A School Day at St. David's in Etago, Kenya

On July 13th, we spent the school day at St. David's Lutheran Church and School in Etago, Kenya! When we arrived, all the children pre-primary through grade six were waiting for us eagerly outside! We all assembled in the main assembly building (the building they use for their church services), and after a few words from the pastor and a few elders and teachers, and a few songs from the children, we began our teaching program.

After our teaching program was over, we ate lunch (most of the children go home for lunch, and come back for afternoon classes) and we got to speak with the teachers about what an average school day looks like in Kenya! They use an average grading scale with percentages for Exceeds Expectations, Meets Expectations, Approaching Expectations, and Below Expectations.

The students are separated by grade for daily classes, much like in America, and have classes such as Reading, Mathematics, Social Studies, Writing, Technology, and more. There are male and female teachers here.


The part of the school week that surprised me was that they learn English, Swahili, French, AND multiple local languages and dialects!

When we were there, students spoke a variety of Swahili, local languages, and English - often understanding words and phrases across multiple languages. They performed songs for us in Swahili and English, including "I've Got the Joy (Down in my Heart)." We taught songs and games while we were there, and learned many songs and games too! The pre-primary students worked together to teach me how to count to ten in Swahili.

The teachers were very interesting to talk to, discussing the similarities and differences between school systems across countries, and we found more similarities than differences! Most importantly, the children at St. David's are learning the most important subject: the path to heaven!

We look forward to visiting more churches and schools here in Kenya!

Abby Gerbitz