Lost Parents

Some of the parents whose children sat for exams on Monday are finding their way to this personal blog instead of using the url address that was given on the directions every student received upon arrival on Monday.

If you wish to know the results for your child, you can find them at the proper website here.

Quod Scripsi Scripsi

On Monday we had 333 candidates sit for our entrance examination -- 210 seats available. We accepted 203 students. We didn't make our target -- in fact we know that not all of the 203 accepted will register. We have put some students on a waiting list and will accept them as space is available on 14 October. We will also have another testing date on 22 October.

My concern most especially is the number of girls -- both testing and passing. We'll try doubly hard to get them to sit for the next exam. This is not only a matter of making sure that they get every opportunity but also a practical problem for us -- the school will reach a point when the boys' dorm is full and the girls' half empty.

So today, I will clean my office and try to avoid parents of candidates who were rejected. This all brings back memories of St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland. Jane McManamon (may she rest in peace) and Sandra Reid were excellent in protecting Rich Clark, the principal, and me, the assistant principal for academics, at the time of the publication of admissions decisions.

Regarding the publication of results, I take Pilate's words as my own: Quod scripsi scripsi -- What I have written, I have written.

Incidentally, all the decisions were made blind -- according to candidate numbers alone. Once they were published I did look at some names. Disappointed that the children of some friends did not make it (and happy that the children of some power folks did!). I am accustomed to standing firm, and this would be no exception -- our "anti-courruption curriculum" is best taught with our own actions.

It'd Be Funny...

...if it weren't so sad.

Have you seen sneakers that have velcro instead of laces? I have. I like velcro -- even some of my REI safari shirts have velcro on the pockets. It was a great invention.

It isn't so great for hanging school signs, though. Today I arrived at our classroom building to discover the "C" in "School" missing -- we became "St. Peter Claver High S hool." When I went to investigate, I discovered that our contractor had used velcro to affix the signs to our classroom building. Incredible. As my friend Martin Waweru, sj, would say if he witnessed this "These people!"

We're really struggling now to keep our contractors serious about their work. They seem to be losing interest  -- and seem to be losing some pride and professionalism, too. So pray for them that they get a second wind in order to finish a quality classroom building originally scheduled to be completed in January 2010. The magis -- not just for Jesuits, their colleagues and their students!

In the Crosshairs of Providence, Indeed

Thirty years ago today I entered to Society of Jesus with 14 others. Eight of us remain. I am so thankful to God for calling me into the Company of his Son.

Some Humour for a Monday

I am in the midst of proofreading mid-term examinations. Teachers hand in hand-written copies which my secretary types.

Well....one of the questions for the civics exams asks the students to define dual citizenship. However the civics teacher's handwriting isn't so great, and the woman who is acting as a temporary secretary in the absence of the full-time secretary does not know English well. That combination explains how you end up with a question which asks students to define anal citizenship!

Health Workers Index

Save the Children has just published this report regarding health care. Tanzania ranks 135th out of 161 on the health worker index.

The index includes three indicators:
1. a measure of health worker density;
2. the percentage of children receiving three doses of the vaccine for diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus; and
3. skilled birth attendance rate.

161 countries, those with accurate data available, are included in the index.
Countries with a population of less than 500,000 were not included.

Our hope here at Our Lady Queen of Peace Educational Centre is that our dispensary will soon serve Ihumwa, the local village, in addition to its service to our students. If you want to help change Tanzania's standing on the index (and more importantly change the welfare of an entire village!), please consider helping us open the dispensary to the community by clicking on the appropriate link in the "You Can Help" section to the right.

The Quality of Mercy

Portia's soliloquy in Act IV of The Merchant of Venice has always been among my favourites from among the soliloquies of Shakespeare's plays.

The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown.
His scepter shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings.
But mercy is above this sceptered sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings;
It is an attribute of God himself;
And earthly power doth then show like God's
When mercy seasons justice.

I have had to concern myself with issues of justice and mercy these days. Last evening the boys for the upteenth time were late for a regularly schedule school event, the evening meal. Not only were most of them late, they were only beginning to think about getting ready for dinner when I went to their dormitory at 6:45 p.m. How to handle this?

I told them to go to their rooms and wait for me. I then went to the multi-purpose hall and got those few what had reported on time (20 or so) settled and eating. I then returned to the boys' dorm, told them they would eat their meal and then would report immediately back to the dormitory, which they would clean "like it had never been cleaned before" followed by early lights out for them. While they did that, the rest of the students enjoyed watching the second half of The Fellowship of the Ring, the first half of which had been very popular.

I had received a report yesterday that some of the students had been in the teacher work room without accompaniment or permission -- and using the computer! This morning I gathered the nine of them, and soon discovered one had entered the room and immediately left and that two others similarly left soon after realizing that there was no teacher in the room and that they probably shouldn't be there.

I told the remaining students that in many schools such behaviour would be cause for immediate expulsion but that I had decided that this time it did not rise to that level but that they would all be suspended from classes this next week. What will they be doing instead? Clearing rocks and stones from a piece of land which will become our community garden. Additionally, they have to write letters home informing their parents (to be accompanies by my own letter) and also write letters to the teachers apologizing.

One of the things that I always tell teachers is that student mischief is always an opportunity to teach them about the mission of the school. I hope these events and my response to them help form these students into the sorts of leaders that will make us proud to count them as alumni someday.