How I Moved from Primary Teacher to Vice Principal

Ok. It’s been six months, yet it’s just now that I’m able to put pen to paper and document this story.

By now it’s no news to many folks that I’ve changed jobs. This move is unique because it also comes with a career shift, though still within the education space. For 11 years, I was a classroom teacher and I’d told my friends that I’ll always be in the classroom. I wasn’t interested in leading a school, my passion lay more in relating directly with children and in the art of teaching. But within 7 months all that changed. Not only did I leave the classroom, but I have also now taken on a role that’s largely 47% IT related and 53% about strategy, innovation and planning, with nearly 0% teaching involved.

How come? How is it possible that a primary school teacher is now Vice Principal, Strategy, Innovation and Technology in a secondary school?

Let’s back track – time for history lessons.

Even though I studied Electrical Electronics Engineering and topped my class, my biggest quest as a teenager was to find a career that would involve relating directly with people, not machines. So, I read… I mean crammed my textbooks to pass examinations, but I spent more of my spare time listening to people, advising them or bailing them out of problems. I lived off campus, so it was easy to gather children (both in church and at home) teaching them Mathematics, English and drama. The people in Offa town value education, so the children saw me as God-sent. During holidays I would stay back several weeks to teach these children. The only reason I went home was to restock on food supplies and to help the children I was teaching in Opebi too. Those were defining moments of my life.

When I graduated, it therefore made sense for me to pursue a career in education. Of course, I faced strong opposition from my family – and that didn’t make sense to me. The signs were already glaring. Shouldn’t they encourage me to pursue my passion than a career in an oil firm? Granted we were poor, and we needed a financial saviour, but I was not about to sacrifice my calling for a morsel of bread. My teens’ church teachers and Pastor Sam Adeyemi had taught me to pursue my passion, money would catch up later. I took their advice, chose teaching and threw my engineering certificate ‘under my bed’.

The next opposition I faced was getting a teaching job. It seemed many schools would only take a person who had an NCE or some educational qualification. That meant I needed to attend a teachers’ training college. Where would I get the money to pay the fees? I was on my own – Dad had made that clear. But I did not quit. I kept knocking on doors until I met Mrs Banjo, head of Role Model Schools. She knew me from church as ‘that young, confident boy from children’s church who leads their performances’. She listened to my story and said I could apply to RMS as a teaching assistant (TA). I attended the interview and needless to say, I got the job. I was so excited. I poured my life into work. My life literally depended on it. I worked there for nearly a year before moving on to another school.

In the history of Leke Amoo’s work life, 1 school cannot be mentioned glibly or wiped out: Corona Schools.

In 2011, a time when having an HND was (though in many circles still is) a stigma in Nigeria, this school took me and 24 other young, passionate graduates and trained us for 6 months, in a novelle program called Corona i-Teach, before plugging us strategically in the various Corona Schools locations. That’s where I met Mrs Adeyoyin Adesina, my benefactor, leader for life, mentor and mother figure. She spotted something in me and then gave me a big problem. After two terms of working as an assistant teacher, she made me a substantive Class Teacher. Talk about being thrown into the deep end with nothing more than my good diction and strong passion to float with. Of course, I made mistakes, but I learnt from them; I got on some parents’ nerves, but Mrs Adesina & my supervisor, Mrs Adegbie stood by me.

It was through Corona Schools I had my first chance to travel out of Nigeria; that I got my Post Graduate Certificate in Education at the University of Nottingham. (Side gist, the University initially denied me admission because of my HND. I had to wait 1 more year & write a very convincing personal statement before they granted me admission. Hmm! What I’ve suffered in life because of this HND ehn!) I was in Corona when I got married, had my daughter & saw my wife through 2 major surgeries. I was blessed with a strong support system & some understanding bosses. Corona is a humane organisation & prioritises staff professional development. It was therefore easy to commit 10 years of my energetic life to this school. If calendars 📅 didn’t exist, I’d have thought they were only 2 years. Time flew by quickly.

