Every year, I get cordial invitations to secondary schools across the country. Most of the times, I give form one students tips on how to adjust to high school life.
At one of the national schools I visited, one girl shared with me her predicament. Her mom works in Turkey and occasionally visits the country while her father, who is in Kenya, sells high end cars.
She shared that she did her KCPE in an academy and that her parents promised to enroll her into an international school to have a taste of the British curriculum like her sister.
However, after the release of form one placement results where the girl got selected to a public national school upcountry, the parents changed their mind, a move that has left the intelligent student disillusioned.
For the girl to settle in her new school, she needed a seismic shift in the mind.
In the heroic book titled Why Don’t Students Like School? Daniel T. Willingham contents that good education should transform minds of students hence both parents and teachers should endeavour to understand the cognitive, affective and normative dimension of children.
Arguably, in this case, the girl’s narration painted a perfect picture of a learner hit hard by culture shock because she was not in a school of her status. Perhaps, based on the economic status of her parents, she felt they should have honoured their promise. She felt the parents should have at least spared some time to explain the change of plans.
There is a form two boy in one of the national schools who went to his principal to narrate his struggle with academics. He felt the competition was too stiff and pressure was piling up.
Upon interrogation, the principal found out that the student cheated in KCPE hence his high score wasn’t an indication of his real capability. Therefore, the boy sought permission to transfer to a school of his status.
Another fresh episode in our mortal minds is that of a student who burnt a girls’ school in Nairobi. Investigations into the matter was conducted and it was discovered that while the girl had been selected to join a certain school, her parents, who had another school in mind, proceeded with their plans.
Therefore, the girl joined the school and conspired in her heart to ‘teach’ the parents an indelible lesson.
These examples send a strong message to parents who make promises but do not fulfill their promises or those who think their opinions supersede those of their children.
Students who do well in school just adjust, adapt and advance. However, as we compel them to perform well, we must balance optimism and realism. Some parents take children to schools that make them struggle to fit yet, with sensitivity, we can nurture a culture principle called the joy of learning.
In conclusion, parents should take children to schools that match their status. The status could be academic, economic, physical, et cetera. For children who are abled differently, it is advisable to take them to schools with professionals specialized to handle children with special needs.
By Victor Ochieng’
The writer is an editor, author and peripatetic public speaker.
vochieng.90@gmail.com. 0704420232
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