From Nollywood to the Classroom!

My Teaching Journey + World Teachers' Day.

Author

Ugonne Ann Okonkwo
October 05, 2023

My acting career!

When I was younger, I dreamed of being an actress. A dream that was stemming from one of my fondest childhood memories. I starred in a movie with my siblings when I was about 10 or 11 years old. The name of the movie is "Soldiers of the Lord" and my father used me for money rituals. (pic above)! We stayed in one of the best hotels in Enugu, ate the most delicious meals, and had premium fun for about 3 weeks. I grew up on Nigerian movies so it was the most thrilling adventure seeing and working with the people I watched on TV in the flesh e.g. Ngozi Ezeonu who was our mom, Patience Ozokwor (the grandmom), and Peter Bunor who played our Dad).

I honestly believed I was going to be a Nollywood star from there. I was slim, light-skinned and pretty. I had a good sense of humor, and a pleasing personality and I looked like Omotola (In my head, I could play her little sister any day).

Fast forward 15 years and I found myself on a stage and my acting career was about to officially begin and my audience? Well, a bunch of 4– 6-year-old Chinese kids who found my weird hair and skin color fascinating, entertaining, and borderline funny.

Teaching in China

I started teaching English as a second language to Chinese kids in 2015 when I moved to China to join my husband. Although I grew up as "Nwa Mrs. Ezeugwu", i.e. the daughter of a primary school teacher who later became a headmistress, I never imagined I'd end up in the classroom especially because my first experience as a classroom teacher was nothing to write home about.

I had finished NYSC and didn't have much to do so I decided to put my Biology degree to good use. I volunteered as a teacher assistant at a public secondary school somewhere in Enugu. Apart from the fact that it was at a poor, underfunded school in a ghetto area, I was not mentally prepared for the ineffective system, the sheer laziness, and the lackadaisical attitude the teachers had towards their work.

Most of them cared more about the clothes and crayfish they brought to school to sell, the TV shows they watched the previous night, or the prayer sessions we were about to have. I couldn’t imagine these people as the professional shapers of the next generation as I couldn’t perceive that sense of professionalism in them and thus, didn’t admire them at all.

My experiences teaching ESL in China were somewhat contrastingly different. The dedication and commitment of teachers here fueled my passion and my interest in the education industry grew tremendously.

According to the Global Teachers Status Index (GTSI), teachers have the highest social status in China followed by Malaysia and Taiwan. China and Malaysia are the countries where teachers are most respected, which is reflected in that they see a teacher on the same level as a physician.

I believe that this is one of the major reasons God brought me to this country - to open my eyes, to paint a different picture of possibility for me so that I'm able to catch a compelling vision for education. Over the years, I’ve come to realize how important, sacred, and significant the teaching vocation is and I have nothing but respect for educators now. That's why I choose to celebrate all the teachers I’ve known today.

 Honor your Teachers

I am a product of many teachers and I will not be anywhere close to the woman I'm becoming without them. As we celebrate World Teachers Day today, I truly honor, celebrate, and thank the most impactful teachers I've had (Past and present)

  • My Life & Visionary teacher - Debola Deji Kurunmi.

  • My Bible teachers - David Ogbueli, Pastor Bankie, David Pawson, and Apostle Joshua Selman

  • My Motherhood & Productivity teacher - Eziaha Bolaji Olojo

  • My Parenting teacher - Mrs Noch

  • My Writing teachers - Coach Laju Iren & most recently, David Perrell

  • My Money teacher - Myron Golden and of course, the greatest teacher of all time, the Holy Spirit.

I encourage you to take a minute to celebrate your teachers today and if you would like to take it up a notch, make a conscious effort to invest in the education sector. One way you can do that is to support Talent Mine Academy 

Talent Mine Academy (TMA) is a nonprofit that focuses on providing quality education and better opportunities to kids in low-income communities. Through the Private School Scholarship program, TMA provides fully funded 12 years of quality education (primary and secondary) to children in underserved communities in private schools by partnering with individuals and organizations. So far, they have been able to reach 52 children with this opportunity, and have recorded a 75% academic improvement rate within 3 months of enrollment.

The Private School Scholarship is an avenue for private individuals and organizations to support a child's education without any interruptions. Therefore, the sponsor would be committed to sponsoring the child until the end of his/her primary education. Click here to learn more.

As I reflect on my teaching journey, I'm grateful for how far I've come. My highest dream for education in Africa is for the teachers. I have a dream for an education company that will build schools, train teachers, and create such enormous value in the education space that working as a teacher will be like working in Shell, Nigeria.

Do you remember the prestige, comfort, and money associated with working with oil companies in Nigeria back in the day? EXACTLY!

Imagine fantastic teacher's quarters and million-dollar salaries for educators. I want to see financially empowered teachers. I want to hear our children dream of becoming teachers. I want a teacher’s reward to not be in heaven alone. The Kingdom of God is about Heaven invading Earth. May Heaven kiss the earth in Education in our lifetime! It's possible.

I'm going to leave you with the videos I've made in the past about my teaching journey on my YouTube channel. Click on the buttons below to enjoy.

❝

Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them.

Isaiah 30:20 NIV

A SNEAK PEEK INTO MY MIND

💃❤𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄'𝙢 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩

Me Time Experience For Moms. Have you signed up yet? What are you waiting for Mama? Splurge on yourself this November. What better way is there to end the year than this. Treat yourself to this luxurious 2-Day Rest Retreat, exclusively designed for deserving moms like you! Plan your rest and book your spot now. Click here for more details or reach out to Coach T on Instagram

🎤🎼 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄'𝙢 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤

Calling my name. This song has been on replay since I discovered it. It's a warrior's anthem. It's us pledging our allegiance to our King. I love it so much.

📺📺 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄'𝙢 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜

Tiphani Montgomery  The Unapologetic prophetess! I love her ministry. I love her courage. I love her stories and her humour.

🙇🙌 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧

Sisterhood, Communities and Revivals   My 2023 has been literally powered by these three things and I'm so grateful for it. Thank you Jesus!

Before I go, I want to a huge ‘Thank you’ to you for taking out time to read my newsletters. If you enjoyed this one, please share it with someone you know and encourage them to subscribe. It will mean the world to me. I hope to reach 5,000 women with the message of “birthing, vision, motherhood, kingdom, building & partnering with God” and this is how you can help me reach my goal. What a testimony it will be to see more women growing, changing, running with a compelling vision, and living their best lives! Will you do that for me? God bless you as you do!

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