I had a new recruit join the team this week. Even though she has a short CV with limited work experience, it appears she is here to stay. She started work on Thursday and we have been trying to settle into a routine since then. She is very excited to be part of the team and brings with her youthful energy to the office. I have seen her jumping, skipping and hopping during her lunch break. She has the makings of a great colleague despite one tiny problem, she is four years old and she is my daughter.

We have all seen this video that has been doing the rounds on social media right? Professor Robert Kelly tries to get through a BBC interview from home and lo and behold, his children steal the show. Ok if you haven’t, here it is. Point is, working from home with kids is tough. The COVID-19 call for social distancing has brought a new complexity for working parents – how can you get work done with a little one around. I do not claim to be an expert at all but here are some tips that have worked well for me over the last few days. 

Create a schedule

This sounds super basic but the schedule works. I discuss the schedule with her every morning and we set timers according to the schedule. So when the buzzer goes, we know to transition to the next activity. 

Here are some makings of a good schedule:

• Consistency and variation – There must be some consistency in the routine, we all know that children thrive on routine but allow for some variation with regard to the activities in the schedule. 
• Balance work and play – Set time in the schedule for screen time, exercise and outside play.
• Healthy body = healthy mind – To avoid you and the little ones eating the entire kitchen, include a menu on the schedule. Be sure to set alarms for everyone to drink water and wash their hands.

Here is a sample schedule that I found online.

Acknowledgement

In true Managing the Nova Pioneer Way style, make time for Accountability and Acknowledgement. If your child stays on task according to the schedule or they even stretch themselves, be sure to acknowledge that. 

Depending on their age and your parenting style, create an acknowledgement plan. I am not saying reward them for colouring for 3 minutes, far from it, acknowledge effort, progress and achievement. 

Acknowledgement in my house is in the form of stickers. Instead of just saying “yay, well done” I name the behaviour explicitly so she knows how to repeat the action.

Set Boundaries

On the first day, I created a shared space where the little one and I worked together. Great idea, right? By 11:00 am, there were body parts appearing on the screen of my zoom call, basically she thought it was cute to make “shadow puppets” in the background while I discussed issues of world domination with my colleagues. All in all, bad idea.

So for day two, we kept the “communal office” but I created a different space for zoom calls. Some practical things I did before taking a call:

• Tell her I am taking a call with my colleagues for super important work. 
• I told her what I would like her to be doing during this time eg drawing, watching TV whatever the schedule says.
• Put out all the things I think she might need for example water, snacks, crayons etc.
• Left the bathroom door open, put the hand soap within reach and placed her stool by the basin.
• Lastly, I told her the conditions under which she has every right to interrupt my call, house on fire, flooding the bathroom you know the basics of how things can go wrong when a four-year-old is left alone.

Communicate Openly

I consider my situation to be unique in that my daughter is a pre-schooler and therefore able to take better care of herself. She is also an only child so I only have to worry about one little human. I imagine I would have to multiply my experience by a significant scale factor to understand what juggling younger and multiple kids is like during this time.

One thing is clear though, as a parent you need to make your situation known. Tell your manager that there will be intermittent body parts in view, calls for attention and tears during the call. Provide the context so your teammates understand when you are most available to take calls, respond to emails etc. This means you might have to restructure your day, capitalise on nap time and work in the early morning or later in the evening. Point is, these are unique and challenging times and there is a greater call for #solutionsfirst mindset now more than ever.

A time like no other

I am about to state the obvious here – your kids are experiencing this for the first time just as you are. Therefore, your response to the situation also has some impact on them, irrespective of their age. Amidst the global uncertainty, your reaction to the pandemic is still within your control. Choose to make the most of this extra time that you have with your kids. #makememories

Written by T.C Nkosi (Global Culture Manager at Nova Pioneer)

‘Without courage, all other virtues lose their meaning’.

-Winston Churchill

Following the recent announcement by President Uhuru Kenyatta in response to COVID-19, all of our Nova Pioneer schools have been temporarily closed since Monday, 16 March. We acknowledge the additional pressure this school closure may have on many of our Nova Pioneer families.

Even though schools are closed, nothing stops Nova Pioneer–learning continues!

