I attended private schools except for my tertiary education. Today, I'm going to dwell more on my secondary school education.
I am an alumnus of Eucharistic Heart of Jesus Model College, Ilorin, Kwara State. The name is long, yeah? We call it EHJMC for short. It is a private Catholic school that provides both boarding and non-boarding services. I was there for the entire six years of my secondary school education, and I’ll say that despite not being the best years of my life, it played a big role in becoming who I am today.
I cannot decide if I enjoyed schooling there, but I just passed through the school. The school was built on discipline, honesty, cleanliness, hard work, and God. We prayed and danced every morning at the assembly before resuming classes by 8:10 a.m. Usually, we had club days every Tuesday and YCS (Young Catholic Students) Fellowship every Thursday between 2-3 p.m., while on other days we closed school at 2pm. We rarely had classes on Saturdays until we got to our senior year, and whenever we did, it was to cover up the term syllabus or run practical.
As a day student, this was my schedule; no extras. We weren’t allowed in the dining hall or in the student hostels because we weren’t boarders. The food wasn’t so bad. I especially loved their beans and bread. Yes, I ate from the boarder’s food, and this happened because we had 9 a.m.–5 p.m. classes for two months during the long-term holidays prior to major exams like the Junior WAEC and Senior WAEC, which were written in years three and six, respectively. WAEC stands for the West African Examination Council. These were major exams, especially the senior WAEC exam, as it is needed to gain entrance into a tertiary institution.
My parents refused my request to join boarding school in my third year. School life was just school for me. The only other extracurricular activities I enjoyed were singing and acting. You could also find me on the press team; after all, my father was a journalist. I didn’t have many friends. In my entire six years, you can say I had just two really close friends, and I had a falling out with them, and as such, school was really lonely for me. Looking back now, I never really thought about it because I was solely focused on reading and passing my exams. Did I have a crush? Yes. Twice. And I was ignored both times; I wasn’t even given a decent ‘no’. But I had always felt smaller than myself in class. I wasn’t even the class nerd; I just didn’t really connect with anyone in my set. I was made fun of because of my height and the way I used to walk. I really wanted friends, but friendship eluded me.
I broke a school rule once by bringing my phone to school. I heard that I would be chosen to become a school prefect, and I didn’t want to be one. I know, right? Everyone usually jumps at the opportunity to be one, but I just didn’t want to be one. I was lonely enough already, and adding such a title to me would make me feel lonelier.
You would ask, "How did I push through school like that?" and I’ll tell you that my sister joined my school two years after I did. She was wonderful, and I had my own person in my corner. I loved her friends too. I got through school through their company.
Until today, I did not know what my classmates thought of me, and I don’t think I gave a damn either.
Benefits of my type of schooling? I believe it is more structured; teachers and other personnel don’t change randomly, and thus, there was stability, which meant that the syllabus was handled to the letter. Also, my school wasn’t overpopulated; in my set, we were just about 120 students split into three classes when I got into school, and about 70 of us graduated from there, unlike public schools, which can have as many as 120 students in one class. This makes it easier to have access to teachers who are also interested in us. The environment is also a plus. A quiet and neat environment gives one room to study and contemplate.
How did my school affect me? It has helped me to be studious and respectful of everyone and their opinions. To date, I hate dirtiness and dishonesty. Well, I also learned to enjoy my own company so early, but this led me to look for true friendships during and after tertiary education. I realized that life isn’t fully enjoyed when lived alone.
I don’t think I’d like to change anything except to ask that the school encourage love and communication between all students. If a student like me can feel left out and lonely, what happens to the quiet ones who don’t even have other interests?
I don’t believe I would’ve found those values I found in that school elsewhere, and I am truly grateful to my parents for working really hard to send my siblings and I to Catholic schools. I am Catholic by faith as well, so it helped me grow in my beliefs as a Christian and a Catholic.