My Teaching Journey - Kagweru Njoroge

"Innovation isn't reserved for the genius—it lives in every curious teacher's heart."

I used to think innovation in education was only for those brilliant educators you read about in magazines—the ones with fancy titles and international recognition. Here I was, just a regular teacher trying to help my students understand fractions, wondering what I could possibly contribute. But I've discovered that innovation isn't about being a genius. It's about being curious enough to ask "Why?" and brave enough to ask "Why not?"

Sometimes the most powerful innovations come from the most heartbreaking questions. It was a quiet Tuesday afternoon when Terry, one of my students who had been absent for weeks due to unpaid fees, approached me, as I was relaxing under a tree on the school field.

"Mwalimu, I don't know what to do after school. Is there any project I can start to earn money for my basic needs?"

Her words hit me like lightning - here was a fourteen-year-old girl asking how to earn money for survival, and my mind raced with concern for what she could have been going through. While one voice whispered, "Send her to the guidance teacher and mind your own business", another voice asked more powerfully, "What's possible through me?"

That question changed everything.

Terry's question wouldn't let me sleep, so I did something that seemed crazy for a mathematics teacher with zero training in agriculture: I picked up the phone and started cold-calling the Ministry of Agriculture. When I explained that I wanted to help my students start home-based projects, they connected me to agricultural experts from the national and county governments.

The result exceeded my wildest expectations - a massive agriculture open day that brought together over 300 learners from over 10 schools, 10 agricultural experts, and officials from multiple government ministries.

Can you imagine a Mathematics teacher organising an agricultural fair? Teachers hired matatus to bring their students to my school, local TV stations covered the event, schools launched agribusiness projects, and funding started flowing. In 2023, our school won a 500,000-shilling grant from the EU and World Bank, becoming recognised as one of 24 schools in Kenya with the potential to become centres of excellence in agribusiness - all because I didn't ignore an honest question from a 14-year-old girl.

Terry taught me something profound: innovation isn't about having the proper credentials or perfect resources. It's about having the right heart and asking the right questions.

My knowledge of commercial agriculture could fit on a sticky note, but reading the hopes and fears in my students' eyes? That was my expertise. I didn't have government connections, but I dared to make calls. I didn't have funding, but I had curiosity and the willingness to try.

The moment I shifted from "What's in it for me?" to "What's possible through me?" everything changed. Every teacher already has everything needed to create an extraordinary impact: deep knowledge of how students learn, daily problem-solving practice, genuine care for young people's futures, and credibility from being in the trenches.

The distance between ordinary and extraordinary isn't talent—it's awareness.

Your journey doesn't require you to become someone else. It requires you to fully become who you already are: a curious, caring, problem-solving educator whose influence reaches far beyond the classroom.

By Kagweru Njoroge