Gordon Kuma Dzigbede hails from the Volta Region. He received his HND in Marketing at the Ho Polytechnic. He followed in his father footsteps to become a teacher, and currently teaches at Ketan STMA JHS where he handles between one hundred and fifty to two hundred students. He is a member of BSTEM. Earlier on in life, he had dreamed of becoming a medical doctor, but some difficulties encountered along the way prevented him from achieving that goal.
Gordon’s teaching is driven by his belief that informed and knowledgeable people have the potential to make a change in society, and therefore he is glad to offer assistance to young people interested in science. He also believes that a country cannot survive without science. Science is interesting, dealing with nature, exploration and discovery, and these things inspire him as an educator. What he loves best about teaching STEM is how practical and applicable it is. Gordon also says that the more he engages in teaching, the more knowledge he gains. He describes this as the benefit of being an educator. “You get to build others while building yourself.”
When Gordon was first posted to Ketan STMA school, he found that the students he was assigned to teach were not good in Mathematics. He decided to offer them free morning and weekend lessons. This improved their performance in Mathematics significantly. He describes this as his most positive experience as an educator.
Gordon learnt about the JUNEOS Challenge from his director. He found the concept interesting and didn’t hesitate to participate. He and his students spent two weeks preparing for the experiment. Due to his dedication to seeing the group succeed, he sometimes had to sacrifice his Sundays in order to prepare the students. Their experiment was on pH of substances and how to identify acidic and basic solutions.
He has learnt a lot from participating in the Challenge. His knowledge has improved and his students have gained a positive attitude toward his science lessons. He hopes that the JUNEOS Challenge goes across Ghana and Africa as it would help development in every society.
Article by Kofi Konadu Berko.
Kofi Konadu Berko is passionate about education and youth development. He holds a B.A in Adult Education and Human Resource Studies from the University Of Ghana. His works have been published in the historic Afroyoung Adult anthology titled Waterbirds On the Lakeshore, Adabraka: Stories From the Center Of the World, Tampered Press and the Kalahari Review. He blogs at obolokofi.wordpress.com
