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IF YOU CALL THEM "OLODO" THEY'LL BELIEVE YOU

One advantage of being a cell president for a Teach for Nigeria fellows connect cell is the opportunity to steer conversations in different directions and really lean into problems faced by fellows in their classrooms on a daily basis with the intention of helping them find a solution.

One problem that has always made the rounds in our monthly meetings has been the usage of curse words by public school teachers. As Teach for Nigeria fellows, we were trained on the importance of social-emotional learning and the advantages of positive affirmations so when we get into a class with our pupils we go all the way to create chants that will pass the message we want to pass, we tell the kids that they are more than capable to achieve their goals if they work hard at them.

The flip side is when you have a government teacher in your class and as soon as you are done affirming and encouraging the children he or she notices something he/she is not happy about and next thing, he/she throws in a bad word or two, and boom! We're back to square one, you know why? Because they are used to this so they are beginning to believe it.

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A student Fatima in my class was going through a particular Math problem with me one day, I was determined to make sure she gets it and I remember her telling me "Miss Agnes, me that I don't know anything" and I immediately had to stop her from saying that to herself and I even warned her never to say that again because it wasn't true. As soon as she solves any of the problems, I would reassure her. I was so proud a few weeks ago when I was watching her go through a set of problems and I heard her tell herself "Fatima you can do it" I felt so good because she didn't expect me to hear it but she had internalized it to the extent that she was saying it to herself.

Compared to when I met my kids, they are way more positive than they used to be, I don't allow them use certain words on themselves if anyone curses them out in such a way that they make them feel a type of way, they were to report and I made sure those people were punished. Some words were not allowed in my class, words like "OLODO" (Yoruba word for unintelligent or stupid) but now the problem is as soon as you stop them from using certain words the other class teachers call them these words and most of them are been in the teaching space for as long as I have been alive and I dear not say a word to them.

So as I figure out how fellows are supposed to speak to our older government teachers about positive affirmations, I suggest the government place a ban on curse words (especially Yoruba curse words) in public schools.

Comments

  1. Mr. E23 March 2023 at 12:39

    So true!! No child should be called less than they are. They deserve a loving and caring learning environment, and the government needs to be aware of the impact negative words have on children in public schools. Words build people, people build communities. What we say with our words either negative or positive as teachers (and parents) will be the foundation on which our nation will be built on.

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