Certificates and smiles for the teachers at Spurgeons

I've just had the honour and joy of delivering a 3-day workshop for the teaching staff at Spurgeons Academy here in the Kibera district of Nairobi, Kenya. It was such a good time, and a real delight to see them engaging and participating so enthusiastically, as they explored how to apply the principles into their teaching styles and lesson plans. Since the schools reopened in Kenya after lockdown, the Kenyan government has instituted a very intense, speeded-up programme in the schools, to try and ensure that there are no gaps in the curriculum, and all students catch up with where they should be by Jan 2023. As a result, each term has been squished into less teaching time, the holidays have been shortened, and teachers and students alike are tired! On Friday last week, the academic year of 2021 ended. And on April 25th, the academic year of 2022 starts. It will end in December 2022, so that the academic year of 2023 can start on time in January. Knowing that the teachers have just ended a busy term of teaching and end of year exams, I felt very humbled that they hung around in Nairobi for the training, and didn't just escape up-country to their family homes where parents and grandparents live. Instead, they stayed down, engaged with the training, and seemingly got a lot out of it based on their comments and participation levels. One of the last activities was for each of them to create their own little action plan of what to implement first when they return to the classroom and have the chance to put their new skills and knowledge into practice, and I look forward to hearing how that all pans out. But for now, the training is over and they are variously travelling to their extended families, for rest, relaxation, and a well-earned break.