The difference a year makes!

Time flies and it’s already been more than a week since I’ve been at Shine Academy. I am getting to know the 25 kids of the new Baby Class very well – I can now remember all their names. They are just the most adorable children, so full of smiles and laughter despite their disadvantaged backgrounds. Most of all, they are eager to learn and absolutely love going to school.

25 new faces of the 2012 Baby Class

In addition to the 25 kids of the new baby class, it was great to see the 50 familiar faces of the Nursery and Pre-unit class. What was striking was to see that these older kids have really blossomed.

The Pre-Unit class, which is made up of the oldest kids (6-7 year olds) are now speaking English fluently (they speak Swahili at home). They are also a lot more confident and independent in their thinking. They don’t hesitate to point out if something is amiss or doesn’t sound right. This includes my poor attempts at Swahili. Last year they were just beginning to learn their alphabet and this year they can read and write in sentences. 

Familiar faces of Pre-Unit Class

What has really warmed my heart is the difference in the behavior of some of the more “troubled” children. For example, six-year-old Alice, was one of the worst behaved children at school last year. She refused to listen to instructions and threw frequent temper tantrums. Prior to starting at Shine Academy, Alice was sexually abused by a male relative. This was the source of much of her anxiety and misbehavior.

This year, to my delight, she has made amazing progress. Alice is engaged in her learning and much better behaved in class. Combined with her natural precociousness, she is now near the top of her class.  Her transformation in one year has been remarkable. What school had done to instigate this change was to work with Alice’s mother (via counseling and living assistance) over the past 12 months to create a more stable and safe home environment. As a result, Alice has flourished. 

Alice is just but one example for the amazing impact that Shine Academy is having on the kids and their families. The progress that these kids have made over the past year has made me even more hopeful and optimistic about their future.

The kids have really flourished

*Names have been changed to protect privacy.