What does the school closure mean for Nova Pioneer families – students and parents?

Although the closures came into effect very quickly, Nova Pioneer’s School Leaders activated our remote learning structures and materials for all our students within 72 hours. For our High School students, virtual classes are already taking place and for Primary School families, we have been happy to see the impact of the learning guides.

 

Will there be access to Nova Pioneer schools during this time?

The school will remain closed until further notice with the reopening date communicated at a later stage.

We understand that this is an uncertain and worrying time. We are committed to doing everything necessary to limit the impact of COVID-19 on our students, teammates and the broader community thus, access to the school grounds will not be permitted until further notice. 

We continue to take guidance from the Government of Kenya and global health organisations. Nova Pioneer families will receive ongoing communication with critical details regarding the virus, our community and the school network’s response to ensure health and safety, continuous learning and community leadership.

 

How can we continue to lead in our community?

Throughout history, true leaders have demonstrated grit, resilience and the ability to adapt to challenging times. This holds true to our Always Growing and Solutions First culture principles. While we don’t know exactly how this crisis will play out over the coming weeks and months, we do know that each of us has a choice about how we respond to the changes required of us. As we pull together with the rest of the world towards stopping the COVID-19 pandemic, I wish to remind our Nova Pioneer community that everything is possible when we are creative and think critically of new solutions to the difficult challenges we are facing.

 

Still have more questions?

Should you have any more questions, during the school closure period, please contact us through the details listed under the ‘contact us’ section of the website.

Written by K. Danae Pauli, Managing Director – East Africa.

I like to think of myself as a forward-thinking, modern Kenyan woman. When I first heard about the government’s directive to observe social distancing, I ensured that my DSTV, Netflix, Kenya Power electricity units were all stocked up. I even had a Covid-19 chat with my two daughters who are in PP2 and Grade 3. Well, in all honesty, I found several YouTube videos that explained to children what Covid-19 is but it’s my bundles so I deserve the credit for leading the session. 

On Monday, 16th March 2020, I had a plan. I was going to be the most organized woman, the kind you watch on the food channels preparing healthy meals for their children or the DIY moms who have great tips for homeschool their kids. ‘I was made for a time such as this’, I whispered to myself.

Well, it’s day [10] and I have a different perspective now. Reality has humbled me and I mostly blame it on the fact that I do not have a home with a west wing that I can convert into my home office tower and an east wing where the rest of my family can reside, with a garden for my children to explore. Allow me to dream; they say that you should put it out there and let the universe respond :-).

So here are my lessons from the past 10 days

 

Do not shame the tissue hoarders

When I first saw videos of Kenyans (and I believe I saw a video online of some Americans too) flocking the supermarkets to buy tissue paper, I was shocked. ‘Did I miss a memo? Have the tissue companies been forcefully shut in Kenya? Have we been using tissue paper the wrong way in my household?’, I asked myself? So yes, I was among those who shamed the tissue hoarders but I am taking it back and here’s why; ‘they (my children) are secretly eating the tissue. Well, not quite but I am trying to make sense of how fast we seem to be using the tissue paper in my household. So as a preventative measure to try and use less tissue, I have directives of my own for all those who live with me.

1. You can only use so many tissue ‘boxes’ in a day….the children must count them and I demonstrated how. 
2. To also try to slow down the metabolism, we are only going to have as many snack and meal breaks as they ordinarily have in school. No more random snack breaks.

So if you run into me at the shop, I will be buying lots of tissue, proudly, so do not shame me for joining the tissue hoarding movement.

 

Make love, not war

It is easy to find yourself disagreeing a lot more than usual with your family members if you are cooped up with them like I am. My simple remedy is, play a game of hide and seek. The other day, my kids hid as I caught my breath for a couple of minutes as I was meant to be the one seeking. I finally went to seek them but the few minutes alone were priceless and I plan to incorporate a game of hide and seek each time I need some alone time.

