Years ago, I completed my compulsory one-year National Service (NYSC) as a naive young man with a vision of who I wanted to become. However, I lacked clarity on how to transform that vision into reality.
In December 2018, I met Victoria Animasahun, who saw my true potential and recognised me as an asset. She inspired me to apply for TFN, a movement of change agents that aligns with my values and mentored me throughout the application and selection process. Thanks to her unwavering support and belief in me, I was able to embark on a journey of personal and professional growth. This experience has taught me to always believe in myself and to trust my abilities to achieve my goals.
“Two years ago, I took a leap of faith and left my job as a journalist/creative designer to join the Teach for Nigeria Fellowship. That one decision has transformed my life in ways I never imagined possible.”
During my Youth Service, I accepted to be a private tutor to a 5-year-old who could not read. I applied all the methods I knew in getting him to read but in the end, there was little or no improvement. I was sad when I got paid, I failed. I had done nothing to deserve the wage.
After joining the fellowship, I and 44 other phenomenal individuals went through 4-weeks intensive Leadership Development and Teacher training which was to prepare us for our Day 1 in the classroom.
It was during this residential training called “Summer Training Institute” that I realized why I was unable to get the boy to read. He is active and loves to play football or jump around. It was then I realised that he is a Tactile learner who needed to be involved in his learning process, meanwhile, I dealt with him like an Auditory learner, hence, the reason for no positive learning outcome.
Two years down the line, I know better! The quality of periodic teacher training programs at the fellowship fortified me with skills to address every learner’s ability. I now know how to make children learn through various teaching methods, strategies, and fun activities.
It is worthy of note that the Teach for Nigeria fellowship is one leadership movement that stands out in providing platforms for young individuals to experientially lead.
Not only have I learned to be an effective 21st-century teacher, I have also had the opportunity to provide sustainable solutions to problems in my classroom and community. I was able to transform the academic pathway of my learners to a significant improvement rate.
My learners might have been born in an underserved community due to circumstances beyond their control, but beyond academic outcomes, I exposed these children on different occasions to what their natural habitat should look like by taking them on virtual trips. I also empowered them with skills to get there.
To achieve an all-around growth and development, we engaged in curricula and extra-curricular activities such as Art Exhibition. Pictures and stories on how we used art to improve learning outcomes in our classroom were published in an e-publication of the Oyemaja Foundation in April 2020.
Save as you earn (SAYE), was a project used to demonstrate and teach children financial literacy. We created awareness on saving money as we earned. We also designed piggy bank from waste materials to that effect in 2020.
In December 2020, I got a rude shock when I discovered that some of my learners come to school hungry and they do not eat until they are back home after school. This really affected their learning as they would always sleep during class, they were mostly distracted.
With support from Howbury School, Lagos and some philanthropists, I embarked on a project Feed a Family Initiative, where food palliatives were distributed to their families. We placed the children on one meal per day for 10 school weeks. With this intervention, the children could stay awake and concentrate in class, which improved their learning outcome.
Weeks into the second term, I noticed that my learners were exhausting the pages of their notebooks and not getting replacements. Most parents’ complaints revolved around lack of resources. Some of the children also came to school with tattered school bags and sandals.
As a result of this, the learners without notebooks played and were distracted during classwork. The ones with tattered school bags and sandals lacked confidence. It also made their books get lost and torn easily.
To address this situation, we implemented Love in a Bag initiative. We got donations of notebooks and writing materials from Isrina Schools, Amuzie Rose and Grace Amuzie. These were made available for learners’ use when they exhausted the pages of their notebooks. We also got donations of school bags, sandals and reading books.
At the end of the day, every learner worked at the same time. The ones who got new bags were able to protect their books from getting torn.
To reward excellence and encourage hard work among my learners, two pupils who were outstanding in their academics were awarded scholarships to cater for their learning materials till further notice.
Gone are the days when learning meant teachers with a straight face and fearful students who lacked the confidence to freely express themselves before their teacher. I created a unique classroom experience that promoted freedom of expression, creativity, critical thinking etc.
As an individual who is keen on discovering and developing talents in children, I took deliberate actions to identify the talents of my learners and helped them develop through roles and responsibilities.
