Fellows' Newsletter: Impact Stories.

Many communities still associate an educator’s visit at their residences to problems, such as reporting an obstinate student or issues relating to the poor health of their child. From an educator's view, a number of equally significant practices have eclipsed the role home visits play, and yet it brings out the finest in students both in academia and in life outside school. This crucial action is regarded as the responsibility of a more fervent type of educators. Beyond an ever-present classroom teacher, home visits are pivotal in the student's life, the teacher’s and the community at large. Gandhi is four years old and the youngest of my students. He walks to school every day alongside his sister Peruth and hardly misses class despite the challenges they both face. The pair have always come to school partially equipped with scholastic materials and like many other children, learn on empty stomachs. Their brother Pius, unlike them, has books and his exam fee is paid early. Ga...

When I embarked on my fellowship journey at Kisowozi Primary School in January 2022, the path ahead was murky. I could not easily behold the soggy and slippery walkway however much I squinted my eyes. If the fellowship was not my cup of coffee, I would have withdrawn in the first week. It is unimaginable how I kick-started with a staggering dose of stress while instructing. I strove to prompt learning and exhibit classroom control and behavioral management to over 180 excited and unruly learners whose learning had been interrupted by COVID 19 for over two years. The class was a deep, surgy water for an amateur like me. I perspired in a death struggle, swimming to the deep edge of the pool as experts looked on with eagerness for uncertain outcomes. Initially, my communications fell on deaf ears because of language barrier; my management skills were minimal being my first experience inside a classroom with young children, and the prevailing attitudes at the time made it hard to strike ...

Right from primary, I yearned to be a leader so that I could enjoy prefectorial privileges like being driven in the school shuttle on special days and eat great meals, among others of course. I exhibited proactivity and enthusiasm for being a prefect even in secondary level, but I failed consistently that I often considered myself hated by other students. However, my passion for leadership didn't wane, so while at Kyambogo University, I managed to lead a number of group works/activities and also captained the football team. Those experiences restored my hope and confidence to be the leader that I had always craved to be. In my final year at campus while pursuing my Bachelor's Degree in Development Studies, I applied for the Teach for Uganda fellowship - captivated by the organization's statement, "… to nurture leaders who are committed to advancing equitable education in low-income communities...." Given the fact that I am ambitious, I passed the interviews de...

  2023’s academic calendar commenced on the 6 th of February. As usual, I reported to my placement school a day before studies resumed. Absurdly, only 36 learners reported to school on the official opening day. As for my primary one learners, only 7 learners were registered in my class that day of which 4 were boys and 3 were girls. That unprecedented turnup deprived my mind of peace and I pondered as to why that was so. That Monday evening, I visited some leaners I had taught the previous year whom I knew could have reported to school. To my dismay, I found out that the very many children who couldn’t report to school was no intention of theirs. They simply lacked scholastic materials like pens or pencils, books and sets. This subsequently drove me to launch the Back-to-School Campaign to raise funds via LinkedIn and Facebook to support some of the children who stated the aforementioned reasons for having not reported. The campaign ran for about 9 days, the raised funds were en...