Here in Rwanda it is rainy season and one of my favourite things to watch is the growing ripples that occur as a rain droplet hits a pool of still water. Watching as it hits the surface with a splash and creates a series of growing concentric ripples emerging from its centre is one of those little joys I treasure in life. There is something simple yet significant about it that just fascinates my soul. It reminds me that the ‘splash’ we make in our world has a similar effect. When I am reminded of this I am humbled, sobered and excited.  

At Wellspring this is certainly the case. Our ‘pool’ or ‘pond’ consists of forty schools in the District of Gasabo nestled in the beautiful Land of 1000 Hills, Rwanda. As we ‘splash’ we have the potential to create ripples that will bring change and hope to Rwandan school communities. We are beginning to observe some of these ripples of hope spreading though our school communities.

John Quincy Adams says “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” It is this kind of leadership that Wellspring is trying to cultivate and encourage among our Head Teachers, Deputies and PTAs. This kind of leadership is part of the Abundant Leadership that Richard Taylor has so clearly presented in his recent post. This is the kind of leadership that focuses on what the school community already has and works from a half full rather than half empty perspective. Leaders who are able to inspire those around them to be more or better than they already are in spite of challenges and difficulties. These leaders inspire and encourage their colleagues valuing them so that the whole school community thrives.

Recently Wellspring has taken some time to celebrate, acknowledge, and reward some of these exceptional and special leaders. Wellspring has been honouring them for an ‘abundant leadership’ perspective and thus, for cultivating a progressive culture of success in their school community. They have been acknowledged among their peers and awarded ‘Star Leader’ certificates and prizes.

                                           

Let me introduce you to Edouard Munyeragwe. Edouard is the Head Teacher of Gasabo Primary School in Rutunga sector. It is a rural school that takes our trainers somewhat over an hour to reach. The school is located in a community of primarly poor subsitance farmers. Edouard has been Head Teacher at this school for a number of years and his leadership in this time has cultivated an atmosphere of positive comitment and hard work. It is an inspiring school to visit. The atmoshphere is welcoming and friendly.

On arrriving at school we find all students and teachers in class orgnaised according to the set timetable and working hard. The students are well disciplined and the teachers are committed to doing the best job they can.

When meeting with Edouard he shares that there are not ten teachers in his school but eleven, because he is himself a teacher. In fact, Edouard is a timetabled English teacher in P6! He says that all his teachers are keen to learn and develop and this is evident as we watch each of their lessons. When break time starts at 9:15am the Wellspring trainers and myself were taken by surprise as we were brought a large and tastey cup of African Tea. Edouard has ensured that his teachers have tea at break time and a cooked lunch at midday before starting their arrduous afternoon classes.

It is clear that Edouard values and appreciates his teachers and that in turn they feel committed and responsible. The manner in which their leader takes care of them is then how they take care of their students. The teachers in this school are positive and engaging in their lessons . They demonstrate commitment and love to all their students. Watching children in their lessons is inspiring and encouraging. They appear to enjoy school and enjoy learning. The generation of children in Gasabo Primary School are clearly being encouraged to... dream more, learn more, do more and become more!

Rolling green hills and variable red dirt roads have become our second home over the past month or so as the Quality Education Trainers visit schools to conduct observations following the Unit 1 workshop. Travelling all over Gasabo District to conduct individual lesson observations and discussions with our 227 teachers in 40 schools is no small task. There is a reason why Rwanda is named the 'Land of 1000 Hills'! The trainers have indeed been 'over the hills and far away'.

On reaching schools trainers soon settle in for the day. During the morning they are busy watching the teachers deliver lessons according to the training they have received. After the teachers have delivered a lesson the trainers then discuss the strengths and weaknesses of their lesson giving them encouragement and advice. Teachers have responded well to these observations and some have been amazed and impressed that we have actually come out to their schools to follow up the training and support them. They have been surprised that we are mentoring and supporting them so closely. After discussing their lessons many teachers have promised to work on the targets and ideas the trainers have shared with them. Some exciting value lessons have involved children leaving their classrooms and venturing into the school compound to 'weed' the garden; ensuring that they have understood the importance of taking care of plants and trees as part of a P4 lesson on Deforestation and its effects.

                                                                 

In the afternoons trainers have been supporting the school by spending time; helping with the planning of lessons, answering questions about the training and classroom practice, offering advice on the homework, and even delivering model lessons. The Wellspring trainers have been doing a superb job of delivering model lessons to help the teachers in our schools. Teaching a class of 45+ children which you have not taught before is no small feat. In fact, one teacher decided to give one of our trainers a double class (100 children) to teach one hot afternoon! Our trainers have been making us very proud! Watching the trainers deliver lessons to their classes has not only helped teachers' understanding, it has also helped to motivate and challenge them. They have seen that even with a class of 100 students the techniques they are receiving can be put into practise for more effective learning.

At the end of a long day the trainers then say their goodbyes and begin the journey back home over Rwanda's infamous rolling green hills.

In the wise words of Joseph Joubert, ‘To teach is to learn twice’ and this is why we have been eagerly anticipating our school teachers meetings. We recently completed our first workshops on Worldview and Values and have been excited to see how our ‘multipliers’ are sharing what they have learnt.

They are leading meetings, initiating paired and group discussions, and performing dramas and skits to share concepts and clarify ideas. We have even seen Head Teachers and Deputies participating, acting as children or teachers, which testifies to the growing sense of team in their schools.

The remaining teachers, who have been receiving these concepts for the first time, have been able to grasp them with relative ease because the multipliers are teaching them so well. Many of them have been asking why they can’t all receive the full training. While others have begun to testify how their mindsets are already changing just from these meetings and the concepts they are being introduced to. This is exciting and displays an intrinsic energy and momentum.

                                                                 

Meanwhile our multipliers are also growing and learning. One shared at the end of a school meeting that after the workshop she still felt a little confused and unsure about some of the material. But now, after this meeting, she understands the values material well and knows what is expected when she teaches a lesson. This emphasises how important these teachers meetings are for consolidation and clarification of the material we are delivering.

As these ‘multipliers’ teach their peers they are provided with an opportunity to practise techniques which they have been exposed to during Wellspring workshops. With the support of our trainers they are able to experiment with and begin to use some of these new methods. As in the words of John Howell, ‘We learn by teaching.’

One of our core values at Wellspring is ‘EMPOWERMENT: We strive to enable people and challenge them to do likewise’. ‘Empower’ can be defined as ‘to invest with power’. As we completed the first workshop of this second phase of implementation this value was strikingly evident.

Our team of Quality Education trainers began their journey with Wellspring three years ago rather nervously and with some reservation. They had no idea what active participation might look like or how to motivate adults in their learning. A group of gifted but inexperienced trainers began their initiation into teacher training.

                                                                 

Three years later as they train Unit 1: Worldview and Value, for the second time, they display incredible confidence and leadership. With ease and excellence this team of trainers manage and deliver high quality training and equipping to the new participants in the School Development Program. Having invested in this team over the past few years it is clear that they have been empowered to become agents of change and leaders of their generation. It was inspiring to watch Wellspring’s core value of ‘empowerment’ being outworked in the life and diligence of this team. Participants commented on the quality of training delivered by the trainers and how they seamlessly worked together. Teachers were amazed by the way in which the trainers worked so effectively as a team, supporting one another. Some also shared that they had never attended a training that was so well organised and managed.

What a privilege and honour to be able to ‘invest with power’ and watch as that investment grows and multiplies and empowers those we are seeking to serve. It will be exciting to see this multiplication of ‘enabling and challenge’ at work in our school communities as those we have equipped empower others!