Montessori Training for East Pokot Teachers

Maureen, Linet and Evelyne are in the third training model of their training at St. Ann’s Montessori college and they are doing well. They will soon sit for their national certificate examination to complete the theoretical part of their training. They will also have completed a full set of Montessori materials and they cannot wait to go and prepare Montessori environments in their communities. From the training they have gained values and skills that will help them to work in any environment, under any circumstance. They now feel ready for their new role as Montessori Guide and will still be supported through frequent mentoring visits as they start their practice.

With a lot of patience, precision, and attention, all three trainees completed their set of handmade materials which have been packed nicely, ready for use in the schools in East Pokot where they will do their teaching practice. Evelyne recalls how at first it was difficult to use a saw and cut out the materials. Now she can measure and cut the wood neatly, without help. Linet says she became a great painter after learning how to paint small objects with precision. She says that Montessori helps one to be organised and patient, especially during the practical and presentation lessons. They are very excited to begin the next phase of their training, guiding the children in the Montessori environments to use the materials they made.

Evelyne, Maureen and Linet recently completed a week of practice at the Corner of Hope Montessori school. Maureen shares that it was an amazing experience for her to work with the children and present different activities to them. It touched and amazed her to see the children’s concentration while working on the different activities. After that experience, she has a lot of confidence to work with children during the teaching practice. She feels ready to guide the children with what she learnt. During their practice they observed the children and wrote down their findings, guided by their trainers. It takes time to master which areas to observe and how to follow up but with practice and mentorship, they believe it will become a second nature.

“Montessori training has given us the principles on how to live with people in society. We feel we have re-learned to live with people and how to treat them with respect, especially the children” says Maureen. The three trainees feel that they are ready to serve the children with a lot of love and with the principles they have learned. Montessori training has given them a new perspective on how to approach and work with people in their environments. They believe that it is the type of education that is highly needed in their community, given the challenges they faced when they went to school. The trainees are very excited to go back and serve in their community. Linet has expressed her plan to look for children who do not attend school and take them to school, with the support of local leaders. She acknowledges that one of the biggest challenges in her community is that there are few schools, and many children cannot attend school because of the distance. One day she hopes to assist in setting up schools that are close to the children so that they do not have to walk so far every day.

Maureen, Linet and Evelyne will start their attachment year in January 2022 at two schools in East Pokot. The schools were very happy to have them and agreed to offer them employment after they finish their training. The trainees look forward to work with the school leaders and teachers to demonstrate Montessori principles and practice. They believe that Montessori education is unique and prepares children to reach their potential. When children can solve problems on their own with little guidance, they are able to achieve a lot, especially in their community where there is little hope of completing education successfully. They believe that there is a thirst for education in the community. Another value they hope to instill is courtesy, which is not very prevalent in their culture. They rarely encountered it as they grew up, but they learned a lot about it during their training. They think that it is an important virtue to have in life.

After completing their certificate training, the trainees intend to continue at the Diploma level to advance their studies and continue learning about the Montessori philosophy. They also hope that more teachers will be trained from their community so that they can bring quality education to all children.

Interviews for a new group of trainees are planned for December 2021. The new group will start their training at St. Ann’s Montessori college in January 2022. We would like to sincerely thank you for your support for the training of Montessori teachers from East Pokot. With your support, we will continue to support the training of Montessori teachers and the establishment of Montessori environments, ultimately increasing access to quality education for the Pokot children.

Linet, Evelyne and Maureen, the three trainees from East Pokot, have now completed two terms of training. The first term began in January. It was a time to learn something new and there was a lot of excitement from the trainees about being in college for the first time. “At first the concept was different and new to me but after a while I started to understand the method and philosophy. I enjoy being in a Montessori training college and I can’t wait to eventually start sharing my knowledge with the children from my community” shares Linet.

During the second term, the trainees made the materials that they will use to set up their Montessori environments for the children in their community. “Making the materials is tedious, but they will support the child to learn and be independent, which is what we aim for as Montessori directresses. I am motivated to make the materials because I now understand their purpose,” says Evelyne.

As part of their training, the trainees went to visit the Corner of Hope school for their observation week. Corner of Hope is a Montessori school set up in an Internally Displaced Person’s (IDP) camp. Visiting Corner of Hope was an exciting and educational experience for Linet, Evelyne and Maureen. “The calmness and concentration of the children while working with the materials is very captivating,” Maureen shares, as she remembers how different it was when she went to school as a child. She is impressed by the independence the children show and the way they are learning. She shares how after secondary school, she dreamed of joining university to pursue a degree in education. The Montessori training is like a dream coming true for her and she is hopeful that in the future she will continue with her Montessori diploma and a bachelor’s degree.

The three trainees are very enthusiastic about the training and the opportunity to pursue their education. Girls from the Pokot community generally have a very low chance of continuing beyond primary education. When girls reach early adolescence, they are likely to be married off and expected to drop out of school. The situation at home remains difficult for the trainees. With perennial conflict and little rain in the region, there are few opportunities for sustainable economic activity. The guaranteed place for employment after finishing their training is therefore an important opportunity for the trainees. Linet cannot wait to use the materials she is currently proudly making to support the children back home in their development. She is very proud to be a pioneer in Montessori education from her community.

The small allowance that supports the trainees to cover their expenses during their training is shared with their families back home. The trainees feel responsible for taking care of their families and they are happy to be able to support them, especially during the rough times caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Linet assisted her family to purchase seeds that were then planted in their farm, and Maureen sends her family dry food, which is cheaper to purchase in Nakuru.

Recently, meetings have been held by Montessori for Kenya and the directors of Claude academy school and St. Luke primary school on how the model of Corner of Hope - a fully established Montessori school along with continuous training of local teachers - can be replicated in their schools located in East Pokot. “Montessori education is needed in our community”, says the director of Claude academy. “I believe in the potential of the child and this community is in high need of teachers and quality education for the children.” Claude academy is one of the schools which will potentially employ current trainees once they start their teaching practice in January 2022.

There is still an enormous need to support more trainees from East Pokot. With the support of motivated and skilled teachers, the children can become agents of peace and change in their community. There are many more trained teachers needed to reach out to the most vulnerable children, who have little access to education. With the financial support we have received so far, we will be able to support another group of trainees in January 2022 and we will continue to raise funds to be able to support more teachers. The recruiting process of the next cohort of trainees will start later this year. There is already great interest in following Montessori training as the three trainees shared stories from their training with others within their communities.