All the World's a Stage

And all the wavulana and wasichana merely players / They have their exits and their entrances / And one mvulana in his time plays many parts....

Here's hoping Will Shakespeare will forgive my liberty in re-arranging his poem and making it more Toa Nafasi-friendly....

The stage to which I refer is the above-pictured classroom and the players, the wavulana (boys) and wasichana (girls) are the new group of Toa Nafasians!  All of whom I am sure will shortly be assuming many new roles, like active, participatory, creative, and inspired students at Msaranga Primary School!!

I am pleased to report that the 2015 assessment period is a fait accompli and out of 131 kidlets, 20 are struggling mildly and 31 sufficiently to give us cause to worry.  (Of course, data dilettante Angi Stone-MacDonald will have to give us the hard facts, but that's all in due course....)

Of these 51, there are various factors in their under-performance that we have been trying to uncover since finishing the testing and conducting the parent interviews.  We have just begun the referral period with a marathon day (the first of many!) at KCMC Hospital where we've taken the students for eye exams, hearing tests, pediatric follow-ups, and neuro consults.  

We will continue with said referrals until we have all the information we need to make IEPs (Individualized Education Program) for each pumpkin.  

So far, so good, but it will be rough road ahead especially given that the students who do NOT need medical referrals will start their tuition (remedial work) with the Toa Nafasi staff next week.  

I keep asking Teacher Yacinta, "Uko tayari, mrembo?" (Are you ready, beautiful?), and she keeps smiling, quite beautifully, but Vumi and I both know that it will be kazi kubwa (big work) going forward.  And the teachers-in-training obviously have NO CLUE what they're in for!  

But it will be that much more gratifying for all of us in one year's time when these kids are killing it in class on their own.  Which they will be if the last two years' results are any indication.

Anyhoo, MUCH more news from this side, but I'm cutting it short in order to get some correspondence done.  Back at y'all next week with the latest haps....  Until then, be well everybody.