Mr Caleb Tochukwu: The Principal Who Teaches English
Recognised by Nkuzify as Leading Teacher and Educator of the Year.
Some people take months before anybody notices them in a new place. Mr Caleb Tochukwu is not one of them. He filled the room almost from the day he walked in, and he did it without shouting or asking anybody to look at him.
Who he is
Mr Caleb Tochukwu is the principal of Maris and Lois Modern Schools. He is a newer friend of mine, but he has already made a big mark. He is a leader in his church and a pastor, and he carries that same heart into the classroom and into the way he handles his teachers. For him, leading a staff room and teaching a class are part of the same calling.
He has served as a vice principal, and he has taught many students and managed many teachers. His belief is very simple: no class should ever be skipped.
What he taught me
What I admire most about him is how humble he is. If he sees a child sweeping, he can take the broom from the child and start sweeping himself. If he sees the cleaner, he can take the broom from the cleaner too. He just wants the work to get done, and he does not mind whose hand does it.
It is the same when he gives a student something to do. If he sees that the student is struggling, he does not shout or give orders. He simply takes it up and does it himself, because he knows how to bring everybody along. From him I am learning that good leadership and good teaching look very much alike, and both start with being ready to do the small things yourself.
A moment I remember
Even though he is new at Maris and Lois, he has already filled the place. Wherever he leaves, he leaves a shoe that is too big for anybody else to wear, and even when you find someone who can fit into it, it takes time to get that person there. You can tell this from the places he has worked.
He is a principal who can still walk into a class and teach when the teacher is absent, because he can teach a number of subjects. He also knows how to prepare a lesson plan, and he helps his teachers put theirs online and make sure they get it right. Nothing makes him happier than seeing his teachers find it easy.
Thank you
Happy Teachers' Day, Mr Caleb, from all of us at Nkuzify. Thank you for showing that a principal can lead a school, a staff room and a classroom with the same humble heart.
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