Explore every episode of the podcast Classrooms Beyond Borders: A Day in the Life

Meet Benjamin Kappande, a teacher from Tanzania, who started teaching in the rural Ngorongoro Crater area - the gateway to African safari! He has since moved to Arusha, a city where he has opened a private primary school and runs an after school club for mentoring youth.

Our conversation explores the realities of education in rural Tanzania such as immense overcrowding, lack of resources and the resourcefulness of teachers and students alike. He tells about Friday afternoon school trips where all students carry jerry cans to the river 30 minutes away to fetch water.

Meet Busayo Okewale, a primary teacher from the urban area of Lagos, Nigeria who teaches at an international private school. She explains the differences between private and public schools, the challenges faced by teachers, and the impact of low wages, technology and electricity on education. Busayo shares insights into the school environment, student nutrition, language learning, and the integration of AI in teaching, while highlighting the need for quality education for all children.

Meet Valentina Miranda, a teacher from Peru, who has taught in rural Amazonia and now teaches in the capital city of Lima. She shares her experiences teaching in rural areas and the challenges faced by educators and students alike. She discusses the cultural diversity of her students, the impact of malnutrition on learning, and the significant differences between rural and urban education. 

She also juxtaposes the rural education experience with that of more fortunate private school students in Lima, Peru’s capital city.

Valentina emphasizes the importance of language and access to nutrition, safety and technology in education, as well as the need for empathy and support for students.

In this conversation, Cammie Kannekens speaks with Moses Okoth, an educator from Western Kenya, about the challenges and opportunities in the rural African education sector.  Moses operates a STEM Hub, where children come on the weekend from nearby schools to learn about coding (Microbits, Ozobots, Sphero, etc) and drones. They discuss the infrastructure issues, the importance of STEM education, the impact of technology on learning, and the need for resources and support for teachers and students. Moses shares his belief that AI can transform education in Africa and the significance of small-scale solutions in addressing local challenges.

Follow Moses on LinkedIn. Connect with Moses at mosadee.okoth2@gmail.com

Meet Gerardo Navarette, a technology consultant and former teacher from Campeche, a small state in Mexico with a large rural population.  Gerardo is a Google Innovator and Trainer and an advocate for education technology in Mexico.

Our conversation explores the state of education in Campeche, Mexico, highlighting the challenges faced by rural schools, the role of teachers, and the impact of government policies on educational access and quality. We discuss the statistics of student retention, the infrastructure of schools, and the both the challenges and importance of technology in modern education.

Meet Esther Musonda, a secondary teacher from Chitambi in Northern Zambia. She teaches at a secondary school (grades 8-12)  with 700 students and 22 teachers in  a peri-urban area. She will share basic information about teaching in this region from class size to technology to salary as well as challenges and aspirations for her students.

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