 

Stick to normal, as much as possible

 I have always envied offices where you can sit on a colourful couch or a beanbag to help stimulate your creative juices. I, therefore, thought that the working out of my house was going to be as easy as it gets and I would be my most productive self. Well, after a couple of days trying to get a new routine, I have decided to keep as much as I can as close as possible to my normal routine. I wake up, have my breakfast and get ready as I normally would when going to the office. I admire all those who can have a productive day in their pajamas as my brain seems programmed to relate pajamas with slowing down. I am doing the same for my children. They start their days as early as they would on a normal school day and get ready for the day. We also observe bedtime schedules as we would on a normal school night and this is helping ensure that we have as much a normal and productive day as we would before Covid-19.

 

I do not have a superhero cape, and I am ok with that

Look, I appreciate all the resources going around on how to keep the children engaged. I applaud all those able to stick to the schedules shared by schools but I am unable to work from home and still support my children with their school work so here’s what I am doing instead. I am teaching my children how to practice free choice :-). Our days are filled with exploration and lots of PE. It’s fantastic. Once in a while, they get a book and practice their reading and when exhausted, we turn on kids learning channel and are good for the day. The kids will be fine if they can’t create a version of Apollo II in the next two months. Kids across the world are in the same boat and we are all going to turn out just fine.

 

I can’t do everything, and I am fine with that as I need to ensure I keep my sanity too :-).

 

My special sauce, gratitude

I now appreciate being stuck in traffic and trying to figure out the next driver’s life. I miss being able to catch up with a teammate on our drive home and grabbing something from the local shop without worrying about how safe the sanitizer they just sprayed on my hands is.

I am a lot more grateful for fistbumps, hugs and the hustle and bustle from my normal days. To also stop my children from demanding unicorns, I have found that a simple gratitude exercise at the end of the day, just before bedtime, has allowed the family to reflect about some of the beauty still left amidst the chaos caused by the pandemic and also pray for the millions across the world who have lost loved ones and a fighting Covid-19 in the frontline to save a person’s life.

Do your part, make sure you observe guidelines given by health experts to stay safe.

 

Written by Wagikuyu Miring’u (Marketing Lead, East Africa at Nova Pioneer)

Any school set-up is made up of students who are gifted differently. As a result, our teachers always task themselves with ensuring each student is challenged through a wide range of activities that cater to all these different ability levels in the classroom.  We use different methods to enhance learning outside the classroom such as academic competitions.

The Math Challenge is one of the unique strategies Nova Pioneer incorporates to enhance the students’ learning and capture the imagination of the class as this motivates the learners to put their best foot forward. 

Academic competitions enhance learning as it help inculcate a number of new skills and values such as resilience, the importance of teamwork, turn-taking, effective communication, risk-taking, and decision making. All these are important to cultivate in students as they contribute to one’s character.

In preparation for the challenge, the learners were involved in timed in-class Mathematical activities and took home Math Puzzles that they also practiced solving with the help of teachers at school.

The major role of the teachers during the Math Challenge was to act as the judges, scorers, timekeepers, and most importantly, motivators.

The students were grouped according to their house teams (Zambezi, Tana, Volta and Congo). They competed in Mental Math activities, solving Math Puzzles and answering fun Math trivia questions. 

The Math Challenge results were as follows:

Tana house takes the lead

Tana, the winning house, took part in a glory dance around the school in praise of the hard work they put in towards the Math Challenge.

Academically, the Math Challenge plays as an alternative and fun learning way to acquire Mathematical skills and concepts. This is important because when children have fun in their learning, they are much more likely to achieve their full learning potential.

Written by Julie Nyauma (Associate Dean of Learning & Instruction at Nova Pioneer – Athi River campus)

 

In 2019, all eyes were on Nova Pioneer boys secondary school. When I say all eyes, I mean ALL eyes! This was the year that we were fronting our pioneer class for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) national exam and it would be the first point of proof of our model of teaching. The pressure had been building up both from inside quarters and our neighbours on the outside. Despite our certainty on our academic model and the success of our students, we had no record to refer to, no priors to lean on and certainly no other school to check against given that we are the first school in Kenya and I dare say around the continent, that is at the forefront of delivering education differently. Therefore, when we scored a mean of 7.3 with about 70% of our candidates getting a direct entry to universities in Kenya and many others getting opportunities to study abroad, we celebrated to mark this and give thanks to God and all those who worked to support this success.

