Whenever I think of events that has brought me joy and pride, my mind always goes to the kids I teach and the feats we have achieved together.
I particularly always recall the events with Ojo, a very handsome smart and hard-working boy.
Ojo is one of my my students and although very much younger than I am, he is also a friend.
We met years back, immediately after the peak of the covid-19 saga, when countries were locked down and movements restricted.
Since schools were shut down and he could no longer go to school, I was hired to tutor him at home until schools resumed.
Few weeks into our lesson, Joel's parents informed me that Joel had been selected to represent his school in a science competition and I needed to coach him for the competition.
The competition was to be in 3 levels; State, regional and National. I remember how Ojo's parents and even Ojo himself didn't believe we could do much. Although Ojo wished he would win but he feared that he couldn't because the competition would be having somany smart students from different places and from top-notch schools in attendance.
His parents wished that he came out atleast 10th, they didn't expect much, winning wasn't in their minds.
Ojo was a very smart boy although he didn't know or even believed it. He always doubted himself. He always thought that he wasn't always good enough.
I knew doubts and fear could really hamper our growth so we had to deal with it first. I gave him a pep talk and motivated him. It wasn't easy for him to change his mindset but gradually he began to see himself differently.
We studied so hard for the competition. I made Ojo study day and night. We needed to make a mark, we needed to make his parents believe him more. We studied so hard that his mum began to feel pity for him, she was feared that he might be devastated and broken if after his struggles and hard-working, he didn't make it past the state level. She was afraid of what may befall him if things didn't go out as envisaged.
The parents didn't believe so much in my capabilities too. I was still a student in the university and not a professional teacher. Some other students had professional teachers with years of experience coaching them and so they didn't believe I could change much considering the fact that my qualifications didn't match that of the others. They just let me handle him because I was the only one they could get at the time as movements were still restricted a bit.
It wasn't just Ojo's fight but it was also mine. I knew I was good enough and I had to prove it to them. There was no better way to prove my competence than helping Ojo emerge as one of the winners.
I also studied hard so I could effectively and efficiently impart Ojo with the knowledge he needed to excel. We studied together and we bonded like brothers. I really didn't bother about my salary and the time they were paying for. I did extra times for free.
Ojo went in for the state level and although he wasn't amongst the tops in that level, he still managed to passed and qualify for the next level - the regional level.
The regional stage was going to be tougher and the participants were students from different states that had passed the state level. We had to double our efforts and keep our fingers crossed. we studied and prayed also. I was a bit scared myself but I needed to be strong for Ojo.
Ojo went in for the regionals and again he managed to qualify. We felt we were being lucky as he scores were not so good.
Ojo's father was happy and a bit satisfied with the outcome. he never envisaged a win, he just wanted his son to qualify.
The final stage was the National level and it had only a few students in attendance. They were the best of the best and they came from all over the country. Ojo was really happy he had gotten to that level and so was I too. We didn't stop studying, infact, we studied more than ever and we were more nervous than ever.
At the end of the competition, Ojo didn't win but came out 2nd. We were so happy. His dad was even happier. He called me to thank me for the effort I had put in making sure his son did so good in the competition. We surpassed his expectations and we made him believe and have confidence in us.
After Joel was handed his prize as one of the winners. He was extremely happy. I was so proud of him and myself likewise. I was happy we made it. We did it.
Whenever I look back to those moments I just can't help but smile.
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