Montessori Training for East Pokot Teachers

The East Pokot initiative started two years ago, and Linet, Maureen and Evelyne are the first teachers to complete their certificate training. The second group, Danson, Gladys, Julius and Sharon, will start their teaching practice in January 2023. We have been able to create two Montessori environments in East Pokot, which serve fifty-four children. As a next step, it is planned to set up two more environments in January 2023.

Maureen, Evelyne and Linet
Maureen, Evelyne and Linet started their training in 2021 and will be graduating in November, after completing a year of teaching practice under the guidance of the tutors of the training college and mentor teachers.

When Maureen reflects on her first year as a Montessori teacher, she is struck by the difference she is observing in the children: “When I first started, I would show the children how to use the materials. They were interested, but still a little insecure and they still had some questions. I can see that over the past year the children have become more courageous and independent. They have learned a lot from the practical life activities, they know how to tie their shoe laces and how to pour water.” She adds that she believes Montessori education in East Pokot is of great importance, as it supports peace in a region which is prone to conflict. Evelyne and Linet have also seen a great difference in the children with respect to grace and courtesy. “The children have learned to express themselves. They know how to excuse themselves, how to say sorry and how to walk and talk in the classroom”, Linet shares. All three are keen to continue their work as Montessori teachers, and to raise awareness in the community about Montessori education. “The parents have already learned a lot about Montessori education. We hope that more people in the community can learn about the value of Montessori education and how it benefits children”

Mentoring
The trainees were supported through regular mentoring visits during their teaching practice. Experienced Montessori mentors supported the trainees in setting up their Montessori  classrooms, and subsequently visited them every two months for multiple days. The mentors were tutors from St. Ann’s Montessori college, experienced teachers from the Corner of Hope schools, and a Montessori teacher from East Pokot. During each visit, the mentors stayed with the trainees in their classrooms for several days, observed them and offered guidance on how to refine their skills and discuss difficulties they encounter. It was not an easy context for the trainees to start their work as Montessori teachers, as all other teachers in the school, the children, the school management and the parents did not yet know about Montessori education. For the trainees, this was their first experience as Montessori teachers, implementing the theory they had learned during their training in a new Montessori environment. They benefited from the mentoring support and showed great progress after each visit. With the initiative growing further to include more classrooms and the need for continuous support, the team decided to engage  Gladys Lokolia, an experienced Montessori mentor teacher from the region, to support the trainees on a full-time basis.

Danson, Gladys, Sharon and Julius
Danson, Gladys, Sharon and Julius are preparing for their teaching practice, which will start in January 2023. They have learned a lot during their first year of training and have each made a full set of Montessori materials. They are keen to start working in their communities and strongly believe Montessori education can be of great benefit to the Pokot. Danson shares: “When I was home during the holidays, I had many conversations with my community about Montessori. Some people thought it was something very difficult, but I explained that it is not difficult and that is very important for children to learn with the Montessori method. In my region, many people have not gone to school, and some do not see the value of education. Since I started my training, I have been encouraging people to have their children go to  school, as I believe education will improve the lives of our people.”

Strong Interest
The establishment of the first Montessori classrooms in East Pokot have generated much interest in the region, including community leaders, government officials, school administrators and NGOs. They see the potential of Montessori education as a good fit with the needs of the Pokot children and families. They are also interested in the contribution Montessori education can make towards building peace in the region. “Maria Montessori’s approach to education helps the children to cultivate a value of peace, which is of great importance in an area of frequent conflict”, shares Father Maxwell. He is the priest in charge of the school in Tangulbei, where Linet and Evelyne have been working as Montessori teachers since January 2022.

New Partnerships
In October, a team from Montessori for Kenya visited the Montessori environments in East Pokot, as well as potential new locations. During their visit to East Pokot, the team had a conversation with the Sub-County Director, who represents the Ministry of Education in the region and oversees all schools. The Sub-County Director gave a clear picture of the numerous challenges in the region and was keen to learn about Montessori education. A follow-up meeting is planned for December to identify a government school where a Montessori environment can be established and to discuss the steps for setting up and maintaining the classroom.

The team also met with the Sisters of the Incarnate Word, who manage the government early learning centre in Barpello. They discussed a possible partnership to support the placement of Montessori trainees, followed by long-term employment. The Sisters expressed great interest in establishing a Montessori classroom in Barpello.

