For many educators, mentor begins as a profession. For Aroloye Oluwatosin, it became something deeper, a mission rooted in transformation, advocacy, and structure systems that empower both learners and instructors. With over 14 years of experience spanning main, secondary, and adult knowing, the founder of Oluko Online School has actually developed a credibility for promoting instructor growth, exposure, and sustainable chances beyond the classroom.
Known for her work in instructor training and professional advancement, Oluwatosin thinks the education sector typically demands too much from instructors while offering too little in return. Her viewpoint is simple but powerful: teachers should have more than survival; they are worthy of growth, self-respect, and a life they take pride in.
In this edition of My Mentor Life, she talks to Temitope Kareem about the psychological realities of mentor, the silent exhaustion teachers bring, why she practically quit several times, and the moment that entirely changed how she approached the class.
Temitope Kareem (TK): How did you end up being a teacher?
Aroloye Oluwatosin (AO): I didn’t simply “end up being” an instructor in the conventional sense. Mentor discovered me through responsibility. It started with helping others understand what they were fighting with, and over time, I understood I wasn’t just explaining, I was changing. That’s when it became more than a task.
TK: What did you believe mentor would be like and how incorrect were you?
AO: I thought mentor was almost passing knowledge. I was wrong. Teaching is emotional labour, psychological work, management, and sometimes survival. Nobody prepares you for just how much of yourself you have to give.
TK: Stroll us through your side of the classroom. What does a typical day look like for you?
AO: My classroom surpasses 4 walls. It’s conversations, planning, mentoring teachers, building systems, and thinking of how to make learning available. A typical day is a mix of teaching, creating, solving problems, and constantly adjusting.
TK: What is the hardest part of this task no one discuss?
AO: The quiet fatigue. Appearing every day even when you’re not fine. Putting into others when you’re running low yourself. And doing all of this in a system that typically ignores your value.
Read episode 3 of “My Mentor Life Series “
TK: Inform us about the minute that altered how you teach forever.
AO: The moment I realised that trainees don’t simply require details they need to be seen. That changed whatever. I stopped teaching topics and started teaching people.
TK: If you could return to your first day as a teacher, what would you tell yourself?
AO: Do not lose yourself trying to show your worth. Build your ability, but also construct your voice. You will need both.
TK: Have you ever wished to give up? What happened? What made you stay?
AO: Yes, many times. Not since I didn’t like mentor, but because the system can drain you. I remained since I realised leaving would not repair the problem. I required to construct something much better. That’s how Oluko was born.
TK: What does the education system get essentially incorrect about teachers?
AO: It treats instructors like replaceable labour instead of nation home builders. It disregards their development, underpays them, and expects quality without assistance.
TK: If you had five minutes with a policymaker, what would you say?
AO: Stop designing policies without listening to teachers. Buy their development, not just the system. A damaged instructor can not develop a strong student.
TK: Has this job impacted your life outside the class?
AO: Yes. It has actually formed how I think, how I relate with people, and how I see the world. However it has likewise taught me the importance of limits and self-preservation.
TK: What’s the student story you’ll carry with you for the rest of your life?
AO: The trainee who didn’t think in themselves till someone did. That minute when self-confidence replaces worry, that’s something I carry every time.
TK: What do you want your trainees to keep in mind about you twenty years from now?
AO: That I saw them. That I thought in them before they thought in themselves. Which I showed them they could become more.
TK: In one sentence, how would you describe your mentor life?
AO: A continuous journey of putting, building, and redefining what it indicates to genuinely educate.