Learning How to High School
Cape Town was cookin’ last week! Just a few weeks into spring, and the highs were in the 90’s everyday. (I’m speaking Fahrenheit today. Cape Town friends, you know how hot it was!) I’m carrying a sweet potato-sized human and had to jump into our swimming pool intermittently throughout the day to keep me and this potato baby from baking! (Fahrenheit friends, there is no central air in homes or schools here.)
Between consuming three bags of ice, dipping in the pool and making some exciting church plans, I toured three high schools last week. Yes, that’s right… I said HIGH SCHOOL. There are lots of good reasons for a pregnant lady to sweat through high school tours while her 10-year old son remains blissfully unaware, thinking mostly about what I’m going to pack in his lunch box and the Ripley’s Believe It or Not book we checked out at the library. Kids at school are already talking big and creating anxiety about who’s going to what high school, so we kept our tours and our reasoning to ourselves. But I’d love to share with you:
Why We Are Already Thinking About High School:
1. Cape Town has more children than schools. The 2018 school year started with 11,000 children in the province still with no place in a school. Parents start applying years in advance. It’s not uncommon for fathers to go straight from a hospital with a brand new baby’s birth certificate to a primary school to complete an application! High school starts in 7th or 8th grade, depending on the school. Lifa completes 5th grade in December.
Beautiful University of Cape Town. Photo by: Richard Whittemore. Published by Travelstart.
UCT riots. Published by Daily Vox.
2. South Africa is also one of the only nations in the world with a declining education system. In 2015, South African ranked 75 out of 76 countries testing in science and maths, and 27% of students who had attended school for 6+ years could not read. Something’s not working right now, so we have to consider the future. With the levels of riots, strikes and increasing danger at universities, should we put our efforts into Lifa being able to go to university internationally?
3. There are so many types of school. You pay for all school here, but the financial differences between a South African government school, a private school, and an international school are substantial. (Ranging from about $400 to $1000/month!)
Cape Town matrics (high school seniors) writing national exams. Published by IOL.
4. And then there’s Lifa – the super-kid who was set apart for greatness from his very beginning. Due to his lack of documentation and care in his early years, Lifa was not afforded the same foundational education his classmates had. We have hustled in the last few years to help him catch up, and he goes to school with a bright smile on his face every day because of it. But what environment will he thrive in? They are all so different. How do we set him up for a win after all these years of transition and changes?
We’ve only scratched the surface here. But how far do you scratch before you fall into a bottomless pit of What if’s? and What about’s?
I asked all my questions and came out with more. I scratched one off the list, wondered about others, and agonized over the future of our son. Would I single-handedly ruin his life by choosing the wrong high school? Chris and I talked it over again and again, neck-deep in the pool, sitting in our bedroom, and over early morning coffee dates. We spent a little time talking about schools, but more time talking about Truth.
7-year old Lifa
If Lifa’s future was – or had ever been - determined by the decision of his parents, where would his hope come from? If anyone’s life was in my hands, would I place my hope?
God created us for families, community, and church because we were made to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. We need a face-to-face reminder that we can’t put our hope in our own resources or wisdom. It’s too much pressure. We can do the work, go on the tours, and gather the facts. And we should. God gave us brilliant minds full of purpose and possibility. But once we’ve done all we can, let’s give those brilliant thoughts back to Him.
If I look back at my stories since moving to South Africa in 2010… if I look at how my miracle family has been formed… when I give those things more weight than statistics, I am filled with a confident hope. I’m not going to ruin Lifa’s life! He is God’s and not mine. God has filled every story I’ve been willing to give to Him with Him. He is the greatest author of all-time.
This week, I’m going to rewrite my banner. I’ve been flying a flag of questions and concerns. It’s time for testimonies of Truth to fly highest. There’s something about telling and re-telling the stories of God’s faithfulness that reminds you of who you are and Whose you are. So far, Ladd.family only has the stories I’ve written since we got married in 2015. There were 5 years of stories before that from my previous blog. As I proclaim God’s faithfulness over my life and our family this week, I’m going to re-post one story per day to celebrate God’s triumphant faithfulness. Please stop by if you want to share – or even borrow – some joy and triumph!
September 12, 2015: THE BEST