A Portrait in Honor of Mrs. C. S. Akyeampong
by Atta A. Addo, Odadee 2003
"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires." - William Arthur Ward
Facts fade. Explanations change. Inspiration one gets from a great teacher lasts a lifetime. Great teachers do not merely teach knowledge but inspire students for a life of endless learning and personal growth. As the educationist Horace Mann put it, 'a teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on cold iron.' Great teachers do not simply teach as a vocation, they bring out the extraordinary from ordinary students. Like Christ Himself, they build leaders from disciples and leave traces of themselves in others long after their work is done. This process of transforming lives through teaching requires inspiring - teaching the head and hands through the heart.
Stumbling upon a great teacher - one whose inspiration stays with you years after you have left the classroom - is as rare as finding a large diamond on a footpath. Yet, sadly, when great teachers do appear they are often unsung heroes and heroines. They labor as students come and go; to reappear in some spotlight with little if any recollection of how it was they acquired their academic, social or professional pedigree. Jacques Barzun, eminent historian of culture, reminds us that 'teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a lost tradition.' Great teachers do exist but we seldom take time to recognize and honor them.
Mrs. Comfort S. Akyeampong, who after thirty years of teaching retired in February 2006, is one such great teacher worthy of recognition. The title of this piece, taken from a popular bumper sticker, could not be more appropriate since in fact Mrs. C.S. Akyeampong, the subject of this essay, taught English to several generations of scholars at Presbyterian Boys Secondary School (PRESEC), Legon. She taught her students not only how to distinguish a metaphor from a simile, know an alliteration from an onomatopoeia, read Shakespearean sonnets and dramatize Hamlet, but also how to be virtuous men and women with firm values, commitment to humanity and quenchless thirst for excellence. The hoards of accomplished former students from different class years, who with great enthusiasm have joined hands to celebrate her life and legacy, are but a pale testimony to her enduring influence.
I recently called her home in Accra to greet her and ask a few biographical questions for this piece. Midway through my rather inarticulate, mentally rehearsed personal introduction, she burst into laughter and exclaimed my name in full; jokingly remarking that my voice and accent had greatly changed from the soft pubescent sound she recalls from my freshman days. I had supposed she wouldn't remember me since it had been almost seven years since I last saw her. Not to mention the fact the she probably gets a gazillion random calls from former students daily. I was wrong. She distinctly remembered not only my name but also my class year and some of my classmates. She went on to ask how I was doing and to enquire after other members of my graduating class. It was as if she kept a mental file cabinet with neatly stored records of every student she had encountered in her three decades of passionate service. It is that level of genuine personal investment in her students that has endeared Mrs. Akyeampong to scores of Odadees and earned her the affectionate nickname 'School Mother' during her days in PRESEC
Over the years, I've heard hoards of anecdotes from Odadees - the kind of colorful, humorous, often-melodramatic narratives every alumnus of some school loves to tell of this or that teacher, this or that kitchen staff, this or that master, this or that bursar. Often, these recollections are not just to ridicule or praise or reminisce the characters involved, they are an attempt to relive the past and immortalize the people who shared the experiences being fondly recalled. Beyond faded school leaving certificates, smudged copies of exam results and tattered transcripts, anecdotes from school - those dusty stories of yesteryear - are the fondest keepsakes of any education.
Stories I've heard of Mrs. Akyeampong have a common thread and often correspond to my own personal experiences of her. They are stories of a warm, approachable and ever kind teacher who never failed to inspire, encourage, nurture or assist any student who came her way. Few students, if any, could have failed to encounter her in some way. Of the many that did interact with her, fewer still if any, remained unchanged. Whether you were head of the class or struggling to improve an 'F' grade to a 'D', she was your go-to person and would welcome you with open arms. Whatever the nature of your interaction with her, you would leave feeling; indeed believing, that all was well. Having been around for almost half of PRESEC's seventy-year history, Mrs. Akyeampong's deep involvement with her students' development has made her a living institution synonymous with PRESEC itself.
She taught English Language and Literature , was an administrator, a counselor, a patron of several groups and organizations, patron of Kwansa House (House 1) as well as the driving force behind several literary and artistic endeavors like the school magazine, Debaters' Club and Drama Club. In all these positions, she was a force of nature and discharged her duties superlatively. It was impossible to escape her keen yet sympathetic eyes, whatever your deeds. If you deserved praise she ensured it was duly conferred and if you needed support she made sure to seek you out like a heat-guided missile.
More than once, I myself had been summoned to her shared office space in the old administration building to be praised for a particularly good essay or to explain an unusually errant grade on my termly report. To be sure, the definition of 'errant grade' differed from student to student according to ability. Yet, in each case, like an experienced physician who deftly spots a symptom, Mrs. Akyeampong could easily tell significant changes in a given student's performance. Students who consistently scored an 'A' average could be questioned for getting an occasional 'B' and those who pulled 'D's could be noted and praised for improving to a 'C'.
In a sink or swim boarding school environment where many students felt abandoned to their own devices, Mrs. Akyeampong's role was not to be taken lightly. It mattered greatly that she was paying attention. It mattered that she cared. In the labyrinth of work and activity that is PRESEC, it made a difference that there was an open hand one could reach to.
At this point, it is only appropriate to acknowledge the many wonderful teachers that have endowed PRESEC with much if not all of its greatness. We must not forget the myriad incredible teachers whose contributions to PRESEC have been nothing short of legendary. Without singling out persons (at the risk of forgetting worthy names), it should be noted that several teachers in the sciences, humanities, social sciences and arts have all contributed in monumental ways to the nurturing and development of great alumni and students of PRESEC.
On this particular occasion, however, the singular contribution of Mrs. C.S. Akyeampong to PRESEC must be recalled and lauded. This is so because in honoring her, we honor the best of what PRESEC stands for. For decades, she has been the port of call for many a passing student and the fondest memory of many more alumni. For many of us her former students, we cannot imagine what our PRESEC experience would have been like, had we not encountered this gem of a figure. Mrs. Akyeampong's three-decade long professional legacy will live on in many of us, her former students. With every well-written e-mail, drug prescription, doctor's diagnosis, legal brief, addendum to a ledger, architectural note, engineering specifications or whatever such English communication, her work flourishes in a proud Odadee somewhere around the globe. What is more, the memory of her presence, great character and abiding values will spur us on to continue if not complete her inspiring work.