Perhaps the thing that makes us human are the stories that each of us has inside. I have always thought that the gift of storytelling belongs to writers and the very old. The reality is, we are all storytellers from the earliest days of our lives. Everyone has a story inside them, even those confined or restrained by society and circumstances beyond their control..
Ms. Gertrude Oforiwa Fefoame, who is visually impaired, and who led a workshop on the second day of the WTIG`s first session of 2023 shared her life story that gave me the courage to also share mine with my fellow cohort members.
My story details the way I found courage in the midst of failure, thanks to my mother's faith and emotional support. I have struggled with low self esteem because I was traumatized by my parents divorce. However, my mother's faith and her unrelenting support for me created the foundation for my turn around. Until one day, when I was demoted from Grade 6 to grade 4 after taking an exam which I failed woefully. I felt so ashamed and embarrassed that I didn't want to go to school again. But guess what? That was where I found courage with the help of the mother who whispered in my ears, “Dela don't worry, you will know it one day"
I didn’t realize the impact that made on me until I started working with students. Now, as a teacher and leader in my community, I have come to believe in my intuitive response and the unconditional love of a mother. As the saying goes "There is nothing as powerful as mother's love, and nothing as healing as a child`s soul."
Today, my mother is 70 years old and I want to take this opportunity to appreciate and honor her for believing in me.
By Samuel Delali Awutey, Computing and Creative Arts Teacher for Grades 7-9, The Doryumu Methodist Basic School, Shai Osudoku District, Greater Accra, and The Witness Tree Institute of Ghana.