England here we come........

This time next week I'll be in England.....

As I sit here and type I am thankful for my touch typing skills.  I am invigilating a grade 9 technology exam....and can't really afford to take my eyes off the 12 mishievious learners for more than a few seconds.  Tomorrow is their last day at school for the year and then the teachers have the daunting task of seeing who has passed and who has failed.   The teachers at this school invest in these learners in a deeper level than just academically, and it is so hard to see a child fail when they have grown so much in other areas of their lives.  I guess for this reason the School of Hope hasn't totally failed the child.  One or two of the learners have attended  drug rehabilitation programmes this year through the school.  Some of them have experienced love and acceptance in a way that they have never known before.  Every day these learners have heard Truth in the morning devotions, something that can never be taken away.  Pass or fail, this school cannot measure its success statistically by academical results!!

Its a hard school system here in South Africa.  Failing means staying in the same grade again, and this can be disheartening to say the least.  Lindo's two sisters, Thandiswa and Thandeka, who now live with us during the week are set to pass grade 10 on their third attempt.  Last night Thandeka (18) said to me with a big smile on her face, "yorr I cannot imagine myself in grade 11!"   I am excited to see these two girls blossom even more in their gifting these next couple of years.  Thandeka has joined the drama group at the school and is really showing leadership skills.  She is so sensible for her young years that I am constantly amazed by her maturity.  Thandiswa, the older of the two, is a natural homemaker.  Not as academically driven as Thandeka, she is still showing such perseverence at school and is determined to make it through to matric.

It has been an absolute pleasure hosting these girls these past couple of months, not to mention the positive effect it will have had on Lindo, who is on the verge of adolescence.  The influence of her two older sisters will be invaluable as they display qualities that any mother would want to see in their children.  Not only that, she is hearing her mother tongue spoken in the home, which will hopefully bring back to remembrance the xhosa language she spoke as a child and has since forgotton.