The right partners turned my home school dream

Different people are called to different businesses for different reasons. When 34 year old Maureen Ngesa decided to home school her children, she had no idea that this would lead her to start a fully-fledged establishment one year down the line. She decided on home-schooling because she didn't' believe in the 8-4-4 system and couldn't find a better alternative near her home. Soon, other parents took interest in her home-schooling project and encouraged Maureen to start a small school in the neighbourhood. Abacus Motley School was born.

Two years later, the school is steadily growing, but Maureen took some hits to get to where she is today when she failed to pick the right partner for her dream. She tells us her story, in her own words.

You didn't believe in the 8-4-4 system. What system did you choose instead?

It's called ACE; Accelerated Christian Education. The focus is of course, based on Christian Principles. But most importantly, the system is built around enhancing a child's character, their ability to learn and choose between right and wrong, before we teach them how to read and write. Everyone eventually reads, everyone eventually writes, but not everyone is taught character building at this early age.

Is this a recognized curriculum in Kenya?

Absolutely. All ACE schools are registered with the Ministry of Education. We follow the rules and regulations just like everyone else.

What's one unique factor about this system?

Well, every child learns at his or her own pace. For instance, my son is 7, in the curriculum we help him set his own goals. He knows in a week he needs to complete a certain number of what we call 'Paces' which would be equivalent to modules. So he decides how many he will do per day to accomplish this goal. If he finishes ahead of time, great. If he doesn't, he has to put in extra time to meet the requirements. It's all about life lessons learned early.

So you went from teaching your children in your house to a full-fledged school. Tell us about that journey.

Parents would watch my kids and ask me where I took them to school, so I talked to them about the home-schooling system I was using. When more and more expressed parents interest, I decided to start a school in the neighbourhood.

You took on a business partner. Why didn't you go at it alone?

I am a big believer in inclusive action. I think we are all stronger when we work together. So when I was approached by one of the ladies who also had an interest in starting a school in the neighbourhood, I thought it would be a great idea to partner with her. She was experienced, had a lively spirit and a lot of passion. Our different strengths also seemed to complement each other. I was strong at Administration and one on one interaction with the kids, she was strong at academics.

What were some of the challenges you faced in the partnership?
Honestly, I think the main challenge was that we didn't take enough time to understand each other's vision. We were coming from two very different opinions of how a school should be run. I remember the first time I spoke to my husband about getting a partner, he told me that partnerships were hard and I should really take the time to think about it before jumping in. I didn't take that warning seriously enough.

When did you realize that your partnership wouldn't work out?

I went through a difficult pregnancy and was ordered on complete bedrest by my doctor. I couldn't go the school and relied on my partner to run things on the ground. It wasn't long before I started getting complaints from parents about things that were going on in the school or from the teachers because we were going outside of the curriculum. When I asked my partner about it, she was often reluctant to give me adequate explanations.

What did you do to try and solve the situation as it unfolded?

Mostly, we tried the option of talking, calling for meetings. Some, she wouldn't turn up for and some when she did, she would be defensive or non-communicative. My husband, who handles the books for me, told me that he didn't think this partnership would work. This time I listened.

What were the repercussions?

The partnership ended during the school holidays. Thankfully I gave birth just before the schools reopened so I could go back to work. However, I realized we had lost 9 students. This was a huge blow to a small school especially because the parents didn't tell me they were taking their kids away from the school. I was reeling. All my calculations for that term were thrown off. To make matters worse, as the school reopened without my partner and parents started realizing something had gone wrong, more children left. All together we lost 21 children out of 35.

How did you steer these waters?

I got on the phone and I called all the parents, those who were still with me and those who had removed their children. I explained to them exactly what had happened and I assured them the school was still strong and intact.

Did you get any children back?

No, but that was alright. In an odd way, I realized God was answering my prayer. When I was on bedrest and I had started noticing something was off, I remember asking God to remove from me and my school the things that were not in alignment with what I believed and where I wanted to go. This is exactly what He did.

What was the most difficult thing about the situation?

Broken trust; from my business partner who I had given so much leeway and so much faith, from the parents who removed their children without a word to me, some of these were my friends, some were the people who had convinced me to start this school in the first place. But most of all, I lost trust in myself. I doubted the call.

What is one of the most vital lessons you learned from this experience?
Apart from keeping the faith? Always have an exit clause in business, it's as paramount as that 5 year plan you take so much time to create. No matter how solid a partnership looks like, even if it's with your own mother, have an exit clause. It will save you and your company down the line.

Where is the school now?
We are off track for our five year plan, that's for sure. But we are making the bills and we are getting more students. Currently we are at 42. After the split of the partnership, we were at 13. I know God is on our side and we will grow to even greater heights.

SIDE BAR:
Recovering After A Failed Partnership: Nuggets of Wisdom From Maureen.

1. Pause: Don't rush into anything, it's easy to react based on someone else's actions and that is almost always the wrong move. Take stock of what has happened, and why it has happened. Take stock of the losses incurred and some of the positive things that could come of it.
2. Talk: No matter how ugly the split or disappointment, always talk things through. Burning bridges never helped anyone. Settle the dispute as amicably as possible, which is usually the least damaging solution for all parties involved.
3. Remember Your Calling: Your reason why will get you through many dark periods in whatever your venture is in life. Make sure your reason is strong enough, it can't be just money. It needs to go deeper than that. And it needs to be bigger than you.
4. Be Willing To Start Afresh: If it breaks and you value it, rebuild it learning from the mistakes of the past. That's it.
5. Forgive: It helps no one to carry a grudge, in fact it clouds your judgement and you inadvertently end up living on someone else's terms. Forgive those who believe failed you, forgive yourself and then continue.