Montessori Training for East Pokot Teachers

 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.