Bridge teacher becomes TV star
A Bridge teacher from Lagos will be among the stars of a new TV show for teachers in Nigeria.
Nigeria will play host to its first ever Teachers’ Reality TV Show (TRTS) — endorsed by the Federal Ministry of Education and the Teacher Registration Council of Nigeria.
The show is designed to shine a spotlight on the incredible work that teachers do across the country in building the nation’s future. Providing the teaching profession with a national platform that hopes to increase the “welfare and relevance” of teachers, in the minds of communities; the show is an opportunity to showcase the differing skills, experience and approaches that teachers use to educate future lawyers, doctors and engineers across the country.
This is an aspiration that we at Bridge naturally support, having championed the importance of teaching and advocated for better training, support and professional development since our inception. Ubaka Enuagwuna, the founder of the show, echoes this sentiment, when he says: “Teachers are the ones that make other professions possible and they deserve to be appreciated.”
On Saturday, 10 August—15 teachers from across Nigeria will enter the TRTS house in Abuja together for two weeks. Throughout the show, four judges and three jurors will assess contestants to determine which teacher is most deserving of the ₦1.5 million prize ($4,140) first prize; second and third place will receive ₦1 million ($2,760) and ₦500,000 ($1,380) respectively — the top three teachers’ school will each receive ₦500,000.
Above: MaryJane in her classroom.
Bridge is delighted to announce that one of our teachers from Daddy Savage school, Lagos is taking part in TRTS — MaryJane Ikeakaonwu, star of our ‘Super Cheer’ video.
To get this far, MaryJane has received a huge amount of support from the general public, for which she is eternally grateful. Out of hundreds of teachers that signed up to participate in TRTS from across Nigeria, MaryJane was one of the select few who made it into the final 15.
Thanks to the outpouring of support both online as well as among Daddy Savage’s staff and pupils, MaryJane received an overwhelming number of votes; with over 2,000 which comfortably placed her among the top candidates, giving her the opportunity to showcase her teaching skills to the Nigerian public.
Having always been known among her colleagues and pupils for her outgoing and bubbly personality, this will undoubtedly make her a popular figure on the show. Having taught for over eight years, MaryJane has an abundance of experience at her disposal in achieving the best results for her pupils.
Her love for teaching stems from the progress she sees among her pupils, and the difference she is making in their learning. As a result, MaryJane has an excellent relationship with her pupils’ parents too, placing their faith in her to support all pupils in the school. She has said, “the parents come to me and say now they [their children] are well behaved and they even fold their own clothes!”
Teaching in an underprivileged community comes with its challenges, and MaryJane embraces this daily. She focuses her teaching on the ‘big four teaching moves’ which includes the following:
- Learning to follow the teacher guides to deliver effective lessons;
- Checking on each and every child’s learning;
- Responding with feedback that accelerates pupil learning outcomes; and,
- Motivating pupils towards good behaviour and academic effort.
These four teaching areas are utilised by MaryJane to get the best out of her pupils, resulting in improved learning outcomes and higher levels of motivation inside the classroom.
MaryJane is confident that TRTS will showcase to the whole of Nigeria how important high-quality education is, stating that she hopes: “the TV show will help people across Nigeria see what an amazing profession teaching is.”
Make sure you tune in on Saturday night for what promises to be an exciting TV show! Best of luck to MaryJane, we’re all so proud of you!