In addition, in line with our culture, we were also celebrating our most outstanding students from the 2019 school year across Form 1 – Form 3 who had exhibited remarkable growth in living out our 6 culture principles, outstanding sports and club members and exemplary academic achievement. This was a day full of colour and excitement as our alumni and their parents, as well as parents of our continuing students joined us for the celebrations. The atmosphere was full of vibrancy as the school community joined hands to celebrate our young men who proudly carry the Nova Pioneer banner as they scale to new heights. 

 

The Celebration

The prize giving day was set to start at 9:30am with all guests, parents, teachers and students settled at the event venue at the Tatu City Campus. If you were there you would think we were expecting His excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya, please don’t take my word for it, ask Sila, a non-Nova friend of the team who was working with us to prepare the ground… Those were his exact words. (Mr. President, if by any chance you get to read this, we would love to host you in our next Prize giving day as our guest of honor).

We kicked off the event with our National Anthem and thereafter, our East Africa Community Anthem, both being led by our scouts. This was a patriotic moment for me; watching and celebrating as the Nova Pioneer alumni young men begin to shape the Kenyan, African century. At that moment, I paused to consider just how lucky I was to be a part of this family and just how blessed our young men are to be at this time, in this generation, in this school, under this learning model. Our young men from the Christian Union then led us through a time of praising to thank God for all His faithfulness. This was another moment to think back and just lift our hands in utmost thanksgiving.

 

Thoughts from the Alumni

We were excited to have our unconditionally supportive parents join us for this event. They wore their smiles and came in numbers. The parking lot and the driveway was a beehive of activities. Our top ten candidates of the 2019 class also arrived in style; looking taller and more mature than when we last saw them. What pride this was for their teachers! They each had a story to tell of how they are already taking courses as they wait to join the university in the coming months. They also spoke about how they are fitting in well into the world systems as a result of the preparation they received during their time at Nova Pioneer, how the small things we used to sweat while they were still students are making a big impact in their everyday life!! It is impossible to have missed the air of confidence that they exuded in expressing their experience so far in what they call “the world out there”.

Our team of very capable teachers and of course the student body sharply dressed in honor of the day were extremely excited to be a part of this day. We were also graced by the presence of our former principal, Mr. Charles Tsuma, our Co-founder and Director, Mr. Chris Khaemba and our East Africa Managing Director Ms. K. Danae Pauli. Our Guest speaker was Mr. Nyambego, a father to one of our young men in Form 4. Mr. Nyambego is also a  Director at PriceWaterhouseCoopers and currently serves as the PTA treasurer at the boys school in Tatu City.  

 

Words of Wisdom

Mr. Nyambego’s speech was particularly encouraging to the young men as he shared his life story and how he grew to the position of director level at his current work place. The young men were surprised to learn that he has quite the humble background and it was out of sheer determination and hard work that he made it this far. His story depicted moments of struggle, triumph and hard decisions, all of which have made him to be who he is today. This brought home the aspects of our culture principles of always growing and joy of learning, as he had moments of learning from his mistakes. There were also aspects of high expectations portrayed by the way he let go of his first job, because he knew he could push himself to achieve more, aspects of servant leadership, when he started off at PriceWaterhouseCoopers as a trainer, serving others and aspects of solutions first when he had to make decisions and act on them to secure him a better future. He challenged the young men to take advantage of the many opportunities that they have at Nova Pioneer to shape their future. In his time, things were a little bit different, he said, and the enlightenment and support that students are getting at Nova Pioneer was far ahead from what he received during his time in school.

At Nova Pioneer, students get the 21st century classroom experience, engage in collaborative class work and projects, have a department in the school that is focused on helping them choose a career path (Post School Success team), teachers who are dedicated to their success and co-curricula activities that are intentional on bringing out their talents. In short, in this school, they are sure of advancement in character, capabilities and connections. Mr. Nyambego implored the students to make the most of what they have. He dared them to match their performance to the support they are receiving. He left them with the words of Collen Hlazo “When everyone is sitting, stand up! When everyone is standing, stand out! And when everyone is standing out, be the standard”.

