The Teacher Who Turned My Life Around.

the skull of pride

THE TEACHER WHO TURNED MY LIFE AROUND.
BY: Austin Brako (University of Ghana, Legon) +233 242 62 81 64

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“Brako, tell the class the reasons for the abolition of slavery in Africa”, were the timeless words of Mr. Justice Kpodo Sevlo – the History and Government teacher of Abuakwa State College, Kibi in the Eastern Region of Ghana. This happened at Form Three in the General Arts 3 Class room.

I had had a missed feeling when my Daddy told me of my admission to the Abuakwa State College, Kibi in the Eastern Region of Ghana. As a fresh graduate from the Junior High School in the year 2001, I had barely heard of the school.

I remember telling my granddaddy that, “I don't want to go to the school, because it is not popular in the country”. He made a promise to help me personally to get admission into a different school provided I was able to score all grades A in the first term. I bought into the idea with so strong a passion that, I gave in to the scheme so to say.

When I first set foot on the soil of Abuakwa State College - my alma mater, I was greeted with greenly and beautifully sets of flowers well barbed. The girls and boys dormitories are separated by an “almighty” street creating an artificial boundary. I was admitted into one of the boy's dormitories christened, Las Vegas Block. It was at Las Vegas that, I started life as an ABUSCODIAN.

My form one and early part of form two academic days proved daunting with my grades cascading down from even B, C to D back and forth. I fretted those moments because my dream of scoring all A's and leaving the school had fizzle out into the air.

It was the eagle eyes of Mr. Justice Kpodo Sevlo a man who hail from the Southern part of the country precisely the Volta Region of Ghana that served as a rod of direction for my entire life on campus and beyond.

Mr. Sevlo as he is affectionately called is married with children with one being a Level 300 student at the University of Ghana, Legon. Mr. Sevlo who is the current House Master and Dining Hall Master in the school had a magic wand on me right from forms two and three to completion.

He was one of the first teachers who believed I could do exceedingly well in class more satisfying than I was faring. It was his attitude of calling me to answer questions in class that bolstered my zeal to read more ahead of my class.

I remember the first day he called me to answer a question in class. He had by then brought our examination script to show to the class those who had excelled extraordinary in the exams. I had all those moments, led a low profile life not only in class but in the school in general. That made me one of the unpopular “kids” in the school. He mentioned my name after close to about twenty names to a rapturous applause for having scored 80%, the highest in the class.

That began the rebranding of Austin Brako as a personality on campus. It was the rebranded personality that the eminent teachers and the school's board of governors adjudged as the best Government and History student in the whole school during the schools 2004 Speech and Prize Giving Day.

A victory to my parents, Mr. Sevlo and all teachers in general.

Though other equally important teachers like our forms two and three Mathematic teacher Madam Doris A. Kesse had profound impact on my life, Mr. Sevlo's took such a center space tantamount to the role of the radar in a ship.

Mr. Sevlo also helped me during my days of student leadership as the school's Assistant Prep Prefect in the period 2003 – 2004.

I remember in the year 2004 during one SRC meeting when I was acting as the SRC General Secretary, we invited Mr. Sevlo to the meeting to answer some questions that had direct bearing on his department. One of my best friends, Michael Akosa by then the Co-chair of my Prep Committee complained of a doughnut that was served in the dining hall two days ago which was so hard that it shook the foundation of his teeth.

Funny huh? Read on man.
Without playing favorite, I issued an ultimatum to Mr. Sevlo as the acting General Secretary of the Students' Representative Council and Assistant Prep Prefect to ensure that that kind of food was not served in the dining hall any longer.

Tell you what; the food was not served again ever since till this today.

In all respect, it was the beginning of victories of the student's front in Abuakwa State College, Kibi.

Mr. Sevlo did not take offense as was directed by some of his colleagues who felt I was flying too high with my eagle wings to the point of stifling their activities.

Mr. Sevlo kept an admixture of faith and hope in his students' unparallel in my school days. He made sure he marked every script item by item and teaches with so great a passion that, one cannot afford to underperform even when one fails to read his/her notebook.

A teacher who was by then barely two years old in the school assumed such a high reputation reserved conventionally only for those teachers who had spent some number of years in the school. To wit my friend Julius Kwarteng, “he's found favor in the sight of students'” who were spotted saying good things about Mr. Sevlo.

A visit to his house on campus always comes with some delicious meal from his lovely wife who sometimes loads us with food not served in the dining hall before.

An angel and the devil, wise, caring, knowledgeable and humorous sum up the personality of Mr. Sevlo.

As with every human being as the cliché says, Mr. Sevlo also has his blights and blemishes. I remember performing “somehow poor” in class the term of the 2004 Speech and Prize Giving Day when I was in Form three. Mr. Sevlo told almost all the teachers and made half of the students' know that, I had performed badly that term.

I fumed upon getting the information and decided to walk to the office of the Head of the Social Studies Department, Mr. Otu to tell him to caution Mr. Sevlo. It was a lady friend by name Dorcas Aboagyewaa who talked me out of the whole business.

But for his attitude of unforgiveness couple with his lousy talks, Mr. Justice Kpodo Sevlo would have been an angel of hope forever.

As a final year student of the University of Ghana, Legon reading a study of Political Science and Sociology, I would not have come all this far had it not been the magical wand of Mr. Justice Sevlo who teased and roused the “giant and the goliath” that lay inside of me.

He also made me fearless and emblazoned me with the spirit of courage, timeless leadership skills and confidence to go to places like everyone else.

His investment in my life and the life of contemporaries like Julius Kwarteng (Legon), Michael Akosa (KNUST), Naphtali Awuakye Kyei (Legon), Dorcas Aboagyewaa, Cynthia Oboubi (Nursing School), Theodora Kasu (UCC), Nigel Geisie (Legon), Eva Owusu Sarpong (Legon), and Obed Out Afro (KNUST) etc all of Abuakwa State College, Kibi in the form of advice, prayers, encouragement and the upbringing livens his memory as one of the most impactful teachers in the country and the world over.

Through him and his contemporaries in Abuakwa State College, Kibi we are better off and ready to take up the cudgel of fight and press on for a better tomorrow in Ghana.

I answered Mr. Sevlo's question on the abolishing of the slave trade to a thundering applause. I had barely settled when the siren went off for lunch. We took our plates and cutlery sets in a mad rush and made way to the dining hall.

When you finish reading this piece, please say thank you to my parents and most especially to Mr. Justice Kpodo Sevlo, Mrs. Doris A. Kesse, Mr. Otu etc all of Abuakwa State College and to all the teachers in Ghana for their extraordinary hand in our life.

Be grateful to your teachers now!