Light Up a Child's Flame

'My little brother, Akan, is a genius,' I used to say this to my friends. At Class 2, he would come

home curious, searching the encyclopedia and the internet to study further on what he had learnt at school. In no time, he knew valid information of all the past US presidents,world tallest and shortest people along with their stories and so much more. He used to thrill visitors to the house with his wealth of self-searched knowledge. Today, he is in Year 9, all I can do is salute his primary school teachers,it was never always about his cleverness alone; his teachers stirred up that fire.

My little brother's story made me become very passionate about helping my pupils develop the habit of researching. I would tell them to read books and  learn about the world. I would explain to them how becoming life long learners would make them a force to be reckoned with. Spending time to inspire these precious pupils everyday was a delight to me as I knew if they caught the vision, they would be outstanding. My greatest joy at the time was the day I received a call from a parent who thanked me for inspiring her son to become a researcher, he had sung my praise and became a practitioner of my message.

Fast forward to October 2016, there was a burst of excitement in my stomach when a child  in my class  curiously asked, 'Miss Umosen how was Sir Ahmadu Bello assassinated?' I had just finished teaching a class on 'The Struggle for Nigeria's Independence.' Enthusiastically, I browsed the  internet for an appropriate story to answer his question which we read together.  Also impressive was when I turned to explain the account to him, he smiled and said, 'he was killed by soldiers.' Before then, he would hardly ask or answer any question in my class. Trying to be close to him was an arduous task as he seemed to have this wall around him, on this day, the walls came crashing.

Surprisingly, it wasn't only he, I had a line up of pupils waiting to ask a question,share an experience or just make a comment on the topic I had just taught. Without  an iota of doubt, I could tell that the pupils enjoyed the class, I aroused their interest and it stirred up something that made them curious. Teacher Idara began to ask herself vital questions, I have taught this topic a few times, 'what did I do differently?'

With these eight year old boys and girls, I decided to bring history to their present and then take it back again. We linked topics of the past, 'Pre-Amalgamation Rulers,' we acted, we watched a detailed video on the topic which I kept pausing and expatiating on,we did picture games, name games and above all I made the pupils understand that the characters like Margaret Ekpo, Tafawa Balewa, Obafemi Awolowo and others were not fictitious but real people. Since that day, I have tried to use more varied approaches in a single learning experience and it seems to be working for the pupils in my current class.

Importantly, note that the approach I use for my class may not be good enough for another class because the set of pupils we teach may differ in their learning styles. Teachers should understand that their relationship  with the pupils  is highly important, in doing so, you understand the learning needs of your pupils better. As soon as I had an opportunity to solidify my relationship with the pupil in my class, I dived into it.

Finally, no matter what resources and approach we would use to teach, we must make it an all child inclusive one. This means that your teaching method should by all means create an avenue to engage every child actively. As teachers, we can inspire the pupils and grow giants, it's up to us.