{"id":8703,"date":"2013-08-20T17:40:43","date_gmt":"2013-08-20T17:40:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disnaija.com\/nigerian-newspapers\/history\/"},"modified":"2013-08-20T17:40:43","modified_gmt":"2013-08-20T17:40:43","slug":"history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disnaija.com\/history\/","title":{"rendered":"HIStory!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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How Adeniyi became the most outstanding teacher<\/p>\n

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BY CHIKA ABANOBI<\/strong><\/p>\n

T<\/strong>hese days when you talk about Olusegun Adeniyi, you must be careful in describing which one you are talking about: is it Olusegun Adeniyi, the former editor of Thisday<\/em> newspaper, former Special Adviser on Communications to late President Umaru Musa Yar\u2019Adua, and now, Chairman of Thisday editorial board or, Olusegun Adeniyi, the Cultural and Creative Art teacher of Baptist Boys High School, Abeokuta?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whereas the first may be well known to you as a newspaper columnist and author of\u00a0 Power, Politics & Death<\/em>, that biographical work that provides unique insider\u2019s account into the presidential life and times of late Umaru Musa Yar\u2019Adua, his namesake at BBHS may not.<\/p>\n

Well, from today, not any more. The news just in is that Olusegun Adeniyi, the Cultural and Creative Art teacher has won the BBHS\u2019s Most Outstanding Teacher for 2012\/2013 academic session, thanks to his own artistry with drawing pen and paint brush.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy Art teaching adventure at the prestigious citadel of learning, BBHS, started when I was offered a job to teach Cultural and Creative Art with employment letter dated 5th<\/sup> of October, 2012,\u201d he told Education Review<\/em>. \u201cFor me, it was a chance to touch lives (positively) and produce future creative leaders.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am passionate about art, and I see its teaching as far beyond a subject. I see it as a tool for social change. Art, beyond the ability to draw, is, indeed, a veritable platform to nurture divine talents, build character and harness intellectual capacity of people.<\/p>\n

A Platform For Self-Discovery<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cArt opens a child to self-discovery; the reason why I have supported and invested heavily in any artistic endeavour I engaged with the children. <\/strong>Art is a springboard for social development and interaction, a platform for empowerment and personal talent development.<\/p>\n

Art provides young people with practical opportunities to learn and develop their creative skills. More so, with the inclusion of Art as one of trade subjects in schools, basic skills can be learnt through art education such as fashion design, painting, sculpture, music, textile design etc.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few quotations that justify the enormity of art education in schools are the reason Adeniyi says he has taken it so seriously and is giving his best ability in its teaching.<\/p>\n

\u201cLearning of arts and creativity is indispensable for the growth and sustainable development of societies and of individuals,\u201d so says UNESCO and \u201cart education is essential for building innovative thinkers who will be leaders for tomorrow,\u201d adds Barack Obama, while speaking at US Global Development Policy of 2010.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\u201cWe know that countries are more likely to prosper when they encourage entrepreneurship and tap the talents of all their people.\u201d Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 \u2013 18 April 1955), the Father of modern physics, crowned it all when he noted that, \u201cit is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Every child is an artist, the problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up, Adeniyi says to you, quoting Pablo Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973), the Spanish painter and sculptor and 20th<\/sup> century most outstanding artist who is said to have demonstrated extraordinary artistic talent in his early years.<\/p>\n

His emergence as the Most Outstanding Teacher has made him a living example of what he is talking about. In the following account, he tells our readers how the verdict came about and the role Education Review<\/em> unwittingly played in setting up the scenario. Excerpts:<\/p>\n

Blogging And Beginning<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI got the appointment to teach Art with BBHS in the month of October, 5th<\/sup> of October to be precise. Upon my resumption of duty, I was preoccupied with the thought of what to do to move the school forward and to make a difference. The first thing I engaged the boys with was to make beautiful posters to decorate the school with the quotable quotes culled from Education Review<\/em>, every Tuesday. This was meant to teach them good morals and instill in them good attitude to study.<\/p>\n

\u201cConsequent upon the above, I created a virtual platform packaged to brand and project the image of the Baptist Boys High School through blogging. Blog is the short term for web log referring to an online journal that can be accessed by others. Blog is a veritable means of documentation and dissemination of information to a wider range of people.<\/p>\n

