The reason is that I would like to give well deserved flowers (while he is alive) to one of my ever effervescent and inspiring former teacher of history, Odirile Gabasiane.
Judging from his early professional demeanour and disposition, the signs were written on the wall that Gabasiane was no ordinary teacher but a rare, special breed destined for greatness.
It is no small wonder that he is the founder, first and sitting Managing Director of one of the country’s most successful home brewed tertiary experiment - the now famous BA ISAGO University.
Like any story behind a successful enterprise, the beginnings were quite humble. I have very fond memories and recollection of his arriving in 1986 as a novice teacher at the then prestigious Moeng College. I was in Form 4. Although I was already achieving good grades in history, I honed and perfected my essay writing skills under the inspiration and tutelage of Gabasiane.
Elsewhere he could have scooped a prize and won himself accolades for being the rookie of the year. Ordinarily, it takes years of practice and experience for many teachers to perfect their craft. Only a few extra ordinary teachers gifted with a Midas touch are capable of making a dramatic and overnight impact. Gabasiane belonged to the latter. It did not take long for him to settle and acclimatise.
It is actually safe to conclude that his history teaching career began like a house on fire. He was the novice teacher who quickly established himself as the game changer – an amazing talented teacher who dramatically altered not only the students’ perception of the History subject but also raised the instructional bar in the classroom as well as improving learning outcomes.
Overnight, he stamped his authority in the teaching and learning theatre and won the hearts of students and colleagues alike. His lessons were a must attend for all students (both high flying and average achieving). You could be excused for saying it was expected of him to deliver because he was one of the few local teachers armed with a degree (BA Humanities in History and English.) But his zeal, energy, oratory skills and incisive presentations often peppered with a great sense of humour, kept students spell bound and made them look forward to their next appointment with their inspirational teacher.
He taught his students not only to overcome in the short term the examination hurdle but to grow their horizons and become well rounded students fully conscious of topical issues of national and international dimensions. To achieve this end, he introduced the school “Bulletin Board’’. As an avid reader who read widely, he embarked on a mission of growing a culture of independent reading among his students. He knew that if students can read they can achieve more. Lack of reading is partly the reason why currently schools are plagued by a culture of academic underachievement.
After reading the newspapers from around the world he would cut and paste stories he deemed interesting in the Bulletin Board. And every now and then he would make reference to topical issues in the Bulletin Board and he would not be impressed if the students were unaware of issues he had worked hard to make accessible. In addition to the Bulletin Board initiative, he revived the college’s defunct History Symposium, which was a training ground for public speaking.
The History symposium offered students an opportunity to do peer teaching. Sometimes students learn better when taught by their peers in a less intimidating and less exacting environment. Teacher Gabasiane had this rare foresight that the world labour market ahead would demand a balance between content and skills. With a burning desire to nurture public speaking skills, he created time out of his very tight teaching schedule to prepare presentations on current topical issues.
One of the memorable and captivating presentations he ever made at the symposium was on the geo-political environment of southern Africa in the wake up of the plane crash that claimed the life of President Samora Moises Machel of Mozamibique.
In the presentation he fascinated his young student audience when he rhetorically asked why should Machel had to die at a time when he was leading the intensification of the struggle against apartheid South Africa, why Machel had to die in South African territory and why the South African apartheid officials were the first on the scene and why the Boers seemed to be crying more than the bereaved? Teacher Gabasiane’s scintillating and top notch professionalism made an elective subject like History an automatic choice and obvious destination for students.
Even students who were not so keen to do history or those who had settled for History reluctantly started to enjoy the subject. And the love for the subject translated into improved learning outcomes. This confirms the claim that when subjected to a good teacher for two-three years students are bound to improve their learning outcomes profoundly. Students by their nature are very difficult, hard to please customers. They detest and shun dull, uninspiring and less thought provoking teacher-student and content interactions.
When not sufficiently challenged and feeling uninspired students tend to attend lessons to honour the timetable (for compliance’s sake) and not necessarily out of a desire to learn and achieve something. Signs of students’ disaffection towards a particular teacher they consider boring are: limited or no participation in classroom discussions, failure to ask questions and submit home work on time and engaging in time wasting stunts like dragging feet when going for the lesson. Gabasiane’s lessons pulled the crowd.
And if we look to the answer as to why so many students achieved so much as no other students in other classes, it was because teacher Gabasiane was able to unleash the energy and individual genius of every student to a large extent. The young modern teacher can draw inspiration from Gabasiane’s unparalleled commitment to the teaching profession.
The ball is in every teacher’s court to make students love school and achieve excellent grades. Finally, after an illustrious teaching career Gabasiane assumed a higher responsibility as an Education Attaché in Britain. It was his experience abroad which culminated in the establishment of BA ISAGO University. I think the university is acquitting itself well in its mission of feeding the labour market with relevant skills.
