How I felt at School

I encountered my first intellectual shame at age 10. When I gained admission into the then prestigious Mayflower Secondary school Ikenne.

I had written common entrance in primary 4 and had scored well enough to gain admission but I was thrown into JSS1 Gold. A class meant for average students. While JSS1 Red, Green and Blue were reserved for students who did exceptionally well at the common entrance exam.

I spent my entire years in secondary school battling with this unconscious programming and writings on my wall. My school had indirectly conditioned students in the Gold, Silver, Purple, Orange and Brown classes to view themselves as not good enough.

While students in the Red, Green and Blue classes were automatically flung into science class as a reward for their intellectual prowess in SS1, Humans like me were condemned to art class. A class meant for mediocre students.

It was therefore a surprise when I received the 'best economics student' and 'third best literature students' award on our graduation day. My Educators were shocked. They wondered how a student from the orange/ brown class could clinch an award? What happened to the Oracle's in the science class?

Twenty five years down the line. The condemned arts students have become global voices of direction. Souls like Professor Dotun Ayobade of Brown University, Dotun Kayode, the energy god and the voice of Cool FM, Jeremiah Olayinka Idowu, Enoch Danquah Sarkwa, Id Kuti, are evidences that a child's destiny can't be limited to report cards or colours.

I wondered who came up with that distribution strategy at school? I marvel at the fact that our parents didn't reject it. They probably felt, it would challenge us to do better. They never saw the disempowering and destructive narrative they had introduced and installed in our hard drive from ages 10-15.

The educators responsible for us infected us with a 'not good enough' attitude. They reminded us of our powerlessness not our greatness.

I am therefore looking for schools and teachers who are interested in creating emotional intelligent classrooms ( classroom strategies and emotional intelligent tools for teachers to create safe, nurturing, inclusive, brain - based learning into their curriculum).

A classroom that will blend Intelligent quotient, Emotional quotient and Digital Quotient.

Who do you know?

#EmotionsCity

#TheEmotionsDoctor

#SocialEmotionalLearning

#EQ4Teachers

#EQEvangelist

#PreservingHumanity