In the new era of global e-community it was of optimum necessity for me to create the blog as it makes BBHS to be visible and accessible to all with just a click. <\/strong>The blog, www.baptistboyshighschool.blogspot.com, serves as a virtual portal for sharing the Baptist Boys High School activities, events (such as end of the year party, inter-house sport competition, Christmas party etc). This is a viable platform to tell the school\u2019s story and it is accessible to everyone, the parents and guardians, the students, the teachers etc.<\/p>\n

\u201cRealizing the enormous potential of online social network (facebook) geared me to create a Facebook group page for the school with the name Baptist Boys High School. <\/strong>I also created an online network and portfolio for the art students on www.artwanted.com\/bbhs.<\/p>\n

I also forwarded my students\u2019 articles, stories and poems to the print media which were published at different times on the \u201cKiddies\u2019 Column\u201d of The Nation<\/em> newspaper and also in The Punch<\/em>, The Guardian<\/em>, The Vanguard<\/em>, Tribune<\/em> and many others. At the close of the term I hosted the parents to an art show at the art studio.<\/p>\n

They all enjoyed it and even made commitment of purchasing some of our handmade cards. The proceeds from the sale were used to get more Art supplies for the studio. At the beginning of the year in the month of January, I registered nine of my students for the 7TH<\/sup> Toyota Dream Car Art Contest which took place in Lagos on the 16th<\/sup> of February, 2013.<\/p>\n

Great Exposure<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was indeed a great exposure for our boys. Apart from the gifts and certificates that would have been awarded to our school if we had won, the Baptist Boys High School stood the chance of representing our nation, Nigeria, at the world stage of the competition in Japan. Our students performed brilliantly though we did not win. But then, one of my students, Tobi Ogunlade\u2019s painting was showcased at the Global Canvas Competition on Thursday, 7th<\/sup> March, 2013, at the Natural History Museum, London.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder my supervision, my students created Graffiti on the school wall by the gate during the BBHS 90th<\/sup> Anniversary. It was a huge contribution of the BBHS (Mission) to the BBHS 90th<\/sup> Anniversary. The students from JSS 1 to SSS 3 were engaged in portrait painting of which the best portraitures were displayed in the Art studio and was also published in Sunday Mirror<\/em> newspaper of Sunday 2nd<\/sup> of December, 2012. The SSS 3 students were taught how to make silhouette from human model and created suitable background for them. After making series of silhouette among themselves, they made some for the teachers and also for the principal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWeekly, I engaged the students in series of drawings, from life drawing to still-life drawing, and general drawing. The JSS1 students had fun making tie-dye with their handkerchief in their textile practical class. My students and I were featured in six episodes of TRIP LEARN, an OGTV (Ogun State Television) programme for the children to learn specific skills.<\/p>\n

On TRIP LEARN I taught the art of photography, photo framing, costume make-ups, papier mache, face-painting and portraiture (of a hero). Through this platform I was able to reach wider audience of kids with my artistic prowess and also to project the school I work with (BBHS).<\/p>\n

Promise And Award<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI presented one of my personal paintings to the Chairman of the Old Boys Association, Mr. Ladipo Ajayi, during his visit to the school to mark the BBHS 90th<\/sup> Anniversary. Mr. Ajayi made a promise of N100, 000 to support the art studio. The money, if given, will be used to engage the students in making customized shirts for the BBHS Old boys. And the financial proceed, will, in turn, be used to purchase art materials for the art studio.<\/p>\n

My art students from the junior classes won three prize awards at the 2013 National Gallery of Art, Ogun State Children\u2019s Day Art Exhibition on MAY 27, 2013.<\/p>\n

\u201cI continued to create series of art project with my students till the close of the session. It was really fun creating art with these boys. I was fulfilled. That\u2019s how I was awarded the Most Outstanding Teacher during the school\u2019s 3rd <\/sup>Prize Giving programme.<\/p>\n

The award is dedicated to my queen, Oyenike Adeniyi, to my students and everyone that have contributed to my works. I have been able to achieve all these to the glory of God. I am humbled and proud by the recognition conferred on me\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. <\/a>A DisNaija.Com<\/a> network.<\/p>\n

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