Math Class, and a Frusteration or Two

Math is a subject that most of the girls struggle with. In school, the younger girls are still working on the basic operations still, but the older ones are in more advanced math while still struggling with the basic operations. We have math class four times a week (twice with older and twice with younger) and have been drilling them on the basic operations. The girls have enjoyed class because they can understand what’s going on, for the most part, and are getting the chance to improve areas that they aren’t working on in school anymore but severely affect their understanding in class. Soon we will be going over the concept of fractions, decimals, and percents, but currently, they have no clue what those are or how to use them.

Needless to say, the education system down here is not like that of the States. The rural public school out here in Santo Tomas that the girls attend is so poor that even the brightest and most eager learners will most surely fail—or barely pass—the first year of higher education. The local school is not exactly a prep school for college. It has minimal education and the graduates from that school either join the military or end up selling fish or bananas like everyone else.
We want so much more for our girls but we’re battling a serious education deficit.

The Adventist school in town, Colegio Amazonas, has an incredible education, but is one of the top schools on this side of Peru (top in both academic success and price). The price to send our girls there would be great, since we’d be sending about a dozen, and they would all, or most all, fail because of being so far behind their academic standards. On top of that, the commute would be difficult, especially with such a quantity. On a good day, it would take about an hour taking motorcars and buses, and it may be impossible on some of the stormy days when our road gets wiped out.

It’s a sad reality. Someday we hope to get an Adventist school going out here in the rural so as to provide a better education, and hopefully inexpensive, for our girls and many children in these communities. It’s an impossible dream, but any plan God desires happens, be it possible or not.