IGBOKWE CHINONYE STELLA

My experience as an Arts teacher started with my interview in Western College Yaba in 2007, I was overwhelmed with anxiety when I saw many teachers and students gathered in a class to test my teaching ability but I summoned courage and I succeeded.  My little experience during my National Certificate in Education (NCE), teaching practice in Arts also helped.  My first time in class when I was employed was not easy but as time went on I became better.

  My career as an Arts teacher has been learning, eventful and interesting experience. My journey as an Arts teacher in Western College has really exposed me to a wide range of experiences.

     I have been able to review and research new, old, awkward and strange topics that really opened my horizon to the diversity of arts.  Through modern tools, past experiences and ideas, I have been able to derive inspirations and insights on what to teach and how well to impact such knowledge to my students.

     Teaching Arts in secondary school has really given me the opportunity to apply the teaching skills, knowledge and methodologies acquired through Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) programme as well as my Bachelor’s Degree (B.ED) both in Fine and Applied Arts and it has helped me in building up my skills of knowledge dissemination.  In fact, I can proudly call myself a master in Arts, and my wonderful performance manifested in UBE 9 Junior WAEC Examination in which I had a hundred   per cent pass from the students this year.

     I can display adequate knowledge and mastery of the subject anywhere with ease.

     My career in teaching of Arts has also helped me build up my practical artistic skills nationally and internationally owing to the fact that I have to illustrate with diagrams most of the concepts on the topics in my lessons.  These facts are commendable and they have made concrete and lasting impressions in the minds of my students and in terms of their drawings and creativity.

     I have taken students out for excursions to different places of interest and this has taken me to places such as Art Museums, Galleries , craft centers, textile mills and competitions such as quiz competitions, inter school competition in practicals  and so many other places.  I have gained lots of experiences, seen lots of artefacts and so many contemporary art works, as well as the students.

     Being an Arts teacher has taught me to be patient and tolerant as it takes a lot of patience to be able to handle some students especially when they do things contrary to what you expect from them, most often during practical classes.

     As an Arts teacher, I engage in extracurricular cultural activities like , preparing students for drama, dance and singing presentations during and outside the school programmes and on several occasions, we have won awards which include a creativity award I won in Stylish teens competition at Ikeja.  I have also introduced some societies in the school like the calisthenics group and creative Arts club.

      Being an Arts teacher has exposed me to lots of challenges which include teaching theater arts and needle craft and to many others outside Art.

     As an excellent Arts teacher, my school does not need the services of photographer during special occasions as I always do event coverage for the school.  This would not be possible if not for my high display of knowledge of the world of Arts.

As an Arts teacher, I have discovered over the years that I can stand out in any other organization outside the four walls of a school.

   I am proud to be an Arts teacher and it has made me what I am today.