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This past summer I was honoured to lead a team of young Alberta teachers to rural Kenya to deliver professional development workshops, teach, and help in the ongoing construction of a school library in the small Kipsigi community of Salabwek. The project was under the direction of Free the Children’s Me to We organization, which was cofounded by Marc and Craig Kielburger. The program also provided a unique opportunity to learn about the customs of the Maasai and Kipsigis peoples living on the edge of the Maasai Mara, one of Africa’s richest game reserves.
We were able to observe the Kenyan teachers in their classrooms, present workshops to them, and then work alongside them to prepare and apply new teaching activities and strategies in their classrooms. One of my Kenyan counterparts, Fred, enthusiastically experimented with “numbered heads” and “think-pair-share” activities to engage his Grade 8 social studies class. It was a far cry from the usual lecture and note taking they were used to!
The most memorable and profound experiences were those spent with the dedicated Kenyan teachers, who endure what we would consider hardship conditions without adequate resources, and those grateful and eager Kenyan students, who thirst for knowledge and an education that will provide them with the skills and knowledge for a better future. And for the young Alberta teachers who participated in the project, what better way to get pumped in your new profession!
