Montessori Training for East Pokot Teachers

Overview of the Teachers and Schools

Trainees on Teaching Practice

Sharon C – Barpello Nursery School  

Florence Nasaltuko School

Dennis – starting teacher practice in second term

Irene – St. Luke Nursery School 

Employed Teachers 

Denzel – St. Luke Nursery school

David – Katikit Primary School

Gladys C – Barpello Nursery School

Evelyne – St. Luke Nursery School

Linet – Nasaltuko school

Julius – Barpello Primary School 

Initiative Overview

The Montessori education in East Pokot has existed for the last 4 years. The initiative has reached about a thousand children with 14 teachers trained and working in the community. 

The Fourth Cohort of Trainees

The fourth cohort of trainees Sharon, Florence, Dennis and Irene have completed their first year of the national certificate training at St. Ann’s Montessori College in Nakuru. Their two-year course involves one year of theory and learning materials, making a complete set of Montessori materials, and a second year or teaching practice under the guidance of a certified Montessori teacher with regular assessments of tutors. 

Nasaltuko School

Florence and Linet are working with the children at Nasaltuko school. They each have 30 children in their classrooms. Linet says, “Since the school started 2 years ago, we have admitted more children every day. Having the parents visit the school has also helped them to see the value of their children learning in school. This is a good sign.” Florence shares, “I was born and raised in Nasaltuko village, when I saw the Montessori teachers working with the children using the Montessori method, I was deeply attracted. Now I am in the process of becoming a Montessori teacher.” She adds, “The training was not easy as we had to make sure the material making was completed alongside written work. I was very keen to ensure I made the complete set. Today, I am proud to share the materials with our children.” The school administration, led by Sister Hellen, ensures the teachers get full support.

St. Luke School

Irene, the trainee teacher, is with Denzel at St. Luke school in Tangulbei. Denzel shares that the past year was a learning experience for him. “I learnt to be patient with the children and guide them through their learning. I only learnt the theory in the training, now working with the children in practice is exciting.” The Head Teacher at St. Luke shares that the parents recognise a transformation in the children and want to know what the teachers are doing. The teachers invite them to the school to observe the classroom. The teachers have admitted more children in the last two years because of this. Irene shares that she is confident working with children with the support of Denzel. She is in the process of  setting up her own classroom at the school. Evelyne is on maternity leave and will report back to St. Luke in the next term.

Barpello School

Sharon joined Gladys at Barpello, who has been in the school for the last two years. Gladys is glad to work with another Montessori teacher so that Montessori education can reach more children. Sharon is passionate about her new responsibility, “The experience with the children is very different. I did not think I had to guide so many children in one classroom. I enjoy presenting to the children and am even more excited when they absorb what we show them. With a lot of keenness, you can see that the children are very creative,” Sharon shares. 

Katikit Primary School

David K is now employed at Katikit Primary School, working in a classroom of 40 children. After his graduation, he started looking for work immediately. Towards the end of January, the mentor teachers informed him of the need for a Montessori teacher in Katikit. He recently reported and is settling into the new school. “The Head Teacher Mr Patrick is very supportive and has provided me with accommodation, food and a spacious classriin. The children love using the materials so much, and I am ready to guide them,” David shares. 

Mentorship 

To ensure quality education is delivered in the Montessori classrooms in East Pokot, Montessori for Kenya has planned for more mentorship visits by experienced teachers. Working in the region is not easy for teachers.They work in a remote area where resources are scarce and  need guidance and motivation to continue their work with the children. A big challenge is that schools can not afford to pay trained teachers the usual wage as they lack financial resources and receive limited government support. With the increased cost of living, it is not easy for teachers to care for themselves and their families. While the ccounty government has promised to employ more teachers in the new budget year,  many schools currently depend on volunteer teachers. 

During the December holiday, a one-week workshop was organised for the Montessori teachers in East Pokot. The refresher course focused on Montessori theory, the purpose of the materials, the prepared environment, observation and record keeping. The mentor teachers Beth, Hellen and Gladys L guided the teachers through the topics at St. Luke school. Gladys C from Barpello was happy to be in the workshop. She recalls that it is important to be guided by mentors to go through what they know; “When we go through the materials again, I feel motivated and refreshed to work with the children.” More workshops and mentorship support has been planned for 2025.

Teacher training 

Frequent requests have been received  from Head Teachers and parents from East Pokot for more Montessori schools. It is noted that the children who have moved to the public schools from Montessori classrooms are more independent, confident, calm and possess problem-solving skills. This has prompted more requests for Montessori teachers in the region. The sub-county Coordinator shared that the need for qualified teachers in the early learning education centres is very high. For the long term, the aim is to pilot a teacher training course in East Pokot at one of the Montessori schools, to train a large number of teachers . this will ensure that moe children have access to quality early childhood education.  

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.