When I first started as a school teacher, a girl in her early teens from Cameroun who was brought back to Nigeria after had lost her mother and enrolled in the school where I worked as a social studies teacher. At the entry point, she didn't meet up the admission requirements but was given admission on probation.
As time went on, she became a topic among teachers for weak comprehension in-class activities. So, I decided to help out by influencing her reasoning.
Remedial Classes
The parents reported to the school that they would like to engage her in a remedial or extramural class and would love that me to handle her. I agreed and we started. I had to start from the rudiments when I found out she had some foundation problems.
Education is from known to unknown, which teachers ought to understand while handling learners in class or school as a whole.
In so doing, there shouldn't be any form of shame. Since Gladys was ready, I went as low as two lettered words from there, she began to improve.
In her first year in the remedial class, she had reached the 50% cumulative score point. My joy knows no bounds but I wanted more. At this point also, she wasn't the least in the class anymore.
After two years of handling her, she had become almost independent and could do some academic stuff all by herself.
Examination & Results
There had been arguments that examination is not a true test of a learner's ability.
When she turned fifteen, Gladys registered for the Junior Secondary Board Examination and did exceptionally well.
Valedictorian Award
To mark the end of their three years in Junior Secondary School, the college organized a valedictorian service for graduating students.
As the event continued, some students were awarded for certain attributes beginning from punctuality, friendliness, Well behaved, Bags of fun.......
The height of the day for me was when Gladys was called up the podium as the student with the Most Surprising Performance of the Year. She had tears in her eyes as she received the plague and an attempt to give a short speech resulted in a full-blown cry. You can imagine it. When she found her balance, she dedicated the award to God and to the teacher who helped her through when some others looked down on her.
Gladys Flew To France
Upon learning that she turned out a good student, her aunt who lived and worked in France prepared all her documents and she went to continue her studies overseas in France. It has been about eight years now and Gladys still communicates how she is fairing over there in her academics.
I am happy that I influenced her
This work is crossposted from my hive account. Find it Here