After my high school experience, I began to question whether attending (4) years of high school is necessary in order to attend college. After having my children attend Ujamaa School, the answer to my question became evident - (4) years of high school is not necessary in order to attend college.
Ujamaa allowed our watoto (children) to master its curriculum at their own pace. For our watoto, the race was on. Our fourteen year old daughter is a prime example that attending (4) years of high school is unnecessary. She transferred from Ujamaa to Woodrow Wilson in NW, Washington, DC in the 9th grade. While there, she was placed in honors classes and made straight A's without much effort. The joke in our household was that her six year old brother, a student at Ujamaa, had more family work (homework) than she did as a student at Woodrow Wilson.
After a disappointing year at Woodrow Wilson, we took a rather radical approach, we had her take the college placement test at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). She was placed in Freshman English and enrolled as a 'special student'. Our fourteen year old daughter is currently taking five classes at UDC's Community College and and no longer attends Woodrow Wilson High School. She just took her midterms and feels confident in her results. So far, she has received a 'B' in Biology 101.
Our daughter's success is directly linked to her studies at Ujamaa School. Ujamaa's teaching method ensures that wanafunzi (students) master the required curriculum and develop extraordinary study skills. Our choice to have our daughter skip high school was a logical step in her academic career. Her success is attributed to our parenting and our ability to choose a school that promotes a high level of academic excellence. In the near future, we hope that all Afrikan children will be able to benefit from academic institutions similar to Ujamaa. - Mama Shawna Malone - Parent
