By Colleen and Karen Lafferty

Our main project focused on working with fellow English teachers at Daraja to help them prepare students for the K.C.S.E., the crucial, cumulative exam that Kenyan students take at the end of high school. In our time on campus we noted many similarities and differences between the teachers at Daraja and our schools back home.

Like dedicated teachers in the U.S., those at Daraja work long hours in the interest of their students. We saw them chatting with the girls before class, staying late during study hall at night, and engaging with students throughout the day. They know which girls excel in which classes, who is having a rough day, and whom to congratulate for making a great play in the last football tournament.

The rapport the teachers at Daraja have with their students extends the “normal” student-teacher relationship, though. Given that the teachers live on campus, eat meals with the girls, and are available for help well beyond the confines of an eight-hour work day means that the teachers and students work more like a family.

That was evident in the faculty’s relationships as well – what we experienced was a real community of teachers. At Daraja it’s routine for teachers to invite colleagues to attend their classes, or simply to invite themselves! As we were teaching English lessons with Carol, Charles sat in to listen – Carol popped in to Mary’s class as well. When we conducted a Friday-night symposium with Carol on The River Between, a required novel for the K.C.S.E., both Peris and Charles sat in. This is often discussed as a good idea in American schools but teachers rarely follow through.

In the end, good teaching is good teaching wherever it happens. When teachers show passion for their subject matter and care about their students, success happens. We loved being part of the Daraja learning community for a brief time and left hoping to bring some of the Daraja spirit back to San Diego with us.

Colleen and Karen Lafferty are both English teachers from San Diego, California. Colleen teaches at Steele Canyon Charter High School and Karen at Westview High School. They were on campus working with Daraja students and teachers for two weeks.