- Educationist Angel Raphael calls on schools to support teaching practice students through simple acts of kindness.
- He argues that many student teachers struggle financially while carrying full teaching responsibilities during practicum.
- The article highlights how small gestures such as providing lunch can boost morale, dignity and professional growth.
By Angel Raphael
Every year, thousands of teaching practice students walk through the gates of Kenyan schools carrying more than lesson plans, schemes of work and attendance registers. They carry dreams, hope and the weight of a profession they are striving to master.
Sadly, many of them also carry hunger.
As schools across Kenya host teaching practice students this term, there is one simple act of kindness that can make a world of difference: buy them lunch.
It sounds small and ordinary, but to a teaching practice student, a plate of lunch can feel like a scholarship, a bonus and a standing ovation rolled into one.
Let us be honest. Most teaching practice students are not earning a salary. They wake up before dawn, squeeze into overcrowded matatus, teach full lessons, mark books, attend staff meetings, supervise co-curricular activities and return to their rented rooms exhausted.
Many survive on limited budgets from struggling parents, guardians or HELB funds that seem to disappear faster than chalk dust in a windy classroom.
For some of these young educators, breakfast is a luxury, lunch is a dream and supper is the only guaranteed meal of the day.
Teaching on an Empty Stomach
Imagine teaching forty energetic learners about photosynthesis while your own stomach is conducting a loud demonstration against hunger.
Imagine explaining fractions while mentally calculating how many hours remain before you can afford your next meal.
Imagine maintaining a professional smile while your body is desperately requesting fuel.
That is the reality many teaching practice students silently endure.
Teaching practice is already one of the most demanding periods in a teacher’s journey. Student teachers are under constant observation. Every lesson is scrutinised. Every mistake feels magnified. Every success must be earned.
They are trying to prove that they deserve a place in one of the most important professions in society. The least we can do is ensure they are not doing it on an empty stomach.
A Lesson in Compassion
Schools often preach values such as compassion, integrity, empathy and care. Here lies a perfect opportunity to demonstrate those values in action.
When a principal, deputy principal, head of department or even a fellow teacher buys lunch for a teaching practice student, they communicate a powerful message:
“You matter. We see your effort. We appreciate your sacrifice.”
Such a gesture may cost a few shillings, but its emotional value is immeasurable.
This is not about charity. It is about humanity.
These students are not visitors passing through the system. They are future colleagues. They are tomorrow’s teachers, deputy principals, education officers and school heads.
The student teacher standing nervously in the staffroom today may become the principal who transforms a struggling school ten years from now. The young woman teaching English under a tree today may become an award-winning educator. The young man struggling to afford lunch this week may one day mentor hundreds of teachers across the country.
How we treat them now matters.
Why Schools Benefit Too
A school loses nothing by extending kindness. In fact, it gains immensely.
Teaching practice students who feel welcomed are often more motivated, productive and committed. They bring fresh ideas, youthful energy and innovative teaching approaches into classrooms.
They willingly support school programmes and frequently go beyond what is expected of them.
Yet in some schools, they are treated as invisible workers. They are given full workloads but little support. They are assigned responsibilities but denied a sense of belonging.
They contribute to the school community but are left alone when lunchtime arrives.
That should never become our culture.
Small Gestures, Lasting Impact
No one is suggesting lavish meals or expensive hospitality.
Sometimes a simple plate of ugali and sukuma wiki, a cup of tea or an invitation to join the staff lunch table can make a lasting impact.
Years from now, many teaching practice students will forget the lesson observation scores they received. They may forget some of the comments written in their assessment forms.
However, they will never forget the school that treated them with dignity.
They will remember the principal who asked whether they had eaten. They will remember the teacher who quietly paid for their lunch. They will remember the school that made them feel like family rather than temporary labour.
Education Is About People
Education is ultimately a human enterprise.
Before learners absorb knowledge, before teachers deliver content and before schools achieve academic excellence, people must first experience care.
A hungry teacher cannot perform at their best. A valued teacher can.
As teaching practice continues across Kenya, let us challenge ourselves to look beyond registers, timetables and performance targets.
Let us look at the young teacher standing before our learners, see the determination in their eyes, recognise the sacrifice behind their smile and ask one simple question:
“Have you had lunch?”
If the answer is no, buy them one.
Not because policy requires it. Not because universities demand it. Not because anyone is watching.
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Do it because kindness remains one of the greatest lessons any school can teach.
Sometimes the most memorable lesson in education is not taught from a textbook but served on a lunch plate.
Angel Raphael is a seasoned teacher, educationist and trainer with a passion for inspiring learners and empowering educators. He writes on education, leadership and teacher development, drawing from years of classroom experience.
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