Two of my mentors, Mrs Linda Olumese and Lolu Mogaji gave me a profound advice when I joined Corona. They said, “Every organisation, no matter how big has its loophole and need. Find them. Make yourself indispensable servicing those needs and filling those holes.” I can say without a doubt that this is what I spent 10 years doing in Corona Schools. Many of my colleagues may not know that during long holidays, I voluntarily worked at Corona’s central office in different departments, looking to fill holes. This caused me to read books, materials and take short courses in subject areas outside teaching. The knowledge gained also increased my appetite for practice. I sought opportunities to apply the new knowledge, so I made myself available for any work. If my boss needed me, I made myself available, unless a planned family program would be affected. In short, I served!

My bosses were not the only people I served though. When the school shared laptops to teachers, I became aware that some people were ‘too careful’ with it. They limited themselves to the basic features just to get by with work. Some others knew next to nothing about how to operate it. What did I do? Every week, I shared tips via email to all staff of things they could do with their laptops. I called it ‘Policy Turbo’. ‘Policy’ was a nickname staff called the laptops, because we were all made to sign a strict policy on its maintenance. Policy Turbo soon became a household term and something staff looked forward to. It helped improve their confidence in handling and exploring their laptops.

Corona Schools conducts an annual Reach the Bar examination which forms a major part of staff annual appraisals. These examinations tested aptitude and English Language. In my opinion, they were simple and anyone who went to school should pass them without stress. For 7 years, I consistently featured in the top ten award from over 400 staff. But I was concerned at the failure rates. Several people had to reseat. I could see how this ate into their personal confidence. So, I took it upon myself to conduct tutorials several weeks before the exams. I showed teachers grammar tricks (visit my YouTube channel to see some) and reviewed past questions with them. To God’s glory, not mine, the failure rates dropped. Some people who had resat every year since joining the school, had their first pass experience. The testimonies were heart-warming. I am only glad I could help.

My biggest break and most difficult service however came when the school encouraged all teachers to become Microsoft Certified Educators. People were afraid. We’d heard rumours of how tough the exam is and of how some people had to write it three times before getting the certification. The school placed us in batches to write the exam. I didn’t make the first batch, so that gave me ample time to read the course materials. Once I had a good grasp of the concepts. I set up a tutorial for the first batch and gave them pep talks before entering the exam hall. To be honest, I was scared. I hoped I was not misleading them. I was even surprised they believed me – here I was encouraging them in an examination that I had not taken myself. I was just as nervous as they were and as anxious to know the results. My heart leapt for joy as one person after the other stepped out screaming excitedly about their scores. They passed. A few didn’t though, but they were close. That was the courage I needed. I partnered with another colleague, Mrs Nnoli, and we set up tutorials for the other batches. By December 2020, we had taught 193 teachers and 154 of them passed the exams. Some who failed, resat and passed. It was a fulfilling period in my career. I don’t think I had ever received more ‘thank you’s and hugs in my entire life. I served and it felt good to serve.

May 23, 2021 was a Sunday, I recall I was exhausted and about to have lunch when my phone rang. A lady called and told me about a certain need they had in Bloombreed Schools, Port Harcourt, which is in relation to IT and staff professional development. She’d asked around for prospective candidates. Three different people mentioned my name – that I was the only person they could possibly recommend for the job. At first, I tried to disqualify myself. I had only worked in primary schools, but this opportunity was to lead (not even to teach) in a secondary school. Thanks to my wife, my guardian angel and voice of encouragement, she let me know that all I needed to do was be myself and share my success stories. If it is to be, it is God’s will. I appeared at the interviews (about 4 sessions) with strong confidence and a willingness to serve. Rather than talk about myself, I spent more time listening to what they were not saying and asking questions to know their exact areas of need. Then I made simple suggestions and affirmed my willingness to help. Very quickly, the dynamics changed, I was no longer being interviewed but being consulted. It almost seemed as though, before my resignation from Corona was approved, I was already working for two companies. The many years of volunteering in other departments and learning about subjects outside teaching paid off. Initially, the role I was to occupy was called Vice Principal IT, but that quickly changed to Vice Principal Strategy, Innovation and Technology – three heavy bags (I feel like Babatunde Raji Fashola).

I am in a good place (save the soot… lol), but I am not where God is taking me yet. I chose to pen down this story before years pass and some details are forgotten (many already are). I believe my story will inspire many people in different ways. If you got nothing from reading this – get this: serve wholeheartedly where you are on your way to where you desire to be.

Thank you for reading!