about us
"Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old he will not depart from it."
Emerging organically out of a 10-year field experience and research in teacher pedagogy and student learning in French speaking Africa, the Teacher’s Garden is a nonprofit organization registered in the State of Iowa. Tracing back to 2013, Sosthene and Kara Maletoungou, a young missionary couple were sent by Resonate Global Mission to West Africa, Guinea to work alongside the national church and network of Christian schools. Sosthene’s assignment as a teacher educator encompassed professional development, mentoring and coaching for the country’s Christian school teachers and administrators. This had been for him and Kara a journey of constant learning, reflection, and personal and professional growth towards a better understanding of the country’s educational system.
About five years later, a participant sitting in one of their trainings expressed the silent thoughts of her peers:
"The biblical worldview and Christian education principles you guys are teaching us are eye-opening. But our great challenge as teachers is putting that into practice in our contexts where we have large class sizes and little resources."
That honest feedback resonated with Sosthene and Kara over the weeks and months that followed. They prayerfully wondered how they could engage in a relevant manner with the practical needs of the local schools and teachers. Following a series of consultations with local leaders and Resonate Global Mission, they launched the Teacher’s Garden in Conakry, Guinea in 2019. Beginning as a Christian education resource center, the project hub provided a space where in-service teachers could get practical support and engage in peer discussions in communities of practices for mutual learning. Furthermore, the question of “What can be learned about teacher pedagogy and student learning through a contextual analysis of classroom interactional practices in Guinean private secondary schools” took Sosthene into years of doctoral research for an answer at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies (OCMS). The experimental phase of the ministry concept of the Teacher’s Garden offered a space for Sosthene to test out theories emerging from his empirical inquiry.
We learn from the results of the research which earned Sosthene a Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in International education:
"As an interface pedagogical agent with a position in a field that is trapped in multiple internal contradictions and double-binds, the teacher is more of a bridge between and hence, a key partner to work with toward reimagining pedagogy and pedagogical practices in Guinea and elsewhere."
Equipping and empowering these teachers in a way that is integrated and context relevant is key to a better student learning experience in the classroom. Not only was that conclusion very affirming but also, it provides meaning and direction to the concept and practices of the Teacher’s Garden.
FACILITIES
THE TEACHER’S GARDEN is equipped with:
- A conference room for teacher trainings and educational audiovisual presentations and discussions
- A library for research and access to children’s literature and materials
- Culturally relevant didactic material in alignment with the local educational context and needs.
- A network of practitioners and education specialists for mutual support through trainings and communities of practice.
