The beginning of Year 6/10

Yep that is correct this marks the beginning of my 6th full year with the Tumaini Evangelistic Pre & Primary School and my 10th year in Tanzania. A lot has happened over the years and I will most likely take some time this year to reflect of some of those events. The school is going strong at the start. It is always interesting when you ask for enrollment numbers and they just keep saying they don’t have because more joined the school today. The best guess is 217 students this year. The last picture I have of our new students is below.

The thing most people ask about last year are the grades for our standardized test. This was our second year taking the Standard 4 Standardized test. The test results were posted online just before the new school year started. I am going to be honest that while our test scores were still much better than the local government schools, they were below our school standards. We had 1 A, 11 Bs, 4 Cs and 1 D this year. They don’t post the actual scores and did not include school positions this year. Our standard is that all students score a 60 or above which means our students would have to score As or Bs, No Cs or Ds.

As I mentioned we did do a lot better than the local government schools. Kiruani Primary got No As, 1 B, 17 Cs, 15 Ds and 7 failed. Chem Chem which is also local to our area got No As, 3 Bs, 12 Cs, 24 Ds and 28 failed. These two schools are the main ones we pull students from.

The environment is tough right now. It is 12:36 PM and the temperature is 92 degrees Fahrenheit. As I tried to take a picture of the thermometer I got a message on my phone that it is overheating and will shut down. This is a normal message at around 3 PM. Poor Buttercup just comes into my office and collapses at my feet, no begging for attention or wanting to play.

I had hoped this year would put me back on schedule to only come back to the states in December and June, but that will not be the case at least at the beginning of the year. I will come home while the school is closed mid semester for two weeks. Most of those from my church, know my mom Parkinson and dementia have caused her to fall more often and led to a couple of emergency room visits. We have gotten some home health care visits scheduled (and started) through their retirement community, but we felt I should come home to make her feel better. I am not sure how much longer I have before she forgets who I am, but will be doing the most with it. Please keep her in your prayers.