Former student illuminates former school
“People hear you on the level you speak to them from. Speak from your heart, and they will hear with theirs:” These are the wise words of Marianne Williamson. And exactly what happened at Chitakatira High School when a former student of the school was invited to speak to the Form4, 5 and 6 students about school hard work, discipline and focus!
Mr Shame Isaki, former Chitakatira student and vice head boy will be remembered for his social and political commentaries in The Manica Post. He is a man of the Word of God, a businessman and motivation speaker. He was invited by his former school to speak to them. He then extended the invitation to this reporter to accompany him on this mission to illuminate the boys and girls at his former school.
On that beautiful late morning, the two drive up the Vumba Road around the mountain highway snaking through the scenic virgin woodlots that envelope the Vumba Mountains with bottle green.
Finally we arrive at Chitakatira. The students jostle and stampede to the venue; they are there more than 100 boys and girls, nearly 150. Within a few minutes they are all seated ready to listen and learn. A small group of teachers is with them; together they have come to listen and to learn.
The former head boy begins the motivation speech. He speaks about discipline, hard work and purpose. His theme is Desire to Succeed. He emphasizes the need to choose good friends, good company and almost brings the house down when in Shona he says, “Kana washaya vokutamba navo-tamba wega.” If you are not lucky to have good friends, play with yourself-alone!”
This reporter, without pronouncing a theme, zeroes in on Education is life; it is growth, it is preparation for tomorrow, it is direction and discipline.
Like John Jewey come to Chitakatira the simplification of complex educational theories and psychology in order to be heard on the level he, let me say I spoke, it was gratifying to speak from the heart(without a written speech) and the students and teachers indeed heard with theirs. As usual when I speak to students I remembered to emphasize that a not-so-brilliant pupil is better than an academically gifted student who has no purpose in studies, in life and in the future; a msombodia, bronco or mbanje addict for the male lunatic and an initiated prostitute who thinks with her private body part and not her brain, even at school.
The guidance and counselling inadvertently spilled over to the teaching staff where again this reporter reminded the head to love and respect his teachers to establish team work and hard work because as the old adage goes, ‘Every school is as good and bad as its head.’ Yet it is the teaching staff that can make or break the school. And together the teachers and head must pull in the same direction like spanned oxen; to make the work easier and more enjoyable even if the two oxen are not friends.
Cooperation is not about being friends. It’s about knowing the purpose of work and the direction to take. Schools are about students and not personal differences and resentments of teachers, not even adulterous admirations of each other.
As usual this reporter who refuses to be called a motivational speaker, but simply a speaker, remembered to say a few truths and personal experiences he hoped would change a few characters towards self-introspection and preparedness to become new people if the old one was refusing to be tamed and useful.
The former head boy donated one month’s subscription of The Manica Post to his former school to which everybody, students and teachers responded with a thunderous applause of appreciation.
This reporter donated more than 200 library books to the English Department and received equally frantic applauses of appreciation. And when he invited four students, two boys and two girls to visit DiamondFM radio and join him on his Head-to-Head with MM programme, it was screaming joy all over. With everybody excited, the visitors and visited, we all wished we could start the day all over again.