A learner stopped me today on my way back from the school hall. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him at first. Then, I recalled that he had appeared at my office door last academic year, out of the blue. He had been a learner in my large leadership meeting of over 70 junior and senior learners. But not that term; some previous terms, and he had never come to my office before or ever spoken to me since then. So he was not one of my current students, and I learned that he was not even a high school learner. He was desperately seeking help and advice, and he must have thought that I was at least approachable. And my office door was open.
He was a young learner in danger of failing out of school. I pulled out his academic transcript from the Head of School and his grades ‘were all over the bar’. We talked. I asked him what he really liked doing, and about his dreams for his future. He was clearly extremely bright, but I thought I could see signs of fear and frustration arising from peer pressure. I gave him some words of encouragement. I urged him to seek counseling from the school’s counselor, and advised him to consider having a mentor in the school because I know our teachers are exceptionally great. I also invited him back to talk at any time.
I did not see him again until today; at the orientation program for new high school learners. He told me he took my words of encouragement to heart. He told his parents that I changed his life and they were impressed. He had become so bright and held some leadership position in class and in school before graduating from the year school; courtesy of little sense of Empathy.
I spent less than an hour with him. I can’t claim that I mentored him – that takes much more time and a deeper relationship. I had an open door and showed him some empathy. And that was just enough, apparently, for him to take action and get his life back on track. Today is a day I celebrate an unexpected and hitherto unknown victory here in Merosa Academy.
