“Throughout primary school, all my classes had been taught in mother tongue because I came from a bush school. I hardly knew any English. Then, I entered high school and the entire curriculum was taught in English!”

Teacher Peris, Daraja’s Chemistry teacher, told the story above during last week’s WISH class which focused on how to overcome low self-esteem. Teacher Peris struggled to learn English and keep up good grades. Her challenge during high school is a very similar situation that some of our students from extremely rural areas find themselves in as well.

These students had mainly been taught in either Swahili or their mother tongue. It is a struggle for them to adapt to English, which is the official language used by all secondary schools in Kenya. While practicing English with international volunteers has greatly helped their spoken English, their struggle with the English language is more apparent in their writing.

Noticing this pattern last term, the administration decided to implement mandatory nightly writing classes each week taught by English teacher Carol.

The students write an essay every 10 days.  They only begin writing a new one after seeing the corrections on their last essay. The goal is to help the girls master writing in English. The writing topics cover everything from descriptive to cause & effect essays.

“The girls have improved so much. If I could make the class longer, I would. After I teach them I am able to see that they got it and they respond positively to it. As a teacher, this really fulfills my passion. It’s my favorite class to teach,” explains Teacher Carol.

And while a few are struggling, Teacher Carol points out that many of the students are truly gifted in the writing arena.

“They are very creative and have so much to say,” she explains.

By Form 4, Teacher Peris was one of the top English writers in her class. In fact, the teacher would often call on her to read her work aloud to the rest of the students. “I felt so proud when I got up there,” explained Teacher Peris.

Knowing the strict work ethic of the Daraja girls, there is no doubt that they will follow the footsteps of their chemistry teacher!