My frustration has to do with my kids and their schooling. Not that we don't have adequate schooling here for them. We are very blessed to have several options. The frustration comes from the kids having to adapt to different schooling systems and different schools.
When we arrived for our first term our kids had to adapt to the British school system. They were ahead in reading but far behind in math and had a to work really hard to catch up. They did catch up and did really well the 3yrs. we were here.
When we returned to the States for our furlough, we actually put them up a grade and since we came home in Dec. they had missed half of the school year. So, they really jumped ahead a year and a half. We did this in hopes that when we returned to Botswana, they would not be too far behind.
Hannah is doing fine, except for getting in trouble for her skirt being too short! The new school they are at offers an American schooling program that she does on line. It works great for her because she can finish her 10th grade year that she was doing in the States and graduate at the same time as her friends in America. If she did the system here, she would have 3 to 4 more years of schooling.
Zach is doing the IGCSE which is the British high school program and he's struggling. Because of the times of the year we have moved back and forth he has missed a lot in math. He didn't have a problem in America. He made the honor roll and was inducted into the honor society. He made great grades and really enjoyed school. He did tell us quite often that school was too easy in America. Now we are needing to get him a math tutor and he is extremely frustrated. I hate seeing him like this. It breaks my heart! He has adjusted well to his new school(even though he is the only white kid in his class) and has made friends. But he has come home frustrated and angry every day this week. He is in need of a breakthrough!! I am praying for him and believing that the tutoring is going to make a big difference for him.
Now Elliott is a whole nother story. They are having him do 5th grade over again because he is the age of all the other 5th graders here. He was only 3 months short of finishing 5th grade when he arrived here. He has only been back in school for a week but says everything is too easy. They sent him home with a reading book yesterday that was really way to easy for him. He told me, "Mom, I'm insulted by this!" He had an 8th grade reading level back in America. I spoke to the school before he was admitted and explained that I was worried that he might need to be moved up a grade. They really didn't listen and now, I'm thinking I'm going to have to go back there and tell them that he's not challenged enough! Ugh...so, I'm frustrated.
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