Greetings!
Soji was one of my students when I first got employment into the state teaching commission, back then, I was just a newly employed teacher with little experience, although, I studied education and English language in the university, but I had only been to the classroom on two occasions and that was when I was when I was on my teaching practice.
So, when I got to the school, there's this young boy whose name was Soji and he was not known to be a good boy, but a terror to the school community and its environs. On so many occasions, Soji has been suspended and this was because he was always attacking the junior students, and not only that, but the newly appointed teachers as well.
On my first day of resumption, the principal at his office welcomed us and charged us saying,
“My people, you are all welcome to this great school, I have been told by the tutor general of this our zone that you're all good teachers and I want you all to live up to the expectation of what has been said about you.”
After the principal, Mrs. Ige, had finished with her welcome address, we all assured her of our readiness to do our work diligently and not only that, but to co-operate with her. When she heard her words of assurances, she smiled and she said,
“Once again, you are all welcome to this great institution where we mold lives and build future leaders.” “Thank you ma” we said chorusly.
So, after appreciating her, we all stood up and left for the door, but as we moved close to the door, the principal called us back and asked us to sit back. Less I forget, we the new appointees that were sent to the school were four in numbers. So, as we sat down on the couch in the principal's office, the principal told me that there was one thing she wanted to tell us. She said
“There's a boy in this school named Soji, please, always avoid his trouble.” “Okay ma,” we all replied.
Although none of us have seen Soji before, I think if the rest of us have not heard about him before, I have heard about him as he had been once arrested by the security agent for harassing one of his teachers before and this was reported in the evening news of 24th of May, 2018 and I could remember that I listened to the news that very day.
It was later that I heard that he had been released to his parents and that he had sworn to an affidavit that he would never repeat what he had done that prompted his arrest by then and that was how and why he was taken back to a student in the same school he had been suspended.
So, I could vividly remember all that had happened before we were even posted to the same school where such an act had once happened beforehand. So, as we were stepping out of the principal's office, I heard a loud noise from the outside and immediately, I sensed that Soji was at his act again.
So, I decided to step out of the principal's office despite calls from the principal and my colleagues not to go out. However, as I stepped out of the principal's office, I saw Soji commanding his boys to run after their opponents and it was at this stage that I called my police friend officer, although, it took me time to get through him, but immediately my call went through, he mobilized his men to my new school and when they came, they apprehended all the students involved including Soji who happened to be their ring leader.
As they were being taken to the station, I followed their van to the police station and in getting there, I saw some of the parents of the arrested students coming to bail their children, but one thing that I noticed after spending time there is that, nobody came for Soji and that's how I called my friend, Olusegun who happened to be the officer that came to our school to make the arrest to help me with Soji’s bail, although, he felt reluctant when I first told him to release Soji to me, but with so much plea, he released Soji to me and I left the police station with Soji.
It's on our way home that I began to talk to Soji, advising him to change and turn a new leaf, although he was not moved with what I was telling him until I shared my own experience and life story which was similar with that of his own.
I told him saying,
“Soji, I was like you before, I was suspended and even arrested on countless occasions that my parents even gave up on me. It's my principal back then, Mr. Adelekan, that rescued my life and trained me to become who I am today. Soji, you too can be great in life, just try and change from who you are now and be determined to be great in life.”
After I told him all these things, he still didn't feel bad, so, at that point, we departed and went our separate ways.
On the following morning, which was a Tuesday, when I was about to enter through the main gate of the school, I met Soji at the school main entrance and he helped me with my bags and in getting to where I was supposed to be sitting, he helped me clean my chair while other teachers were looking at him with contempt, some were even saying he would soon show me his true colour, but I signalled to them to stop saying that.
After he had helped me with the cleaning, he, Soji prostrated and thank me for helping him the previous day, as he was about to make his next statement, tears began to roll down his cheek, I decided to help him up and asked him to stop crying and it's at this point that other teachers at the staff room were caught by surprise and they asked me what I have done to him, but I answered them nothing.
Soji on his own part told me that,
“When I got home yesterday, I thought about all that you told me and I have made my decision and my decision is to turn a new leaf.”
When I heard this, I was so happy for him and I told him to feel free with me any time any day. So, that's how I started to mentor him and I thank God I was able to do my part. Now, Soji is a medical doctor and he's now a CMD in one of the federal government hospitals in the country. I'm so happy and honoured to be part of Soji's life story.
Thanks for reading.
Picture sourced from metaAi.