Writers 
I went for a children's programme in a school yesterday. I was the guest speaker for the day. I saw beautiful primary school children, all dressed elegantly in their neat uniforms, bubbling with life and looking all radiant—all but one girl looked different. She looked like she was among the wrong crowd. She definitely didn't want to be there, judging by the way she was looking all lost. Her demeanour sparked curiosity in me. I became so interested in knowing more about her and the story behind the sad face.
She said her name was Arashya and she was 14 years old, but surprisingly, she was still in Primary Three. I was shocked, but I tried to mask it. How could a 14-year-old be in such a young class? Her sad face and downcast countenance began to make more sense.
She told me, after much persuasion, that she was from the village, but around the Christmas season last year, her aunt, who had recently lost her husband, had come to take her to the city to live with her. She had been so elated at the prospect of living and schooling in the city. She had seen quite a number of movies on what city life looked like, and she had been secretly praying to experience such. So, her joy knew no bounds when her aunt came for her.
Settling in was very easy. Everything was going exactly as she had imagined. Delicious meals, beautiful clothes and shoes became her new life, and she was really grateful to God that she now had everything she had secretly prayed for.
When the new session started, her aunt started making plans to enrol her in school as promised. She became even happier and more expectant. Alas, her joy came to an abrupt end when the examination questions for the JSS1 class she was supposed to be admitted into were given to her. Nothing looked familiar. She couldn't even read the questions. She only managed to write her name on the answer booklet. That was when the reality that she was way behind dawned on her. She didn't even stand a chance.
Back then in the village, they didn't even write exams in school. They just moved the children to the next class after each session. She was now in a city school where performance determined progression to the next class. After much deliberation, it was decided that she be placed in Primary Three. The head teacher mentioned some things about the importance of a good foundation, regardless of one's age and status. She said she pretended to understand everything that was said, but deep down, she was hurting.
She said she had been feeling embarrassed and ashamed, especially seeing that she was double the age of most of her classmates. Some of the children also made matters worse by calling her derogatory names. She said she didn't deem the environment fit for learning. Her aunty was also not happy with the school's decision, especially as the demotion meant more money to be paid for the additional classes. She had still gone ahead with the decision, though, hoping that she would pick up and possibly get to skip some classes along the line.
By the time she was done talking, she had tears in her eyes. She even confessed to wanting to go back to the village. Though it held little prospect for her, she at least had her dignity and respect over there.
Hearing that little girl talk made me reason deeply too. Sometimes, we are faced with situations that tend to make us move backwards to retrace our steps. It doesn't necessarily mean that we aren't good enough or that we didn't put in our best. It might just be saying that we could be and do better. Instead of always looking at the other side—what people will say—and allowing our ego to get the better part of us, why can't we just see it as an opportunity to prove ourselves again? Not every backward move means failure. It just might be life wanting us to repeat that stage in a different way in order to make our future more beautiful.
I had told the little girl to clean her tears and look at the brighter side of life. A good foundation is the main starting point she needs for whatever sphere of life she decides to pursue.
It is never too late to start afresh. Have an open mind and keep doing your best. A better future should be all the motivation you need.