My Teaching Life: ”Discipline Is the Platform for Academic Success”

TK: What does the education system get fundamentally wrong about teachers?

OA: Our educational system fails our teachers by not carrying them along in policy-making.

Our policies are being made by non-actors and given to actors to implement. This is why we have issues in our educational system today.

Many of the problems should have been solved at the policy formulation level. I can give numerous instances.

Teachers are the ones working directly with learners and dealing with the realities of the classroom every day. Their experiences should therefore be considered when policies that affect education are being developed.

TK: If you had five minutes with a policy maker, what would you say?

OA: Involve teachers in formulating educational policies.

TK: Has this job affected your life outside the classroom?

OA: Well, obviously and in many ways.

Teaching has influenced the way I see people, situations and responsibilities. Over the years, the profession has shaped my outlook and the way I relate with people.

Even now that I am in school leadership, many of the lessons I learnt as a classroom teacher continue to influence how I approach my responsibilities.

TK: What’s the student story you’ll carry with you for the rest of your life?

OA: Hmm, there are many stories, but this one really hit me.

I entered a class in SS3 for an English lesson on a Monday morning. I started with my regular entry behaviour, only to discover that one of my tallest students in class was crying.

I was scared and dropped my marker. He gently whispered to me that his mother had packed out of the house that morning.

I was touched. I eventually got closer to him and he made his paper eventually.

That experience reminded me that students do not always come into the classroom with only academic needs. Sometimes, they are carrying personal and family challenges that can affect their learning. As teachers, we need to be sensitive enough to recognise those moments and support our learners beyond the lesson itself.

TK: Has this job affected your life outside the classroom?

OA: Teaching has affected my life in many ways. Over the years, the profession has become a significant part of who I am and how I approach responsibilities.

The experiences I have gained from working with students, teachers and parents have shaped my understanding of people and strengthened my sense of responsibility.

Even outside the classroom, I find myself applying the discipline, patience and sense of purpose that teaching has instilled in me.

TK: What do you want your students to remember about you, 20 years from now?

OA: I want to be remembered for not tolerating things that are not good for children.

I want my students to remember that I was intentional about protecting their interests, guiding them towards what is right and ensuring that they had the discipline and environment necessary to become better individuals.

TK: In one sentence, how would you describe your teaching life?

OA: It has been fulfilling, from an ordinary class teacher to now being a principal at a very young age.