 

Gratitude

Needless to say, the event was one that shall be etched in the minds of many Novaneers, for a long time. Given that this was our first of its kind, the standards, the joy, the pomp, the celebrations will only get bigger and better in years to come. 

It is always important to take a moment and celebrate each other and appreciate the efforts that everyone brings on the table to make our Nova Pioneer promise a reality every day, all day. The culture principle of Greater Together is one that carries a lot of weight when we consider all the strings that are pulled to make us the community that we are. The most enjoyable moment for the teachers was seeing their specific students being awarded. The student who made presentations was the greatest takeaway for most parents, especially the confidence with which they carried themselves. In addition to these, there was a resounding appreciation around the timeliness of activities and the evident organization of the entire event. 

Written by Brenda Ogutu (Dean of  Instruction & Learning at Nova Pioneer Boys’ High School – Tatu city).

Working with young people has allowed me the space to observe teenagers as they try to find their own bearings with regards to identity, friendships and values. 

I recall when I was a teenager, the journey of discovering myself did not always align with the vision that my parents had for me, and at times I would find myself in a bit of trouble. I was not the exception, this is the reality with many teenagers, especially as they transition to high school. 

Change can cause anxiety 

It’s natural for both students and parents to feel anxious about the transition process. Teachers encounter parents who go through different experiences every term and year as new students report to school. 

Surprisingly, most often than not, parents are more anxious about their child transitioning into High School than the students themselves and this feeling can be subconsciously transferred to the students and could manifest in a student feeling homesick.

Managing transitions well

Whether a student is joining a new school in the middle of the year or joining at the start of a new school year, this has an impact on both the parent and the student.

I believe parents know what is best for their children. Having said that, I would advise parents to also take the time to listen when children communicate their feelings about joining a boarding school. 

Here are some few pointers that could be helpful to assist your child in easing into a boarding school

1. Talk about it: Talk to your teen about how they feel, let them know that it is normal to be nervous, and other students will be feeling the same way. It might help to make a list of things they are looking forward to and the things they are worried about. Talk through any concerns and help your teen identify strategies to deal with them. It helps to also reassure them as they go through this process. 
2. Be Positive: If you are struggling with the idea of your teen going away, which is both normal and expected, try to stay positive and enthusiastic when speaking to them because some of these feelings will rub off on them. Teens are very perceptive when it comes to reading non-verbal cues from adults that is how they pick attitudes and learn. However, they are also very adaptable, and with support and time, most will grow to love the experiences at school.
3. Get organized: Involve them in preparing for school i.e. shopping, packing, picking items that will help in their transition (which are allowed to have in school like favorite blankets, shoes, etc.). You can start by sharing more information about the school they are about to join e.g by visiting the school’s website. This will give them a sense of familiarity to the new school and answer any questions they may have about their new school. Creating memorable experiences with your child as they prepare to leave for school is also important. Encourage them to take photos of these experiences as mementos from home too – they will be more comfortable and ready to learn if they feel at home while at boarding school.
4. Encourage Independence: At boarding school they will be responsible for organizing themselves and their things (perhaps for the first time). That responsibility begins at home – put them in charge of a few tasks, making the list of things they need to do such as, as making sure their clothes are labeled. Give them such responsibilities at home as well to help them get used to the idea of independence and responsibility.
5. Start making plans for keeping in contact: It is normal for teens to feel homesick when they go away for school, but it does not have to affect their learning. Knowing when you will be in contact helps, so make a plan keeping in mind the open channels of communication emails, calls and visits within the school bounds. They may want to make a calendar that you can do together with them. Keep your word, when this is done.
6. Encourage healthy learning habits: talk to your teen about the things they can do at boarding school to support their learning, like eating healthily, being active (participating in after school activities of their choice), balancing the two play and work, getting enough sleep.
7. Prepare for tough times: this is the most ignored of these steps, as mentioned in the beginning. Almost all teenagers will encounter problems, physical changes, feelings lost in subjects/activities. These are harder signs to pick up when you don’t spend time with your teen and get to see them every day. So ‘hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between’ (Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings). 

 

Being a Dorm Father at Nova Pioneer Boys Tatu Campus has been a fulfilling experience. Seeing students join the school in January and watching their transformation and excitement in joining the after school activities. I can already tell that most of our teens are well adjusted and prepared for their journey. 

