Brenda is a Bridge2Rwanda Scholar currently interning for SolarSPELL. During her internship, she has been a part of the school support team conducting follow-up visits to our five pilot schools. The following is an excerpt from her experience:
Working for SolarSPELL has been a life changing experience that came with a full package of what it means to get challenged and succeed with a team. I have been working with schools –administrations and teachers—to help students gain a sustainable and informative learning environment using SolarSPELL content. My recent visit was to the southern school – GS. Cyanika— where my colleague and I were conducting a follow-up visit after our first training of fourteen teachers. The progress was breathtaking.
The teachers were comfortable using the SolarSPELL digital library and interested in exploring different resources. By speaking with the Dean of Studies, we learned the school had set a timetable for each teacher to use the SolarSPELL in their respective courses. This brought a grin to our faces. Afterwards, we approached teachers and asked them their challenges and how they think we can improve the library.
Most teachers requested more resources to be added. I was glad to receive my next challenge. Now, we are tackling the issue of bringing resources that further supplement the resources teachers already have. I am working with my teammates to make the SolarSPELL a reliable and comfortable tool that teachers can rely on and improve their lessons.
However, I was more challenged with something else. Throughout the training we realized teachers wanted us to start from scratch. From opening the box of the SolarSPELL to learning using the laptops. That made a huge difference and we now know to spend more time on explaining the hardware in our next trainings. This has made a change to how we approach schools and how the teachers understand our library.
SolarSPELL is creating a world where every child can have access to a digital library; where a child in a remote area can have a simulation of internet and become a reader and a leader. I believe that every child’s success has a story behind it. I want to be that story behind the success of that young boy and girl who are striving to become wonders of inventions.
