessori network and look forward to sharing what they’ve learned with their community. 

There are currently three trainees in training at the college and six teachers working in four different schools in Pokot. They are: 

2023 Cohort - Year 1 Teacher Training

• Denzel
• David 
• Victor

2022 Cohort- Year 2 Teacher Training

• Gladys - Barpello School
• Julius -Chesakam School
• Sharon -Nasaltuko School

2021 Cohort

• Evelyne - St. Luke School
• Linet - St. Luke School
• Maureen - Nasaltuko School

• Mentor Teacher – Gladys L.
• Substitute Teacher – Benjamin

Denzel, David & Victor

Denzel, David and Victor are nearly finished with their first year of training at St. Ann’s Montessori Teacher Training College in Nakuru, Kenya. They will start their internship at schools in their own community in 2024. Denzel is full of praise for the tutors at St. Ann’s. When he began the training, he didn’t know what to think, especially when he was told that part of the training is to make Montessori materials. He kept wondering what the materials were and how they were used to teach children. Later, he was introduced to Danson Soen and Zipporah Wangari, both experienced teachers at Corner of Hope, who mentored him in the production of quality, durable and beautiful materials. Denzel is now very happy and confident that he’s made the best materials he possibly could. “I think I am ready to guide the children in my community now”, he said. “I have gained a lot of knowledge during the training to be a good teacher for life.”   

David feels that his life has changed for the better because of his Montessori training, especially because he now sees children differently. “Part of the training includes grace and courtesy, which I think really helps children to be good people in society”, he said. David now believes that children need just to be guided as they already possess knowledge and are ready to absorb that in the world around them. He is confident to share the training he has learned with the children and his community and hopes to open a school there in the future, given that the closest school is many kilometers away and inaccessible for children due to the distance. He would love to see all children attend school every day and become movers and changers in East Pokot. David says, “My community has been left behind, and we will continue to be marginalized because we do not have schools. I hope that we can train more teachers to reach all the children in East Pokot.” He is very grateful for the Montessori training opportunity.

Victor loves to play football, and when he became a student at St. Ann’s he joined the local group of young people in Nakuru who play football in their free time. He shares that it helps him to refresh after a lot of learning. Victor completed his albums as required and is now almost done with making the mathematics materials. “This year I have gained a lot of knowledge, learned new theories, made new friends and I have almost completed my first year of training,” he said. He said that the tutors are very happy with his work. “I could not have made it without the support of Teachers Dan and Zipporah. I am sure that I will be able to maintain and repair my materials using their methods, and once I’m in a school, I will be doing my practice without a problem.” 

Gladys, Julius and Sharon

Sharon, Julius and Gladys have been working with children since early 2023 as part of their teaching practice. Gladys is very proud that she has not lost a single child in her classroom since she started, and instead that there are more children joining from nearby villages. She is very grateful for the support that Maureen gave her when she had her baby in April. “I was very happy when Montessori for Kenya recommended Maureen, an experienced Montessori teacher who could replace me when I was away,” Gladys said. “The transition was very smooth, and we have both seen a lot of changes in the children in my class. They are confident, respectful, and can respond to Swahili and a bit of English, so their parents are very happy.” Gladys hopes that the community will bring all children to school to start their education at a young age. She believes education is both the foundation and key to better life.  

Sharon is in Nasaltuko in a very remote school, where she and Maureen have been working with more than 90 children. She says that more children just kept coming, so they took them in as they are unable to attend school otherwise. Sharon shares that the children are learning a lot, and she feels the support from the community each morning when they bring the children to school. One mother now helps with making porridge for the children. “I used to be in class and making porridge for the children at the same time, but now I can give all of my time to the children,” said Sharon. Maureen recently joined the faculty at Nasaltuko School to support the teachers after Gladys returned from her maternity leave in Barpello. They are working together to enhance the Montessori materials and the environment, which was set up in a temporary structure which also functions as a church. The trainee teachers and the children are all happy to have an experienced teacher supporting them. At the same time, generous donations made it possible to construct a school in Nasaltuko which is now close to completion. With the new school almost completed, the parents are happy to have qualified teachers to help their children learn. The new school is now being furnished with furniture for the new academic year which will start in January 2024, and the community is feeling encouraged to bring more children to school.

At Chesakam, Julius has been working consistently with a few children who, despite many challenges, keep coming to school. Children walk very far and even when they arrive late it “is an achievement,” he shares. He is grateful for the experience as it exposed him to so many ways to support children when few resources are available. Julius is looking forward to using his experience as a Montessori teacher to guide others, especially other trainees from East Pokot. At the request of the other teacher in Chesakam school, he has been working closely together with them to guide older children. 

Evelyne, Linet and Benjamin

Evelyne continues to work with children at St. Luke School, currently with the support of Benjamin, a supporting teacher from Corner of Hope, as Linet is on maternity leave. They have been able to maintain enrollment at the school during the last two school terms. At the end of the previous terms, parents attended engagement sessions and learned more about Montessori education. They subsequently promised to send more children to the school next year. Evelyne and Benjamin complement each other well in their classroons, giving presentations and sometimes swapping classes to support each other in various activities. Evelyne mentioned that they have learned a lot by sharing their knowledge and working on the materials. Linet will resume her work as teacher in January 2024. 

Mentor Teacher Gladys L.