References:

https://www.learningpotential.gov.au/preparing-your-teen-for-boarding-school

 

Written by Fitch Kuri (Dorm Father, Nova Pioneer Boys’ High School)

 

Happy New Year! Hands up if you have already broken your new year’s resolution? I know I have because I did not make any at the end of last year. I chose to work on building a morning routine in 2020. 

Morning-routine stories are all the hype right now in the genre of self-help and self-improvement. The internet is full of stories about how the rich and the famous reveal how they are almost superhuman and energetic based on how they start their day. In those stories, they meditate, run several kilometres, brew the perfect cup of coffee, do some yoga—all before 8 am. The key lesson I inferred from all these articles: a carefully choreographed morning routine is the key to a productive day. These people have it together, the stories seem to imply, and so can you, if you just wake up at 5:30 a.m.

Is this really the case though? The demands of life are different for all of us; kids, traffic, you hate waking up early, and living 20km from the nearest gym sometimes hamper our efforts to model the routines of successful CEOs and Hollywood actors. So how do I become as successful and create a routine that sets me up for success?

I have been working on using my time in the morning to accomplish activities that are personally meaningful or require discipline but are not necessarily related to my work. For me, that has been prayer and meditation. For others, it is exercise or spending time with family or writing for a blog. Things that are personally meaningful tend to be healthy habits that set you up to have a good day.

Creating healthy habits

“Routines are very much linked to habits,” said Martin Hagger, a professor in the School of Psychology and Speech Pathology at Curtin University in Perth, Australia. Hagger studies self-regulation – in other words, how people control their behaviour. His research has shown that creating a routine can be an effective way to create healthy habits because it decreases the effort that comes with decision-making. Hagger has applied his research in his own daily life. He gets up most days by 6 am to exercise and eat a healthy breakfast before arriving at work at 8 am. He said that if he leaves exercising until after his workday ends, he knows he will be too tired or be tempted by other distractions to fit it in. So, before he goes to bed, he lays out his workout gear and sets his alarm for the morning.

But, there are no hard and fast rules. Experts say there is no one ideal time to start your day – every person has different goals, schedules and life situations – they key is to set aside time for a morning routine that works for you. And, if you’re struggling to get up, set your alarm slightly earlier each day until you’re in the habit of waking up early enough.

How to go about building a healthy habit

Building a habit is easier than you think. And if previously you struggled to build one, as one author puts it, when building a habit “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” 

A habit loop was first mentioned in 1938 by B.F. Skinner in his book ‘The Behavior of Organisms’ as ‘stimulus, response, reward’. Charles Duhigg popularized the concept of the habit loop in his widely popular book ‘The Power of Habit’. In the book, he presents a habit loop formula, that helps you understand and build any habit and basically consists of;

CUE + ROUTINE + REWARD.

What is a cue?

A cue could be anything from a place, time of day, location to smell, sound or emotion. Basically, anything that triggers a certain action or thought and puts your mind and body into the mode of performing a certain routine.

For example, getting into the darkroom, which automatically triggers your habit of looking for a light switch. Or taking the toothbrush and applying toothpaste the way you always do.

What is a routine?

A Routine is an actual behavior, ritual, action you perform that will turn into the habit once performed frequently enough. Thus, turning on the light, applying toothpaste, going into the kitchen. The actions that follow the trigger.

What is a reward?

A Reward is a feeling of satisfaction you get whenever you successfully finish the routine. It sends a positive signal to your brain saying ‘Doing this feels good, you should do more of it!’.

To follow the examples already given, it’s the feeling of being able to see things clearly in the room and feeling of freshness in the mouth when brushing the teeth.

How To Use Habit Loop To Build A Morning Routine?

Firstly, I’ve tried the habit loop formula myself and it works. My own morning routine looks roughly like this:

• Wake up 6.00am
• Pray and meditate for 10min
• Make the bed
• Take a shower

Would you like to have more structured mornings too? Then, follow these 5 steps.

