#celebrateateacher# World Teachers Day My tribute is not for one teacher but for a host of them who guided me towards responsible personhood. My first teachers were my parents. I basically learned how to read on my dad’s knees from where he opened my eyes and ears to the Vanguard back page comic strip adventures of Captain Africa decades ago. My mum was a veteran of the Lagos State public school system, and her incisive methods ensured that her lessons in “carrying and borrowing” in long sums were programmed into my nightly dreams. Together, my parents laid the all important foundations, a love for books and a conviction that the most important inheritance that parents can bequeath to their progeny is intellectual and moral enlightenment. I am grateful to those that taught me at Nazareth School, in Festac Town, Lagos. In many ways, this is where the conscious quest for knowledge began for me. Reverend Sister Anne (our Irish headmistress) and Reverend Sister Marsha brought a truly graceful spirit to bear upon the delicate task of nurturing young minds. Miss Helen Isiuwe, Messrs Doyi and Ayim were patient and perceptive tutors who genuinely cared about their pupils and whose interest and investment in me went beyond the bounds of the classroom. In secondary school, my literature teacher, Mr David Obasanmi did my self confidence a world of good. Mr Appiah taught me the importance of fundamentals not just in mathematics but in the entire gamut of the educational experience. Messrs Ugbodu and Olajide, (who taught agricultural science and economics) were a great encouragement to me. In university, Dr Wada, who taught us to think about world politics in new ways, Professor Abdulhamid Ujo who brought a kindly and fatherly comportment to his dexterity in teaching political science, and Dr Wilcox who took us on soaring mental flights in philosophy, were bright colours on an otherwise dreary canvas. My notion that teaching is a unique vocation and a special calling was shaped by the conscientious tutors that aided my growth. They were variously Irish, American, Ghanaian and Nigerian but all shared a sincere commitment to the craft of teaching. They stoked my curiousity and made me enjoy learning. Looking back, I realize that many of them (especially from my secondary school experience onwards) worked in conditions that were far from ideal and yet they remarkably retained their humanity and the infectious joy that comes from doing what one is born to do. Perhaps, the greatest gifts that one can receive from teachers are self-knowledge, self-confidence, a thirst for knowledge and a desire for constant learning and self-improvement. The aforementioned ladies and gentlemen that I have been privileged to know did this for me and several others in spades. I am the sum of their tireless efforts, a product of their investments and I am truly grateful to have been touched by their care, kindness, wisdom and intelligence. #celebrateateacher#
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 09:36:09 +0000
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