THE TRANSITION FROM BEING A LEARNER, TO ACTIVE LISTENER, AND A TEACHER; PROBLEM SOLVER;
Right from my early days, I’ve been subjected to being a Learner. I’m a great fan of learning as it exposes me to vast range of life development and its impact. I believe learning is the ultimate and paramount tool to navigate the world, and makes it more interesting to live. Learning is one thing that always put my mind and brain on a continuous yearning — I always tend to be anxious to get the concept of an idea; course, its relevance, the impacts, and other factors associated with it. With learning, I always get that.
Learning has deepen my reasoning faculty by proffering logical solutions to cases in complicated situations. The impact of learning is evidential in my life, and has generated me alot of Scholar friends, by virtue of the love. Like charges will always attract, forget about that law in physics here. That’s the truth.
Learning has honoured me even in situations I never could have imagined. Surprisingly, it has put me at the front row, and breed some suitable connections, and that’s one thing I’m still on. The complexity of learning that is a difficult puzzle to unscramble, and its unending process makes it more challenging, fun and interesting for me to engage.
It’s honed my skills, and has made me a much better person, and still honing towards making me a much more better person. Learning plays a crucial and vital role in balancing, and understanding the pros and cons of life. It’s a shedding light, and I’m really a beneficiary of its illuminance. I love it.
This same thing made me a/an better/active listener with its tripodal qualities. I become a great listener, in the bid of giving solutions to the sought after highlighted problems. As though, active listening is a bed rock of every learning process. The conc. listening better transmits the details of the problem (input) murmured to the innermost part of my medulla oblongata, for processing, and sintering to a reasonable point, hence sending a quality result/solution as output.
This listening has caused alot, as little or no attention is given. And, if properly managed/taken care of, the world will bounce back.
To the main details, my accumulated learning and active listening spirit has earned me a beautiful, and inspiring role in the problem solving section. Well, I never had the thought of being a teacher, but, the NYSC gave me reason to be one, as my PPA was changed thrice ; Company — Bookstore — School. It was a blur and a choiceless adventure that I had to embrace.
At first, it was an impossible and stress filled system. I kept running this for months. Eventually, I understood the system of teaching, and became a certified and lovable teacher. Days of telling my own personal story just to cheer the little ones up, and to serve as an astounding ray of hope for them, while I watch the class go into total silence, paying full attention to every details of the story. Something they will never do on a normal day.
Moments of taking possible practical cases to demonstrate the concept of an idea has become a big part of me, and the moments of jokes, and complete seriousness. The happiness on my face seeing the pupils performing excellently well by answering questions, clearing their doubt, raising the bars made me fall in love with teaching more. The moments of asking the primary 1 pupils to “define/what do you know, list" in test will never cease to amaze me. That’s huge? Maybe. But, that’s the fastest way we can catch them young.
The always “Uncle, come and give us question to solve" of some pupils while their colleagues are on break, usually sends me a message of “never too young to be great" and better portrays my undying love for learning, and teaching, and my unchanging view about the future. Their thought of “you must know all as a teacher” is really amazing. The smile on my face whenever I give answer to their problems is always golden, and I always feel fulfilled. Indeed, CHILDREN ARE THE LEADERS OF TOMORROW.
I’m grateful to NYSC for bestowing on me this golden opportunity to unveil the gift I never knew I had in sharpening the mind of young intellects towards a better and sustainable environment. It’s been an enjoyable, and fun filled ride. Though, sometimes, it be as bad as it could be, but the impact will always prevail.
I’ll end this with the favourite quote of one of the former SU President of my University. He will say “IMPACT IN OTHERS, IT PAYS".
© Babátúndé Olábòdé. The Golden son of ÌBÀRÀPÀ.
A serving Corp Member in IKENNE, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA...
