Many individuals have graced the academic system, but not all have left indelible marks during their service. It’s not that those in the latter category didn’t want to contribute transformative ideas to the educational system. More often than not, their inability to make enduring marks is underscored by indecision, a lack of dedication, and sometimes misguided priorities. When individuals struggle with these challenges, they not only get distracted from what truly matters but also have the wrong sense of purpose and a distorted understanding of fulfilment.
On the other hand, those who have made a name for themselves desired and pursued their goals with uncommon dedication, courage, determination, and energy, so much so that success made itself available to them without complications. It’s when we witness the results of their hard work that we sometimes pass judgment on them based on our limited understanding and awareness of their unyielding commitment, often unaware that behind their achievements are years of toil, constant failure, and unwavering zeal.
Doyin Aguoru belongs to this category of intellectuals making waves in contemporary times due to their efforts. She has paid her dues; therefore, it’s no surprise that she is receiving the necessary accolades. Now, as she turns 50, it’s not coincidental that she has become a cornerstone of refined intellectualism in her generation.
Aguoru is a teacher, a writer, a public advocate for gender equality, a compass for cultural knowledge, a representation of fairness, and a bearer of good moral principles. Interestingly, one of the qualities of a good teacher is leadership. Teachers are the front-runners in knowledge distribution, but knowledge cannot be effectively transferred to the target audience unless the individual doing the job has a professional approach to their work.
It’s not usually the case that learners understand the core purpose of learning. The most predictable behaviour of learners is their entitlement-seeking disposition, which makes them believe that everything should revolve around them. Confronted with such problems, teachers who are not leaders are impeded from delivering great educational services that would help students navigate their lives after their teaching engagements.
This is underscored by the reality that they do not understand how to lead the class to quality education in the end, as they lack the ability to persuade, dialogue, encourage, and direct them to do what is right for themselves. Aguoru does not belong to this category; everything about her exudes good leadership. She has demonstrated this by the way she relates to her students, creating an atmosphere of learning that is habitable and conducive to their assimilation of the content she is imparting to them.
It’s therefore no coincidence that teachers who are leaders easily have problem-solving skills to successfully tackle challenges and bring demonstrable results to the community. Problem-solving ability is one of the defining traits of a great teacher.
Society generally needs people to solve the problems that confront them. This is necessary because once a problem is solved, society has the opportunity to reach greater heights. However, solving problems requires tact and attention to the smallest of details. More importantly, solving problems takes different layers and approaches. There are problems that are personal to students and should be effectively tackled, as the inability to do this would bring distraction to the teaching engagements and knowledge transmission processes.
Whether the problems are personal or general, a good teacher would turn events around and make the necessary marks to show they are capable of leading the pack of students. Aguoru has provided solutions to challenges in different forms. She has, for instance, met students at their points of need by doing what is necessary and required. More than this, her intellectual contributions have provided solutions to a myriad of problems; many of them have inspired policy changes and interventions by necessary bodies that use those ideas to redirect society for collective advancement. Numerous writings attributed to her have shown the depth of her quality intellect, which underscores why she is always mentioned when matters of productive intellectual engagement are up for discussion.
While all the good things in life can be achieved when an individual possesses the attributes mentioned so far, the longevity of the achievements depends on some other important but not-so-obvious variables. One of these is enthusiasm. Enthusiastic people carry out their responsibilities with some special energies, which in most cases go beyond the kernel of ordinary people. Anything anyone does with enthusiasm, the consequences are always beautiful, for they invest all their resources into it to make it work and be effective.
They always feel a sense of radiance for their work. In teaching, especially, where Aguoru is a success, her success has been defined by her ability to show readiness, energy, and confidence in the things she does. An enthusiastic leader and teacher has a good sense of humour, which they use to bring calm to situations. In a teaching situation especially, teachers must have a good sense of humour, for they have to inject it into their engagements whenever it appears boring and students are tired.
More than this, however, is the ability to keep one’s head under pressure. It’s very important that one is not overtaken by the pressure of work at some point; otherwise, the individual would lose sight of what is important and derail from the core business they are meant to handle. As a result, it’s often the case that teachers with an enthusiastic spirit discharge their responsibilities accordingly and get results for whatever they are doing. Doyin Aguoru fits into this category; you would notice her enthusiasm even from kilometres away.
Although it almost goes unnoticed, it can’t be argued that what teachers do in the classroom is tantamount to what health professionals do in their respective fields. Students who come to the classroom need to be diagnosed accordingly so that they can apply effective strategies for their education. Meanwhile, all have to be met in their areas of need in the classroom.
This underscores why it’s necessary for teachers to actively listen to their students and provide proper solutions to the challenges they face. Problems associated with learning difficulty and progression are actually areas of concern for teachers. However, any teacher who doesn’t understand how to actively listen to their students won’t offer appropriate answers or bring solutions to the challenges they are confronted with.
Diagnosing the students’ problems and offering effective solutions are ways that would enable the students to overcome the obstacles they are facing in all areas. Like a professional doctor would do, they always ask for feedback from their students so they understand where they can give their honest encouragement and support. The underlying advantages of this form of teaching skills range from creating the necessary atmosphere for trust to strengthening bonds. All of these enhance healthier, stronger, and more quality relationships in the teaching-learning process so that the consequences for educational attainment are top-notch.
A very important quality of this scholar is adaptability. In the teaching profession, variables are constant, like change. Given the fact that the atmosphere and conditions will always change, that’s why it’s commonly said that only change is constant. In teaching, students and the conditions of teaching are the variables, and they will always change. When this happens, it’s the responsibility of a good teacher to find ways by which they can adapt to emerging situations so that they can be effective in the discharge of their responsibilities.
It’s generally necessary to be adaptive to the situation at hand. When one develops themselves in an area and approach, it can’t be overemphasised that one will need to update that approach when situations change. For example, you can’t use the approach and the knowledge previously dubbed as successful for a set of students who think and behave differently. You must be ready to update your approach. That is the defining characteristic of an adaptive teacher.
Aguoru’s success in teaching has therefore been the product of her adaptability to the situations at hand, as she continues to make the most of the available situations to turn things around and achieve set goals. To this extent, there is no contention about her ability to build impregnable ideas that always redefine teaching and introduce new developments in teaching generally. She is constantly making waves and bringing new trends to the profession, and now that she has accomplished moderately, she deserves accolades.
Finally, I believe I should inform my audience that Doyin Aguoru is not just a teacher; I have chosen to use teaching, her profession, as the basis of my discussion of her from the beginning. This is because other areas of her influence are also used to teach and educate humanity.
Aguoru is a writer who has continued to blaze the trail with her outstanding contributions and creative ingenuity. A writer per excellence, her works have delved deep into the epistemic traditions of Africa, especially Yorùbá, from where she draws content and develops it to suit whatever topic she is addressing.
It’s no coincidence that her drama works are educational and informative materials that are basically needed for the enhancement of knowledge. One is always wondering where she got her energy from, but because she is made from the best citadels available, she has internalised ideas and values that show excellence even in whatever aspect of discourse she is engaged in, be it public or private interactions.
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