MY TEACHER STORY – A BOLD STEP I WILL NEVER REGRET

I am forever grateful I attended Achimota Senior High School, because it was there that I took a bold step and met Mr. Osei Owusu, the teacher I will talk about today. My name is Weetsa Adinku and this is “My Teacher Story”. 

Creativity has always been a part of me. From primary 6 when I made my first garment to studying visual Arts in Achimota School, I have always been creative, curious and very expressive. I was an average student academically. So I always put in a lot of effort in my academics. 

Achimota Senior High school was an arena where I found myself and built my own personality. It was also fun and exciting, thanks to friends like “Shaban” and Kofi Ohene-Gyan to make life fun by giving me a nickname like “Kiwi” – after the popular kiwi black shoe polish because of my dark completion- and teasing me like no man’s business when I didn’t perform well in Math exams.  

I struggled with Mathematics but I was determined to improve. Therefore I asked some of my smart and patient colleagues like Essi Haffar, to tutor me in Math. It was on one of such private tutorials that I heard Essi and her classmates gushing over their Economics teacher; Mr. Osei Owusu and how good he was. He was the assistant house master of Luggard House. They mentioned he was very patient as well and he never got angry when asked over and over again to explain a particular concept. A light bulb went on in my head! If he was indeed half as patient as they claimed him to be, I was determined to make him my teacher. After all, economics was literally Mathematics, so why not?

I mustered courage to approach him one day at the dining hall. He was so receptive and warm and curious to know how I heard of him. He was pleasantly surprised and willing to tutor me. I was thrilled and informed my parents about it. They were equally excited and made necessary arrangements for him to tutor me during the vacations as well. I was super determined to make it in Math and Mr. Osei Owusu and my parents created that enabling environment for it to happen, which I am forever grateful for. 

His teaching style was very conversational and engaging. He made reference to a lot of current happenings in relation to the topic. He started from the fundamentals so that I could get a firm foundation in Mathematics. The level of patience he exhibited with me is unmatched. With time, I got better and better at Math and fast forward to my final exam, I scored a B in Math. Even right now, as a Marketing manager of an importing distributing company, I am immersed in business and sales and sometimes I have to mentally calculate on the go and be on top of my game. I do it so easily and I have Mr. Osei Owusu to thank for that.

All these experiences taught me to continually be curious and vocal about solving my issues. If you don’t know something and want to know more, just ask. Always seek help. It’s ok not to be extremely intelligent. Be resilient. Keep going and eventually you’ll sail through. I had it easier academically in tertiary and graduate school because I always persevered. I also learnt from Mr. Osei Owusu, to always have an open door policy. He was very welcoming and he wasn’t mean to me when I approached him for help. And that has made me who I am today.

There is nothing like a bad student. Parents should learn to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their children and create an enabling environment for them to grow and help themselves. They should have a relationship with their teachers and together work to make their children flourish.

As far as I know, Mr. Osei Owusu is now a pastor. If I could see him right now, I would give him a huge hug and say “Thank you for accepting a slow student. Thank you for helping me understand the fundamentals and basics of Math and for helping me pass my final exams in Math. Anything I put my hand to, I will remember to be consistent because you taught me that. For helping me realize that it is ok to ask for help. And thank you for being so welcoming.”

Weetsa completed Achimota Senior High School in 2006.  Did you attend Achimota Senior High School too? Were you a student of Mr. Osei Owusu? Share your experience about how he impacted your life in the comments section. 

Also, don’t hesitate to let us know what you think of Mr. Osei Owusu. Do you have a teacher who motivated and impacted your life in a way that made you who you are today? Share with us on “My Teacher Story” Whatsapp https://wa.link/dzccey 

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