Mentor teacher Gladys L. frequently visits the teachers in all four schools. She has mentored the trainees and supported teachers in giving presentations and maintaining order in their environments. She notes that there is noticeable improvement in the schools each time she visits. Gladys L. accompanied the tutors from St. Ann’s in their assessment of each trainee to learn alongside of them. She sought clarification and support to improve their teaching experience as well as her mentorship skills. As the school year comes to an end, Gladys L. will attend each school’s closing day to engage with parents about Montessori education and the benefit it brings to their children. She hopes that more schools will open in the future for children who do not currently have access to education in their community.

Teachers and trainees in East Pokot
The East Pokot initiative started about 2,5 years ago. So far, ten teachers from East Pokot have been supported with their Montessori training:

• Denzel, Kemoi and Victor:­ F­irst year of the National Montessori Certificate
• Danson, Sharon, Julius and Gladys: Second year of the National Montessori Certificate, on teaching practice
• Evelyne, Linet and Maureen: Completed the National Certificate in November 2022

Denzel, Kemoi and Victor – Module two
Denzel, Kemoi and Victor started the second training module in June, after a brief break. During the break, they went to their families in East Pokot and supported the planting of crops, taking advantage of the long-awaited rains. Rivers came to life once again and the landscape turned very green. Denzel shared that they hope to grow enough crops to feed their families for a few months. Most households still rely on food provided by aid organisations and the trainees are happy that they can use part of their allowance to support their families.

The trainees just completed the module on culture and have now started with the language module. They put a lot of effort into making materials and work neatly and precisely, as they see how the materials can really support children in their development. They proudly share that they are well on track in making their materials and other trainees are often interested in learning from them. David shares;

“The materials are so precious; I cannot wait to show it to the children in our local school. I am so thrilled that what we make really helps the children to think for themselves while solving a problem”.

David hopes to work in the school near his home, so that the children in his community can benefit from his knowledge.

Victor, who is the only child in his family that went to school, shares that he would like to be a role model for the other young people in his community. During the short break, he met the youth in his church to talk with them and encourage them to pursue an education. He says that teaching young children is traditionally seen as a job for women, but the interactions he has had with his peers have changed their perspective and many of them expressed interest in Montessori training. The training helped Victor to realise that a good foundation is very important for the development of children and their opportunities later in life. He plans to continue to bring awareness to his community about the importance of education, where many children still do not go to school.

The trainees have also done a one-week observation as part of their training. Denzel did observation at the Corner of Hope Montessori school in Nakuru and shares: “When I entered the school, it hit me that I was looking at the practical implementation of what we had learned in the college.” He observed that the children worked independently and needed little guidance from the teacher. “I was very excited to see a Montessori classroom. It was neat and beautiful, the materials were displayed in a very organised manner and the calm and patient teachers made the children feel at ease”.

Montessori environments in Pokot

Nasaltuko
The four trainees in their second year who are now in teaching practice are doing well. Sharon and Danson work with 80 children in Nasaltuko in a temporary church structure. Sharon says that the children love working with the materials: “After we presented the different activities to them, they have not missed a day of school. We also talk with the parents about the importance of education, which has helped to keep the children coming to school every day”.

Despite the many young children, Nasaltuko village did not have a school. The local priest who was involved in the set-up of the first Montessori classrooms in Pokot became determined to establish a Montessori school in the village. Funds have been collected and a new school building will be ready in a few months. Danson is very happy with the support they get from the priest and those who donated to the school building. “It can be challenging to work with so many children in the temporary structure. There is not enough space to display all the materials and we also work outside in the shade to create more space for the children. We make it work, but we look forward to moving into the new school building”.

Chesakam
Julius is working at a government school called Chesakam, with over 45 children in his classroom. He shares that the biggest challenge is that children often miss school. This is a common challenge in East Pokot, mainly caused by the long droughts which force parents to move as well as a lack of school lunches and insecurity in the region. He shares that despite the challenges, he is passionate about his work. He was asked to help the other teachers in the afternoon. He loves to engage the older children with practical activities. He says that the children love working with their hands and he tries to think of activities for them in a creative way, making use of what is available to them. 

Barpello
Maureen, who completed her certificate training in November 2022, now supports Gladys, who is doing her teaching practice in Barpello. Maureen shares that the children are working independently and the parents are very happy with the change in behaviour they observe in their children. The parents say that their children are very independent and they are surprised by all the tasks they perform at home. Some parents have requested for their children to be transferred to the Montessori classroom which they see as the best education.

Tangulbei
Evelyne and Linet are responsible for the two 3-6 classrooms at St. Luke’s school in Tangulbei. They set up their first Montessori environment 1,5 years ago. The community and parents are embracing Montessori education, which has resulted in an increase in enrollment of children. Both teachers are doing well and are becoming more confident every day. As Linet is currently on maternity leave, Evelyne is supported by Benjamin Kago, a Montessori teacher from Corner of Hope.

All teachers are supported by mentor teacher Gladys Lokolia, who is from East Pokot. She is currently doing the 3-6 International AMI Montessori Training in Tanzania to further develop her mentorship skills. The teachers are also regularly visited by experienced teachers from Corner of Hope and Montessori for Kenya conducts monitoring visits. These visits help the teachers to deepen their understanding of Montessori principles and reflect on their skills. The teachers also go through the environments with the mentors to look at the condition of the materials and receive what they need to repair and maintain their materials which helps them to keep their Montessori environments tidy and complete.

The teachers are very happy with the progress they observe in the children and see a better future for the Pokot children. They hope that there will be more trained Montessori teachers to reach out to all children and schools in East Pokot in the future.