1. Write down things that you do every morning already
   Waking up, grabbing a phone, stepping out of the bed, taking a shower, heading to the fridge and so on. Be as detailed as possible. This is NOT a place to judge yourself or write a routine you WANT to have. Just write things out as they are.
2. Choose a habit you want to add into your morning routine
   The key to building a routine is started by adding habits one by one. Choose a habit your really you want to have as part of your mornings and then go to step 3.
3. Stack new habit right on top of one of your current habits
   For example, if you take a shower every morning, you could say: “after I take a shower, I will meditate for 10mins”.This concept is called habit stacking and has a simple formula: After/Before I [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].
4. Make it easy, set small targets first
   So small that you could do it even if you’re late to work, sick or have no energy. For example, meditating for at least 3 minutes every morning no matter what. This way you will not feel overwhelmed by the whole mission of building your personal morning ritual and will be more likely to stick with it long enough for it to become a habit. Don’t make a mistake most of us do – starting big with a mentality of ‘all or nothing’, just because we have this sudden boost of motivation and willpower. It’s a short-sighted strategy that fails 9/10 times because life gets in the way.
5. Track it
   Download one of the habit tracking apps or print this habit chain sheet we’ve prepared for you. By tracking your habit, you will shoot many birds with one stone – you’ll make it satisfying by seeing your progress, you’ll be motivated to keep going and you’ll get an additional trigger to perform your routine.

After a couple of weeks, this will become more and more automatic for you. And a couple of months later you won’t even remember life without your new habit!

Written by: Moses Wachira, Growth & Expansion Manager at Nova Pioneer.

As we marked International Day of Education on 24 January, I took some time to reflect on my experience as a  teacher. I have gained many valuable skills in my role however, there are a few skills that I have acquired that I personally feel have had a positive impact on my role as an educator in the classroom – one of them being the ability to establish “Teacher Presence”.

 

Above: Watch as some of our educators reflect on their purpose and roles they play as educators.

 

 

Collaborative Culture = Teacher Presence

 

Teacher presence refers to the actions and contributions of the teacher in the classroom that students may intuitively respond to. How teachers generally manage their actions in the classroom ranging from tonal variation, body language, managing emotions and interactions with learners can either determine whether the environment of learning is good and safe enough for effective and maximum benefits of the learners or otherwise.

 

Creating a safe space for engagement

 

Teachers may unknowingly create unsafe learning spaces especially when their presence is not felt by the learners. In such spaces, the lessons may end up lacking deep engagements which in turn may create a very tense environment for both the teachers and the learners.

This, in turn, may lead to boring lessons that may force some learners to completely withdraw. The teacher, on the other hand, will find it hard to drive the lesson to the intended objectives. Such a situation may be very frustrating especially to new teachers who could be entering the profession for the first time. 

 

Build genuine authentic relationships with students

 

This statement has been confused by many people in many quarters. To establish teacher presence does not mean stamping your authority and running your lessons where the teacher is the law and every word from him or her should be taken in religiously without questioning.

Instead, it points to those things that teachers do in class that help them connect with their learners in a more special way without creating a feeling of fear or intimidation while at the same time achieving the intended objectives.

 

How can you build your teacher presence?

 

With training and practice, this situation can easily be averted. Teachers need to spend more time ensuring that their presence is felt by the learners at all times both in and out of the classroom. For new teachers here are a few tips to help you take full command of your classes:

1. Master your content: Content mastery is a powerful tool that a teacher can use to steer his or her class to desired outcomes. Teachers with deep mastery of content are never afraid of challenging questions or answers from their learners. 
2. Prepare for lessons adequately:  A teacher who shows up for the lessons with all the materials will most definitely have a smooth lesson that guarantees the achievement of objectives. Such teachers will manage to keep the learners fully engaged and there will be no room for wasting time or running up and down trying to find what is missing.
3. Maintain proper body posture/language: For effective lessons, every teacher should ensure that whatever their mouths speak is not in contrast with what their bodies say. Confident teachers should at all times ensure that they maintain proper eye contact with the learners, use appropriate gestures that are not offensive or demeaning and stand in such a way that they appear confident. 
4. Stand/move strategically in the room: The teacher should always stand in strategic positions within the room to ensure that he or she maintains eye contact with the learners. The teacher doesn’t necessarily need to stand at the front at all times but should always ensure that every time he or she moves, not a single learner should lose him or her. 
5. Give clear instructions: How clear instructions are given in class depend on teachers’ preparation before lessons. A teacher who prepares adequately for lessons will understand how best to give instructions based on learners’ levels. 
6. Remain firm but warm/ manage your emotions: Learners respect and love teachers who are always ready to support them regardless of circumstances. A teacher’s impact is best felt when they ensure that classroom expectations are clearly spelt out and that learners know what is expected of them at all times. As teachers enforce these expectations, they should do so with a touch of love and care just to remind the learners that they care about them. 
7. Maintain a formal tone: A formal tone does not come off as aggressive or too stern. But instead, it comes out with a lot of respect and a touch of love and care. 

