Tokunbo O. Adebisi

My snapshot of Mrs. Tokunbo Adebisi

I have chosen Mrs. Tokunbo Adebisi as my hero because she is a teacher with a difference. When I asked her when she started teaching, she said she has been a teacher since she was a child in the elementary school; she said every time she learnt new things and nursery rhymes from her younger ones who had the opportunity to go to a good private school, she used to gather other children in the neighbourhood to teach them. A hero to me is someone who influences people around her positively and is ready to pass on knowledge she acquires to all.

Mrs. Tokunbo Adebisi was born on 25th of May 1959. She grew up in Lagos state of Nigeria where she had her elementary school, secondary school, Teachers’ College and Lagos State College of Education 1983 - 1986 where she graduated in History and Religious Knowledge. She also taught in elementary school and secondary schools in Lagos State before joining her husband in Federal Capital Territory Abuja where the seat of Government was moved to. She went to University of Jos where she graduated in 1996 with B.A. Religious Education. She finished her Masters degree in Educational Management in 2006 at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Ondo South West Zone of the country. Through School Net Nigeria she was able to benefit from the training on ICT for Teachers and Curriculum developers which was sponsored by Microsoft in 2004.

What first attracted me to my hero was when I heard a student saying she was not the mother of a handicapped student she was bringing to and from the school in her car whom we thought was her child. We got to know later that the student is a child to her neighbour living very close to her house. She decided to be taking her to school for her to acquire some basic education before learning a trade. When she took some students to carry out a project on local history when she was participating in IEARN on-line course, I admired how she was teaching the students on how to carry out interviews, write essays, use computer, giving rewards for good performance and taking them out to visit places. Even though I was not chosen to be part of those who carried out the project, it does not change the love I have for her; she is very friendly with the students. I used to perform poorly in Christian Religious Knowledge before she taught in JSS 3; the subject became my best subject and I had a very good grade in my external examination. She teaches her lessons not only in the classroom but with documentaries, drama, advises us on how to study to pass well and live a good life. As the coordinator of Multichoice Resource Centre, she organizes training for teachers on how to use Television and other technologies to enhance their teaching.

My hero has been given prizes during the yearly Speech and Prize Giving day for being the best teacher in Arts and Social Sciences Department since 2004 – 2006. When I asked her whether she has received any other awards, she said she was given honourary citizen of Arkansas State and Arkansas Traveler certificate by the Mayor and the Governor of Arkansas respectively when she attended a conference on African Women’s Health Project International (Global health Campaign) in Little Rock Arkansas USA in 2005. She has also attended many Workshops, Conferences and Seminars on Education and Modern Pedagogical skill in Nigeria and also internationally among which was IEARN conference in Netherlands 2006.