At the suggestion of Father Maxwell, the team visited the Nasaltuko village, a settlement 30 kilometers from Tangulbei.  As there are no schools in the vicinity, over 100 children of mixed ages attend a temporary classroom in a church structure where they learn basic educational skills from a teacher without formal training. Father Maxwell had invited the community, community leaders and the area chief to discuss the idea of establishing a Montessori school in the area. Montessori Mentors Beth and Gladys gave a presentation on the Montessori method and introduced materials to some of the children who had accompanied their parents to the meeting. The community committed to the establishment of a school, to support it fully and to send their children to school. The area chief was enthusiastic by what he saw and asked to bring Montessori education to other villages as well.

Plans for 2023
In 2023, trainees Julius, Gladys, Sharon and Danson will start their teaching practice at two new locations. This will bring the total of Montessori environments in East Pokot to four, expecting to serve over 200 children in the region. Mentor teacher Gladys Lokolia will support the teachers at the different sites preparing them to become confident and skilled Montessori teachers.

In response to the growing interest in Montessori education in the region, a new group of trainees will start their Montessori training in January 2023. We aim to support at least three new trainees to start their Montessori training, but this number depends on the funds available that come in through donations. Your support will allow us to continue to support the training of Montessori teachers and the establishment of Montessori environments, ultimately increasing access to quality education for the Pokot children.

When schools closed in April, the 2022 Montessori students Danson, Gladys, Julius and Sharon went home for a short break. They found their community in a tense situation. The long drought had severely affected their community. Many people lacked food and families migrated to look for greener pastures. The lack of food and water induced conflict, which led to insecurity in the region. The government took drastic measures to address the violence.

The trainees explain that it had been hard to be at home during the break, as there was heavy military presence, along with a curfew. “I believe that education is a solution to curb our problems” Sharon says. She would like to enable more children to go to school once she is fully trained and she would love to open schools in areas where children do not have the opportunity to go to school. Julius thinks that Montessori education will have a great impact on his community, as it fosters respect and peace; “If all children learn the Montessori way, they will become responsible and learn to live with others, promoting peace in the region”. The trainees are convinced that education has the power to heal their society.

 Sharon shares that during the holiday, they were asked several times where they go to college as people were curious to learn more about the training. Gladys got a chance to give a talk to the young people in her community and she shared her experience with Montessori training in the college. Her talk sparked a lot of enthusiasm and interest among the audience. Gladys is very proud of her training and how she is now seen as a role model for the young people in her community. She has overcome many challenges and was able to continue her education despite the fact that her father refused to educate her beyond secondary school.

After the break, Danson, Gladys, Julius and Sharon started with the second training module at St. Ann’s college and continued to explore new learning areas in their course. So far, they have covered freedom and discipline, planes of development and language. Gladys mentions that she found the presentations challenging at first, but after a lot of practice she is now confident doing a presentation in language. She says that the training is not easy and that it requires a lot of planning to finish the materials and the assignments in time, but she is willing to work hard to achieve her dreams.

A new experience in this module was the observation at the Corner of Hope Montessori school. “It was my first experience in a Montessori environment with children, I have never seen children practicing grace and courtesy. It was amazing to see the things we are learning about in practice,” said Julius. Danson and Sharon added that they found it very interesting to observe what they learnt during their training; children working with the materials independently and putting the materials back in the shelf after the activity, without being told to. “The self-drive and independence of the children was mesmerizing. I cannot wait to start my teaching practice,” said Danson.

The teachers who started their training in 2021, Maureen, Linet, and Evelyne, are now half-way through their teaching practice. During the short break, they took the opportunity to repair and repaint some materials and replace the ones that were missing. Maureen heartwarmingly mentioned that the children are still very new to the materials, and they love them so much that they sometimes take them home to show their parents.

Maureen, Linet and Evelyne have set up their Montessori environments in established schools in East Pokot. They receive frequent mentoring support from the trainers from the college, the Corner of Hope Montessori teachers, and an experienced Montessori teacher from East Pokot. The trainees appreciate the support, as it helps them to refine their skills and become more confident in their practice. “I enjoy working with the children every day” says Maureen. “It is so satisfying to see the changes in the children since they started working with the materials. The children also started to practice grace and courtesy and you can see a positive difference in their behaviour. I never thought it will be possible to achieve what we have achieved in such a short period of time”. Evelyne adds: “This method of teaching works and I am so proud to see the daily changes in the children”.

The trainee teachers will complete their training at the end of 2022 and continue their work as fully trained Montessori teachers. They aim to have more conversations with parents and other members of the community about Montessori education, how it works, and how it supports children in their development. They are confident that with more Montessori trained teachers, the children can receive an education that will greatly contribute to bridging the education gap in their community.