Always remember that learners learn better when teachers fully show up. Always let your presence be felt by the learners at all times. Happy International Day of Education to all my fellow educators!

 

Written by: Fred Ndhine (Lead Chemistry & Mathematic teacher at Nova Pioneer)

 

On 9th December, Nova Pioneer ushered in a new dawn at the official opening of the Eldoret Campus. 

Ushered in by exhilarating traditional dancers, our chief guests PS Ministry of Education Belio Kipsang and the Governor of Uasin Gishu, Hon. Mandago, together with other distinguished guests including the Trans Nzoia Governor, Hon. Patrick Khaemba and world-renowned athlete Eliud Kipchoge, ceremoniously planted trees at the campus’ driveway to mark the new dawn for Nova Pioneer in Eldoret.

Keys to the campus were handed over to Nova Pioneer’s East Africa Managing Director, Danae Pauli, by the CPF Group Managing Director, Mr. Hosea Kili, marking the official handover of the campus from the contractors to the school’s management. 

Powerful speeches were delivered during the ceremony, and we were privileged to hear from two of our pioneer students from our Secondary Schools in Tatu City. The two students; Edel Cherono from Nova Pioneer Girls Secondary in Tatu City and George Chebii, one of our alumni students from Nova Pioneer in Tatu City, emphasized the impact Nova Pioneer has had on their lives. “I am ready to take on the world,” said George Chebii.

“The partnership between Laptrust and Nova Pioneer ensures that the school focuses its resources on its core strength; delivering world-class education to transform the lives of all students across its network. Laptrust, through the partnership, will enhance returns for its members and continue to ensure a healthy funding level for sustainability for the fund,” said Hosea Kili, County Pension Fund/ Laptrust CEO and Administrator during the ground-breaking ceremony.

The colorful ceremony was crowned by the cutting of a beautiful cake with the Moi University choir filling the auditorium with so much vivacity and cheer. 

In the spirit of High Expectations and Greater Together, we take this opportunity to welcome all Novaneers to make this world the place they wish to live in!

I received the glorious opportunity to intern at Tsavo Innovation Labs for two weeks. When I reflect back on how my experience was, I learned so much that I cannot share everything, but I will share the most outstanding lessons that I will forever cherish and carry with me as I go through life.  

The lesson that stood out for me is that you are never alone, especially in business. We often look at the business as a competition to see who will make the most profit, but when I saw two CEOs sharing with each other on how they can improve their businesses, I was shocked. It is okay to ask for help when you are stuck because truly no one can do it all alone, for sure, we are Greater Together. 

Another thing I learned how to do is plan a whole event. I was thrown into the deep end and was given a whole event to plan that happened on the 22nd of November. Things like logistics about planning the venue, mobilizing people, advertising the event through making posters were very new to me. It was difficult but I managed to pull through, the event was a success and everyone enjoyed it.

Lastly, I learned that business is challenging. We often say this but do not realize the magnitude of it until we experience it first hand. In business, one should really develop a thick skin because when things go sideways you are the one to quickly fix it up if someone in your team does not align with your vision you are the one to tell them and maybe even remove them from your team before any damage is done. This is why I learned that I had parallel interests in other career fields.  If it was not for this internship I would not realized this and it has definitely pushed me to explore different career interest that I potentially could be passionate about.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience and I am grateful for the opportunity given to me by the school.

Written by Jeanne Sere (Form 4 student, Nova Pioneer Girls’ Secondary School)