Last week, we finally transferred my younger brother from a boarding school in Nairobi to a day school. Looking back, it is difficult not to wonder why it took us so long. For three years, he complained about school. For three years, we received calls from teachers telling us he was getting into trouble, struggling to adapt, and failing to fit into the school's expectations.
Like many families, we assumed the problem was him. We told him boarding school was difficult for everyone, that he needed to toughen up, that he would eventually settle in. We believed the adults because that is what we are conditioned to do. We believed the institution. We believed the system. What we did not do enough was believe the child.
