5 TRANSFORMATIVE LESSONS I LEARNED AS A TEACHER

What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches.

- Karl A. Menninger

This quote resonates with me as it has been a transformative journey for me in the last 5 years as a teacher. Celebrating Teachers’ Day today with the theme, The Transformation of Education Begins with Teachers is a reflective one for me as I hit 5 years in the teaching profession earlier in May 2022.

Here are transformative lessons I have learned in the work I do in the classroom. Now I am beginning to have “lessons I learned…”(I call it the Hammed Kayode Alabi K-factor effect):

The highest level of patience is perseverance. It makes the result look nothing like what you have been through.

By personality, I am a patient person so I rarely found it hard to be impatient with my students in the first year of my journey as a teacher. Being patient comes naturally as I am very tolerant too. Upon starting my Teach For Nigeria Fellowship journey in 2021 and currently in it, I discovered that my patience bank was beginning to experience bankruptcy.

The patience I thought I had was been tested due to the background and underserved environment my kids come from and some educational challenges the school faces compared to my former kids I teach in a well-equipped private school. I began to gasp for a higher level of patience as I couldn’t see through my kids following all instructions to the latter, missing school, and repeating instructions over and over, amongst others.

I knew I needed a way out and then I unlocked PERSEVERANCE. Perseverance ensured my kids understands and can redo what is being taught. Perseverance ensured putting my emotions in check to be that emotional doctor for that one child. Perseverance ensured I see my kids grow at their own pace till they become thought leaders. Perseverance ensured I explain multiple times with different methodologies. I could go on and on. Yes! I began to trust the process. I unlocked perseverance, I call her my emotional stimuli!

Lead as you teach. The goal is to be teachable, and vulnerable, and admit your mistakes.?

?I remember I had an outburst with a colleague in the presence of my kids and part of our classroom culture is to put our emotions in check. I felt disappointed with myself and I decided to apologize to my kids. I did apologize and one of them replied “we didn’t expect an apology but it is accepted.” Then another supported the statement, saying, “Yes, I have never seen a teacher apologize to her students.” I replied, well I guess I would be the first to. ?I am glad my vulnerability and admitting my mistake made my kids and me accountable to each other.

I also recollect when one of my kids corrected me that a task given to be completed outside school hours is called homework and not an assignment. The other kids screamed, ah! One even muttered, "how can you be correcting your teacher?" I paused for some minutes and imagined if I had said that to my teacher(s) then and the reaction I would likely get. I then replied, "I do not know everything but let's check, she might be right.' Of course, she was right. I thanked her and reinforced her positively. My classroom became a safe space to make mistakes and learn from them.

Empathy and Collaboration are the bedrock of trust. It makes relationships sustainable.

Looking back, I did not know why this particular subject teacher always flogged me for not doing the assignment given to me appropriately. I grew to dislike the subject. I am sure you guessed right. then, I felt he never cared to know why I never seem to get my calculations right but now that I am in his shoes I know better. As a teacher now, I ensure I always hear my kids out as I see their perspectives through their own eyes before mine.?

On another occasion, in my first year as a Teach For Nigeria Fellow, I had just resumed my placement school and I was meeting my students for the first time that week. I shared with my students what I needed them to do to make teaching easy for me and I asked them what they needed me to do to make learning easier for them. They gazed at each other and felt reluctant to speak. I understood their reaction, it wasn't a routine they were used to. I explained to them that we both need to make learning and teaching mutual, I can't teach without them and they can't learn without me. This has sustained our teacher-to-student relationship.

To be Solution-oriented is to recognize that a growth mindset starts with you.

Working with students in the past 5 years has taught me to constantly remind myself that I can do whatever I put my mind to doing. I teach myself first and build my growth mindset before I replicate it with my kids. So for my kids to thrive, I constantly help my kids learn how to be solution oriented. For instance, I enjoy helping my kids with their to-do lists once they get overwhelmed. Though, still in their formative years, I expose them to situations that would need them to put this underrated soft skill to use to enhance their childhood development and break the cycles of poverty and inequity.

Learn good selfishness.

A long time ago I read an article titled The Importance Of Selfishness on theschooloflife.com that "good selfishness grows out of an accurate understanding of what we need in order to maximize our utility for others." Yes, you read that right. As a teacher, meeting up with deadlines and going the extra mile for your students can be overwhelming. I am an extra teacher, I love to be unique in whatever I do for and with my students. During my first year fellowship at Teach For Nigeria , I learned to rest to utilize myself for my kids and the loved ones around me. I am also grateful to my coach Folashade Babatunde , for the constant reminder that self-care is important. Good selfishness is a learned skill, learn it.

In all, it’s been a journey of growth and impact for every child I have come in contact with within and outside the classroom. I am glad I made the right CHOICE to join the community that sees to the effective transformation of Education in Nigeria- Teach For Nigeria. My kids have grown to be student leaders.

Having reflected on the above, we can say there are two sides to the theme of this year’s teachers’ day celebration. So many challenges surrounding the transformative teacher. While we continue to be transformational teachers, we encourage the runners of the education system to ensure teachers experience transformation in remuneration, substantial and adequate health insurance, proper care, and other miscellaneous benefits.

Happy World Teachers' Day to every educator out there! Your reward is here on earth and in heaven.

#teachersday2022 #transformativeteacher #teachersoflinkedin