School Starts...back at WNS

After turning in our application at Rosslyn, we got a call that Ashley had been accepted!  Yes, Lord!  There was a caveat, however.  Although the school "typically doesn't do this," Ashey was accepted without resource help being available to her.  It seems that at Rosslyn, each grade is allotted so much resource time and 6th grade had used up all theirs.  So, Ashley could go to the school (longer bus ride, harder curriculum, another year of being the newbie), but there would be no official help for her once there.  The whole reason we'd investigated Rosslyn was because we'd been told their resource help was superb and their kids weren't as "clique-y" as those at WNS. 

Rather than giving up, though, we contacted the resource teacher directly.  She, again reiterated what the superintendent had said..Rosslyn had no more resource spots for 6th grade students.  We pushed to see if maybe just having the teachers be attuned to Ashley's state and having them help with tracking homework assignments and test dates would be possible.  "To tell the truth," said the resource person,"the sixth grade teachers here really want the students to stand more on their own."  To put it simply..don't count on any teachers running interference. 

OK, strike two.  Not willing to totally give up, I tried contacting one of the teachers, but was instead directed to the principle of the middle school.  Unfortunately, this person was out of the country until just before school started, so he/she didn't get my emails until about two weeks before school started.  Again we petitioned for some help from the teachers...just to help make sure Ashey wrote down her homework assignments and turned them in.  The principle kindly informed us that the sixth grade teachers already had their hands full with students who needed resource help, but couldn't get any.

West Nairobi - main campus entrance

So, four days before school started, we made the decision to send Ashley back to West Nairobi.  The superintendent there said that they would all do whatever they could to help Ashley succeed.  Forgive me for sounding sarcastic, but that wasn't the same tune they were singing last year, so I was skeptical.  Jeff was out of town (see blog about his Visa expiring) at this time, so I met with the superintendent who arranged a meeting with the core teachers two days after school began.  All were gracious and agreed to check what Ashley'd written and sign off on the accuracy.  Ashley was on her own to remember to turn in the assignments.

Although Ashley was initially disappointed in having to return to WNS, after a week at school she was having a great time.  Middle school, with it's challenges of having to move from class to class and having to remember her books, etc. for each class turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  For the first term, Ashley was doing great.  She'd met some new friends and had a new outlook on school.  The teachers were all helping her remember to write her assignments down and she was starting to show some self-direction in doing homework at home.  Our prayers had been answered!

Since the beginning of the second term, Ashley's been slipping a bit.  Some of the old habits of lying about homework and doing the wrong assignments have crept back in.  She misses home a lot and keeps asking when we're going back.  I'm not sure what's changed, but please pray that God will give her peace and reveal what we need to know in order to help her.