Jomiloju and Opemipo were equipped with Art materials because they loved to draw. Elizabeth was equipped with a notepad because she loved to write stories. To encourage her, I read her stories. Adewale ensured that the class was coordinated. He was in charge of ensuring that the windows and doors well locked at school closing.
The list of what we achieved is endless, but I would stop here to write about other things that stood out for me.
Life is not a bed of roses they say. This journey has been quite challenging. I struggled a lot at the beginning especially with classroom management, but I am most grateful for the support given by Sandra Meninwa, my Leadership Development Manager and the community of like minds Teach for Nigeria gave me.
Sometimes, I am at the point of giving up and as if someone had snitched, Coach’s message comes in acknowledging the process and reassuring me that I had the capacity to do more.
I am eternally grateful to Howbury Schools, Isrina Schools, professionals, and well-meaning individuals who supported my work through donations in cash and materials.
As I graduate from the fellowship today 20th August 2021, it is fulfilling to know that through the Teach for Nigeria fellowship, I discovered purpose and gained insights into a career path.
Now more than ever, the quest to end education inequity in our world continues as advocacy for quality education in the grassroots, Social Work, Capacity Development, Art are core to my existence.
Please, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook!
If you desire to join the Teach for Nigeria fellowship, ensure that you follow their social media handles and turn on your notification. You would get information on when they start accepting applications.
I have also written this to guide prospective applicants in acing the application stages.
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Great work sir.
Amazing 👏🏻
This path you’ve chosen is more honorable and considered humane. I admire and commend this Brother!
More light to your path!
You will continually receive favour in the sight of men and God..
The article is encouraging.
Job well done Olalekan David Abiola
You are will continually receive favour in the sight of men and God..
The article is encouraging.
Job well done Olalekan David Abiola
Your experience shared is indeed an inspiration to the young graduate out there. Thanks for replicating your mentor Victoria.
Great!
Beautiful piece. Thanks for inspiring us.
Thank you for reading Esther.
So inspiring, TFN is doing a great job
Wow, what a great impact.
I’m truly inspired, thank you so much sir for this piece
I am glad that you were inspired. Thank you for reading Abiodun.
You’re right about that. It’s always a wonderful thing to make positive impact wherever one finds oneself.
Amen.
Wonderful article! Truly, TFN Fellowship is a wonderful initiative towards educational advancement in Nigeria. It would be a great privilege to be a part of this movement. Kudos!
This story is truly inspiring. It’s beautiful how you were able to overcome challenges you faced to help the children get the best out of their learning experiences and become the best version of themselves. Thanks for your contribution to TFN and education in Nigeria. I hope you achieve greater things in your career and your works continue to inspire potential educators.
Thank you for your kind words, Precious.
Very great. Thanks to TFN.
With interventions like TFN, inequality in education is on the path of extinction. I’m inspired!
Nice and inspiring piece. Keep up the good work
Very inspiring piece.
TFN is doing a great job to end education inequity in our nation!
Accurate! Personally, I admire their structural coordination and dedication to making concrete impacts.
I’m a 2022 applicant and I hope to be selected. It would be a great opportunity to add value to the society while striving towards personal and career advancement.
I wish you the best Philips!
You can actually say that again. Thank you for reading my story.
Congratulations!!! Sir. It indeed feels good to impact lives. May the lord continues to grace you for more.
Amen!
Amen, thank you for the kind words!
Great piece stuffed with inspiration. There’s no limit to what can be done to better the lot of our classroom with the professional help of reputable organizations as the Teach for Nigeria Fellowship. I hope to be part of this movement to further advance the cause of our educational system for an improved teaching and learning. God bless TFN.
I wish you best of luck!
I totally agree with you. We all need that community that gives us a purpose and equips us with the relevant resources to transform the world.
Smith, I look forward to seeing you someday as a stakeholder in the movement. Ensure you read my posts on how to ace your fellowship application stages.
Transformation indeed. This is a great experience for Abiola. 👏🏾
Thank you Blessing.
What a transformation indeed through the teach for Nigeria fellowship programme.
It is indeed a great transformation. Thank you for reading my story.
Indeed, this is a great transformation.