Speaking with my brother-in-law yesterday about Secondary school and especially the teachers one encountered there reminded me that instead of just talking, I should say Thank you. Well, a thank you via my blog is one I doubt will reach them but I guess it’ll encourage everyone who had a teacher or teachers who made a remarkable difference in their lives.
I studied Computer Science with Mathematics at Great Ife (Yeah, Great!!!) and the only reason I was able to take that bold step and study a course with Maths in it was because of my SSS 3 teacher in Secondary school.
I can never forget his first day in our class. My attitude was ‘hmmm listen and pray to at least scale through with an ‘Olorunyomi’ (‘God saved me’) grade. I had been swinging between the C5 and C6 grades before then.
His first words were, “For those of you who do not do well in Maths, It is not because Maths is difficult but because you have made enemies of Maths”. He went on and on and encouraged us to view Maths as a friend and in-turn it would love us. He was not all talk, but broke down all the seemingly intractable equations and theorems and my hitherto math-impervious brain was now soaking it all in like a very dry sponge.
Before my final exams SSCE, I had fallen madly in love with this ‘dreaded’ subject. When my results came out and I got an A3, I was very disappointed, I had expected an A1. I can only say, Thank you Mr. Olanipekun!
After that my love for maths grew in leaps and bounds and in University it was no big deal dealing with the various MTH courses.
Mr. Adeosun, my Geography teacher in SSS3 was also another teacher teaching a favourite course. He was dedicated, organised extra lessons for us and made the subject come alive. With many years of experience his teaching was excellent. I struggled with a decsion about whether to study a Geography-based course in University for a long while, thanks to him.
After Secondary School came a period of waiting which I spent attending school for A-Levels. And thinking of good teachers, Pa Asante (as we called him) readilly comes to mind. He taught us Physics and was very dedicated. With his neat writing on the chalkboard and penchant for asking us if we understood, and re-asking if we were sure we understood, he won our hearts over.
He was thorough and his explanations broken down so that even the most disinterested student would learn if they listened. He struck me as a grandfather-figure, greying and genuinely interested in our progress.
I remember his questions each time he saw us after an examination. “How was the paper?”, he would ask. Our replies would range from “Very Nice” to “Ok” and he would simply say “Well, We’ll See, we’ll see”. And indeed we did see! 
07/06/2007 at 1:49 pm Permalink
Hear! Hear!!…
Teachers are unsong heros!( good teachers that is)
13/06/2007 at 9:44 pm Permalink
Give it up for the teachers!!!
My big “thank you” goes to Mr Gbadamosi, primary 5 & 6 math teacher (at Trinity Nursery & Primary School in Ilorin). Like you Toyin, math and analysis weren’t my thing at all… in fact, I used to chop cane every other week (an incentive back then was to receive some sweet strokes for not obtaining the passing grade, some incentive it was) until my mother begged my math teacher to take me under his wing so my buttocks wouldn’t permanently become like rail road tracks
. Within a month, by breaking the subject into the most basic building blocks and teaching me how to the same, he taught me how to get past almost any mathematical or analytical problem, simply by returning to the basics and starting from there.
I have always looked for an opportunity to be able to thank you Mr. Gbadamosi… if only you could see the professional you helped create
.
18/06/2007 at 9:31 am Permalink
I had loads of them too …
I will always say that I enjoyed my primary and secondary education more that the University. We had dedicated teachers then. I remember a lot of my primary school teachers – my mum was one of them too
And in secondary school – Mr. Fapuro stood out in Chemistry. This man recites his notes in class off head … and he was really good. Thanks sir. But nowadays, it is hard to see brilliant and dedicated teachers in our schools. The good ones will rather go and work for the big companies and who can blame them? The few good teachers are not motivated to teach well. I had the privilege of roaming some secondary schools in 2005 and I almost cried. Some SS3 students could not write their names correctly… yes it is that bad!
Toyin and Bash …. I am not sure we will find these kind of experiences in govt schools in the nearest future unless something drastic happens. But I am sure it can happen!