The teacher holds key to students’ future

By Benjamin Obegi

Kenya: Indeed Henry Brooks Adams was spot on: A teacher’s influence follows his students all the days of their lives, like a large shadow that shapes thoughts and actions. Adams’ quote is often referred to by teachers, especially when they feel let down by systems that don’t compensate them well for work well done.

“Every successful person you see in the public domain went through a teacher’s hands. We are the moulders, the potters and shapers of destinies,” says a teacher in Nairobi.

Teachers such as Mosota Atunga, who teaches English in Kisii County, also owe their success to their moulders – other teachers.

Atunga says his former high school principal’s words follow him everywhere. The principal, Casper Maina Momanyi, who currently heads the top performing Kisii High School, encouraged him to be the best he could be.

“He remains a key pillar in my professional life. Growing up in a rural village limited the number of role models I had. When I joined high school, I regarded him as my role model. He made sure that in addition to imparting academic knowledge, we were exposed to the real world after school. He made us believe that no matter what career we chose, what defined our success was how we did it. Because of him, I strive daily to be a teacher with a difference.’’

Just two years into the profession, Atunga has already made an impact in his school, which he has helped turn into a formidable athletics giant in the county. Some of his students are currently plying their trade in Japan and the US.

Captain Eric Mwadime of the Kenya Defence Forces speaks in glowing terms of his former Kiswahili teacher.

“He had a knack for self-discipline and insisted that we should be able to supervise ourselves in all we did. For him, a successful person is one who can cultivate the highest sense of direction and purpose, which are greatly guided by self-discipline. The lesson I learnt from him has really gone a long way in shaping the way I execute my duties as a disciplined officer. As officers, discipline holds that crucial key in determining your rise through the ranks. My teacher is still playing a role in that,” says Mwadime.

According to James Michira, a senior communication lecturer at the University of Nairobi, teachers form the bedrock in the lives of students at any level.

“They open the window into the future world of students. Students trust the pictures of success or failure their teachers create. Most students credit their teachers for good performance, which illustrates the space teachers occupy in their lives. Even when professional role models may be lacking, a student will trust the teacher, copying the best or worst in him or her. Most of us rose because of our former teachers and professors.’’

Dr Michira believes society should invest in teachers adequately. “You take your child to school in the belief that the teacher will turn him or her into a professional. What happens if the teacher is not equal to the task? There is evidence that a teacher’s hand can transform and impact the lives of students now and in the future.”

Unfortunately, there are other teachers who crush their students’ dreams and kill budding creativity.