The Pitfall of Rewarding Only The Best Child

The Pitfall of rewarding only best students

While growing up, I was never associated with anything books or intellect. The closer I came to representing my class in primary school was majorly due to physiological reasons. Our class teacher wanted a dark skin boy for a stage play and I represented a perfect Hausa boy. I wasn’t the quiz, debate or spelling bee representative. Educators knowingly or reflexively treats they ‘bright kids’ better and speaks to them differently - how about that child with learning impairment or that child with low motivation. From that age, we were already conditioned by those who should help us build a healthy self-esteem to see other children better than ourselves. I was counted as a dullard and most likely not to succeed. This notion was stomped in through college that I already gave up being the best student or trying to be better. I never won a prize at graduation - I can’t remember being bothered either - I was the average Joe, and that was enough.

My literature teacher, Aunty Chioma Obi changed my life. In my worst days, her voice still reminds me how special I am and how she believes in my sense of imagination. She looked out for me despite having the knowledge of how uninterested I was to education. She countless times insisted I attempt her random questions in class. On one occasion after I reviewed the book ‘The New Man’ written by Femi Ademiluyi. I still remember my last sentence; a line lifted from the blurb: Ayo Badejo was a man who wanted to change his world but his world changed him. She erupted into thunderous clap and asked everyone not to stop until she said so.

Aunty Chioma Obi is everything an Educator should be and much more. She treated every student like there was something special about each of us - truly, she was right. There is a pitfall rewarding only the best students, a colossal societal failure from the system trusted to furnish and refine potentials. Until we understand that every child is special and tailor education towards the need of each child, we are doomed as a people.

I met a special child today!

?PND 02082021