School
Corner of Hope – New Canaan started Term 2 with 140 children in the Children’s House environments and 20 in Elementary. Whilst the Certificate of Registration is pending, the school is considered a fully functioning Primary School. Head Teachers Milcah Jerotich and Lilian Mwaura are invited to attend school principals meetings that are held to discuss developments in the Kenyan education sector. Since the new child-centered Kenyan Primary Curriculum draws heavily from the Montessori approach, the Corner of Hope teachers are often called upon to help teachers to understand the key aspects of the new curriculum.
Poinsy Pino, Assistant Head of School at the Maria Montessori Institute, London, spent two weeks in May 2019 mentoring elementary teachers Felista Mbugua and Francis Chege. The teachers were very pleased to have the time with Poinsy to improve their practice and their work with the children.
Elementary teachers Francis Chege and Felista Mbugua (1st & 3rd from left), Head Teacher Milcah Jerotich (2nd from left) and Deputy Head teacher Lilian Mwaura (2nd from right) with Poinsy Pino
Corner of Hope – Kisima started the second term with 80 children. The school is running smoothly with the current team of 2 teachers and 2 trainees on attachment, led by senior teacher Dorline Oyugi. The Head Teachers of Corner of Hope, New Canaan, visit regularly to provide guidance and support.
Parents are relentless in their demand for an elementary environment for the community, which cannot be established unless the still-pending land survey is completed by the government. The elders are following up with the county office on this issue.
Training
The four trainees from the 2018 cohort on attachment at the Corner of Hope schools are doing well. The college reports that the 2019 cohort is working hard on their coursework and handmade materials.
The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) has issued the letter approving the Kenya Montessori 3-6 Curriculum. This significant achievement is a first in Africa and work in underway to complete the final formalities with the Teachers Service Commission.
Graduates can then begin registration for a TSC number that enables them to work in public and private nursery and primary schools across the country.
Lessons in the verandah at the St Ann’s Montessori Teacher Training College, Nakuru
Professional Development
The trainees on the AMI 3-6 Diploma course in Tanzania will travel to Dar es Salaam shortly for Module 7. Reports from the Training Centre indicate that they are doing well and there is a lot of learning and growth on both professional and personal levels.
Kenyan trainees Lilian Mwaura, Judy Mugambi, Jael Ogiriand, Milcah Jerotich with AMI Trainer Vikki Taylor (centre) at the Montessori Teacher Training Centre – Dar es Salaam
There is a rising interest from other Corner of Hope staff and tutors to undertake the AMI courses at all levels. Two trainees are in the process of applying for the AMI 3-6 Diploma starting in October 2019 in South Africa. The trainee who had to discontinue on the AMI 0-3 Diploma in South Africa due to visa issues is now applying to complete training in India. Other opportunities for more trainees are being explored.
Further Developments
St Ann’s tutor Beth Kosgei and Samburu Mentor-teacher Terry Koskei traveled to Amsterdam in April 2019 to attend the AGM weekend. Both of them presented their work at Corner of Hope (Africa Round Table) and Montessori Samburu (AGM Plenary), which was very well received.
Montessori for Kenya: The organisation officially affiliated with AMI at the AGM in April 2019. Executive Director, Hillary Korir, is currently working to complete the official NGO registration in Kenya along with developing a comprehensive strategic plan to fulfill its mission of consolidating all AMI Montessori work under one central organisation so as to improve the provision and reach of authentic, high-quality education to Kenyan children.
Montessori Samburu: The current team of six members (2 mentor-teachers from Corner of Hope, 2 Samburu teachers and 2 Samburu trainees on attachment) continues to work with the communities in Ntaparani and Tintil settlements in the Namunyak Conservancy. Both school sites started Term 2 with around 40 children – the number fluctuates as young boys take their turn to look after the family livestock.
Montessori for Kenya and AMI at the affiliation ceremony
The community helped the teachers at both sites to demarcate the school area with stones and the new, wider tents provide more space as well as indoor and outdoor work areas for the children. The local teams are working on providing moveable, lockable shelving for the environments along with worktables for the teachers. Plans are also underway to start serving mid-day porridge and lunch.
Teachers and parents meeting outside the school tent in Tintil on the first day of term
Negotiations have concluded regarding the ‘rental’ of a plot of land for the permanently sited Resource Centre (Montessori class and resources) in the Sereolipi settlement, which is at the edge of the conservancy. The land survey is expected to take place in the coming weeks following which construction can begin.