Submitted by Patsy Dingwell and Carolyn Francis
Jambo from Kenya!
This week has been a busy week meeting old friends and making new ones. Carolyn and I have been working in three twinning schools to learn more details about them. We have also been able to teach some classes! More about that later. Our first school was Kihuti Secondary School which is twinned with Vernon River. Kihuti has about 390 students and 18 teachers. We were greeted
by Headmaster, Mr. Thiong’o who gave us a tour and introduced us to the staff. We were humbled to know that they are so grateful for Farmers Helping Farmers and the Twinning program. They were very anxious to get Vernon River’s and our personal e-mail addresses. They have used twining funds to buy more computers (they now have 10) and also purchased a phone and equipment for internet access. It was also wonderful to see a good library with many books. Although, unlike home, the books are kept in a very large cupboard with a locked iron bar running across it We were glad to learn that a teacher was assigned to check out books at regular intervals and they are working towards a librarian. One very interesting sideline that we learned is that Kihuti school will buy extra notebooks (scribblers) and make them available to the poorest students; Noah, the deputy master, says this has reduced absenteeism so much, because in the past, children would stay home when their parents did not have money for notebooks.
On Thursday and Friday Carolyn and I split up so we could visit two schools. I went to Mwati Primary which is twinned with Morell and Carolyn went to Gathukimundu , Miscouche’s twin school. I am hoping Mwati will become the “Little School That Could” It is the smallest and poorest of the twinning schools. and has many difficulties to overcome, however, already we see many improvements. The new staffroom, built with twinning funds, was very neat and organized and the teachers are so grateful to have lots of shelving to store their books and supplies. Before, they had to use cardboard boxes placed on the floor of the classroom or carry the supplies home with them each evening. While I was there, I saw the new water tank, purchased by Montague Intermediate High School. What a wonderful gift! The older, (and very rusty) metal tank was still in use but the new black plastic tank will ensure that the students will have clean water for quite some time. I also saw a workman mixing and shovelling cement to cover the clay floors in one of the two classrooms that The Rotary Club of Ch’town Royalty is funding this year.
Weston Murathe , is a bright eyed, very keen young teacher who loves to teach math and science. He is the teacher whose salary is paid for by Morell Consolidated students. We also pay the salary for Elizabeth Njoki, the social studies teacher. I did not meet her yet, as she was out sick. I hope to meet her Monday. I was also able to see and photograph the books which were bought with PEI donations. I was happy to be able to talk with and teach the twinning class. What a challenge to get the students to speak up, they were very quiet and not used sharing opinions during class time. Break time outside was a different matter though. They all wanted to know about my house and wanted their photos taken.
Gathukimundu ! What an inspiring school! Many of you have met Lucy Wachira, the headmistress, when she was on PEI in 2006. We’ve been told she has become quite famous and looked up to for her abilities as a headmistress and her association with PEI. Her school has placed second in the national exams for all of her province! When you visit there, it is not hard to see why. The school grounds and buildings are clean, bright and organized. They take much pride in all that they do. The students love learning
about Canada through twinning letters and the pre service teachers. It was lovely to see the new books that Lucy had purchased with twinning funds. She says these books are high interest books to supplement the text books used by the students! While there, Carolyn saw a class of students in the library reading books that have been purchased by Miscouche Consolidated which is twinned with Gathukimundu. Carolyn both observed colleagues and taught some classes. After teaching on Thursday, her students brought her gifts of sugar cane, an orange and macadamia nuts on Friday.
Over all it has been a busy but very rewarding start to our school visits in Kenya!
Jambo from Kenya!
This week has been a busy week meeting old friends and making new ones. Carolyn and I have been working in three twinning schools to learn more details about them. We have also been able to teach some classes! More about that later. Our first school was Kihuti Secondary School which is twinned with Vernon River. Kihuti has about 390 students and 18 teachers. We were greeted
by Headmaster, Mr. Thiong’o who gave us a tour and introduced us to the staff. We were humbled to know that they are so grateful for Farmers Helping Farmers and the Twinning program. They were very anxious to get Vernon River’s and our personal e-mail addresses. They have used twining funds to buy more computers (they now have 10) and also purchased a phone and equipment for internet access. It was also wonderful to see a good library with many books. Although, unlike home, the books are kept in a very large cupboard with a locked iron bar running across it We were glad to learn that a teacher was assigned to check out books at regular intervals and they are working towards a librarian. One very interesting sideline that we learned is that Kihuti school will buy extra notebooks (scribblers) and make them available to the poorest students; Noah, the deputy master, says this has reduced absenteeism so much, because in the past, children would stay home when their parents did not have money for notebooks.On Thursday and Friday Carolyn and I split up so we could visit two schools. I went to Mwati Primary which is twinned with Morell and Carolyn went to Gathukimundu , Miscouche’s twin school. I am hoping Mwati will become the “Little School That Could” It is the smallest and poorest of the twinning schools. and has many difficulties to overcome, however, already we see many improvements. The new staffroom, built with twinning funds, was very neat and organized and the teachers are so grateful to have lots of shelving to store their books and supplies. Before, they had to use cardboard boxes placed on the floor of the classroom or carry the supplies home with them each evening. While I was there, I saw the new water tank, purchased by Montague Intermediate High School. What a wonderful gift! The older, (and very rusty) metal tank was still in use but the new black plastic tank will ensure that the students will have clean water for quite some time. I also saw a workman mixing and shovelling cement to cover the clay floors in one of the two classrooms that The Rotary Club of Ch’town Royalty is funding this year.
Weston Murathe , is a bright eyed, very keen young teacher who loves to teach math and science. He is the teacher whose salary is paid for by Morell Consolidated students. We also pay the salary for Elizabeth Njoki, the social studies teacher. I did not meet her yet, as she was out sick. I hope to meet her Monday. I was also able to see and photograph the books which were bought with PEI donations. I was happy to be able to talk with and teach the twinning class. What a challenge to get the students to speak up, they were very quiet and not used sharing opinions during class time. Break time outside was a different matter though. They all wanted to know about my house and wanted their photos taken.
Gathukimundu ! What an inspiring school! Many of you have met Lucy Wachira, the headmistress, when she was on PEI in 2006. We’ve been told she has become quite famous and looked up to for her abilities as a headmistress and her association with PEI. Her school has placed second in the national exams for all of her province! When you visit there, it is not hard to see why. The school grounds and buildings are clean, bright and organized. They take much pride in all that they do. The students love learning
about Canada through twinning letters and the pre service teachers. It was lovely to see the new books that Lucy had purchased with twinning funds. She says these books are high interest books to supplement the text books used by the students! While there, Carolyn saw a class of students in the library reading books that have been purchased by Miscouche Consolidated which is twinned with Gathukimundu. Carolyn both observed colleagues and taught some classes. After teaching on Thursday, her students brought her gifts of sugar cane, an orange and macadamia nuts on Friday.Over all it has been a busy but very rewarding start to our school visits in Kenya!
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