For Babajide Oriowo Akerele, mentor is more than a profession, it is a passion he found quickly after leaving secondary school and has pursued for 26 years.
From teaching trainees in a special extramural class arranged by Deeper Life Bible Church to ending up being the Principal of The Ephraim High School in Ikorodu, his journey has been shaped by constant knowing, discipline and a genuine love for helping trainees prosper.
A qualified Agricultural Science educator with NCE, B.Sc. Ed and M.Ed qualifications, Akerele is known for his friendliness, fairness and firmness. Throughout the years, he has actually likewise welcomed innovation, adjusted his mentor techniques and remained committed to a profession he says runs in his veins.
In this edition of My Teaching Life, he speaks to Temitope Kareem about his early discovery of mentor, the psychological demands of the classroom, why teachers deserve higher respect, and the experiences that have made his journey fulfilling.
Temitope Kareem(TK): How did you end up being a teacher?
Babajide Akerele (BA): I discovered my enthusiasm and present for mentor immediately after I completed my secondary education while teaching some students in a special extramural class arranged by Deeper Life Bible Church. It was during that duration that I started to realise that mentor was something I really took pleasure in and had the capability to do.
I, then, went to the College of Education in Ilesa, where I studied Agricultural Science Education as a Double Major. I then proceeded to the University of Ado-Ekiti to study Agricultural Science Education and afterwards to NOUN, Ikorodu Model Centre, for my M.Ed. in Science Education.
Recalling, that early opportunity to teach assisted me find the direction I wanted my life to take expertly.
TK: What did you believe teaching would resemble and how wrong were you?
BA: I had the right perception relating to mentor as a profession from the start, even when the people around me dissuaded me from pursuing this worthy profession.
I believed teaching was significant and that it might give me the chance to add to the lives of others. When I eventually began teaching in an official setting, I found that my understanding was right.
So, unlike many people who get in the profession with various expectations, I can state that what I ultimately experienced in mentor verified what I already believed about the profession.
TK: Walk us through your side of the class. What does a typical day look like for you?
BA: I constantly look forward with joy to mentor in the class. I enjoy seeing students and teaching them, especially when it comes to my topic, Agricultural Science.
I prepare before entering into any classroom to teach since preparation is very crucial to me. Nevertheless, what I satisfy at times may require a change in my original strategy. The mood of the class, the level of understanding of the trainees or other circumstances may need me to adjust my technique.
The crucial thing is to flow along with the existing situation while still guaranteeing that I fulfill my goals at the end of the lesson. For me, an excellent lesson is not practically following a prepared plan from starting to end; it is likewise about being flexible adequate to respond to the students in front of you.
TK: What is the hardest part of this task no one talks about?
BA: I think the hardest part is handling your feelings as a subject teacher when you remain in the classroom.
As an instructor, you have your own challenges, ranging from physical to financial challenges, yet you must lay all that aside and remain in the very best emotion in order for you to provide your lesson as prepared.
Trainees may not understand what you are personally going through, and despite your scenario, you still have the responsibility to stand before them and teach successfully. I think that psychological control is among the hard aspects of mentor that individuals do not constantly talk about.
TK: Tell us about the moment that changed how you teach permanently.
BACHELOR’S DEGREE: The moment that altered how I teach forever was when I started using audiovisuals and digital tools during my lessons as a subject instructor.
With the development of the internet, computers and interactive boards, I found out how to utilize them, and it conserved me a great deal of tension, specifically in lesson shipment. It likewise opened my eyes to different ways of making lessons clearer and more intriguing for trainees.
My lessons ended up being so fascinating that trainees were always excited and pleased to have me in their class. Some students even went as far as studying my topic, Agricultural Science for their very first degree.
That experience showed me just how much the ideal mentor tools can improve knowing and increase trainees’ interest in a topic.
TK: If you could return to your first day as an instructor, what would you tell yourself?
BA: I would laugh at a few of the actions and actions I took in the class as a young instructor.
With the experience I have now, I can look back and see locations where maturity and experience would have helped me approach specific situations differently.
I believe I would just inform myself to be fully grown in character and comprehend that teaching requires continuous development, both professionally and personally.
TK: Have you ever wanted to stop? What happened– what made you remain?
BA: I have never ever considered stopping. Mentor is life to me and runs in my veins.
Mentor has exposed me to a great deal of moms and dads and students, and these relationships have belonged to what makes the profession meaningful to me. It has likewise exposed me to many training opportunities that have shaped my life and helped me grow expertly.
Throughout the years, teaching has actually continued to give me opportunities to discover, meet people and improve myself. That is why giving up has never ever really been an alternative for me. Mentor keeps me going.
TK: What does the education system get essentially incorrect about teachers?
BA: Dealing with instructors with contempt.
Teachers are not generally appreciated in society, essentially since of the methods they are treated by both the government and independent school owners.
Teachers play a crucial role in structure every other occupation, yet they are typically not dealt with in a way that shows the value of their work. I believe the method society deals with instructors has a significant effect on how the occupation is viewed.
Read likewise:
My Mentor Life: “I Stopped Teaching Subjects and Began Mentor Humans”
My Teaching Life: “I Teach to Rewrite What’s Possible for each Kid”
TK: If you had five minutes with a policymaker, what would you state?
BACHELOR’S DEGREE: Mentor credentials must be enforced for anyone who wants to go into the profession through the TRCN.
Anyone who is not professionally qualified ought to be banned from mentor in both public and independent schools.
Mentor is a profession, and I think individuals who want to practise it ought to have the needed training and qualifications. Professional standards must apply to instructors simply as they use to people in other professions.
TK: Has this job impacted your life outside the classroom?
BACHELOR’S DEGREE: A lot, especially in the way I act and dress in public.
There was a day I dressed shabbily on my way to work, and when I got to the Okada park, the Okada riders, who did not even know me, started to beckon at me, saying, “Instructor, instructor.”
I felt bad. That experience advised me that as a teacher, you may be recognised anywhere, even in locations where you least expect it. So, teaching has made me always mindful of the method I dress and act in public, understanding totally well that I may suddenly satisfy students or their parents on my method.
The occupation has, for that reason, influenced how I present myself outside the school environment.
TK: What’s the student story you’ll bring with you for the rest of your life?
BACHELOR’S DEGREE: There are various encounters and stories I will never forget based on my interaction with students throughout the years.
However, I will never forget the day a trainee approached me, took a look at me boldly, pointed at me and said that I would die the following day.
At first, I was scared, however I later on declined her so-called decree, called her and disciplined her. I continue to live today by the unique grace of God, after so many years.
It was among those unexpected encounters with a student that stayed with me due to the fact that teaching exposes you to different personalities, behaviours and experiences.
TK: What do you desire your trainees to remember about you, 20 years from now?
BACHELOR’S DEGREE: I desire them to bear in mind my position on assessment malpractice and discipline.
I have actually constantly thought that trainees need to attain success through the ideal means. Discipline is likewise essential due to the fact that it assists trainees develop the ideal attitude towards knowing and life.
I hope that, even many years from now, my students will keep in mind that I stood firmly for doing what is best and discouraged anything that could adversely affect their character and future.
TK: In one sentence, how would you explain your teaching life?
BACHELOR’S DEGREE: I am pleased and happy as an expert teacher.