It Takes A School

It Takes A School

Adult nonfiction
"It is early summer 2011, near the end of our second year at the
Abaarso School in Somaliland, Africa...My assistant headmaster has
just ended our lengthy phone call with an alarming comment, delivered
to me so casually that one might think it was a joke. Unfortunately,
the absurdity we are dealing with is no comedy.
'Oh yeah, Jon,' Henry Lee had blurted out, 'I almost forgot to
tell you, but there was a militia at the front gate. They came to
kill you, but it's cool now.'"
Say what?
I can't imagine anyone reading the first paragraphs of Jonathan
Starr's It Takes A School and putting the book down. Founding a
school can lead to death threats? Evidently it can when you're an
American operating in Somaliland it can.
Starr's Uncle Billeh was raised in Somaliland. His father died
when he was four. His family was split up. He and a younger brother
were sent to live with an older sister in a village while the rest of
the large family pursued a nomadic life style. He earned his
elementary school tuition by selling flatbread. Going beyond third
grade involved expensive boarding school. Billeh tested into the most
respected one. His mother made the sacrifice of selling some of her
sheep to give him a future. Although he was able to attend an
American university and settle in the United States, he never stopped
caring about his impoverished native land.
His story probably figured into Starr's decisions. Since his
college days he'd dreamed of starting a school for children whose
potential would be wasted without a good education. As a successful
hedge fund manager, he finally had the means to fund his dream. But
he had as much to learn as his future students. He had a lot of
consulting to do to plan the curriculum. (He'd only had one class in
education). He was half way around the world from construction going
on in a burned out area. They would even have to truck in water.
Many people were suspicious of foreigners. And everything was done
through a complex and confusing clan system.
The obstacles Starr and his crew faced and overcame would make
for a fascinating narrative. But the stories of the first students
are the embedded gems that truly make It Takes A School shine.
Mubarik, for example, was born into a nomadic life style. At
five he was in charge of one hundred goats, grazing them and providing
predator protection. (In contrast, we in America wouldn't put a child
that age in charge of a goldfish). He thought the trucks he saw in
the distance were some kind of animal. He learned about school (and
trucks) when he landed in a refugee camp at the age of nine.
"When Mubarik went back to his family he told his parents that
he wanted to go to school. His mother was sympathetic, but his father
said no. No one in his family had ever been to school, and no one had
anything good to say about getting an education. So his father
thought he was a weak child because he didn't want to walk with the
animals."
Mubarik was anything but weak. He ran away and was able to get
permission to enroll in a public school. Although homeless and hungry
through much of his primary education, he scored high enough on a
national exam to qualify for high school.
His story and those of his classmates will astound you.
On a personal note, the big storm is on the way, due to strike
tonight. The meteorologists are calling for 12 to 22". They're as
excited as little kids the night before Christmas.
A great big shout out goes out to all the people including my Eugene
who will be called on to blizzard battling.
jules hathaway


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