Veteran teacher: Why I will not drop the chalk just yet

Samuel Okumu a Mathematics teacher at Kabarak High school in Nakuru. [Kipsang Joseph/Standard]?

Not even the allure of greying hair nor the permanent smile or even his no-cane rule has ever compromised mathematics results in his 40-year teaching career.

Instead, it has propelled one of Moi High School-Kabarak’s oldest teachers Samuel Okumu to great heights, earning him the Order of Grand Warrior award as an unrivalled author of mathematics books.

At 70, Mr Okumu is still a common figure at the corridors at Moi High School, Kabarak. He is not ready yet to retire. He still hovers around in class, imparting skills, writing books and witnessing the birth of brilliance 35 years since he joined Kabarak.

“Teaching will always be a calling. I use my experience to guide students to produce the best results and make a difference in their lives. Nothing beats the feeling of making the better best,” he says.

In his own unique approach, he has never caned a student, even before it was outlawed. He persuades learners to understand, and believes in the magic of his “daily doses” of 20 mathematics questions.

Teaching career

And while his teaching career spans four decades, dating back to 1978 when he was first posted to Chesamis High School in Bungoma, Okumu has since risen through the ranks to becoming a marker, examiner, motivational speaker and author.

In 1985, he was selected by the Ministry of Education among the 10 teachers across the country to come up with mathematics syllabus for the 8-4-4 system.

“By that time, I had just moved to Moi High School Kabarak from Amukura High School in Busia. The school had been topping consecutively in Mathematics and science congress between 1982 through to 1985,” he said.

Apart from coming up with the syllabus, Okumu has also collaborated with some of his colleagues to write mathematics books (textbooks, revision and guide books) that include Certificate Mathematics Book 1 to 4 and Understanding Mathematics among other revision books.

Okumu and some of his colleagues were approached by the government of Malawi to also help author books that would aid teaching of Mathematics in that country.

“The Malawi government lauded our efforts and we have since continued writing for them. The same syllabus and books are shared and used in Mauritius,” he said.

And in 1996, Okumu was awarded Order of Grand Warrior by former President Daniel Moi, a recognition for his contributions to nurturing mathematics in the region.

By the time of his awarding, he had been a director of studies at Moi High School Kabarak for 15 years and was concurrently the head of mathematics, a position which he held for 16 years.

“I was also the chairman of the Nakuru District Science and Technology congress, a position I held for five years, while also coordinating Baringo District Mock mathematics,” he said.

In 2001, Okumu rose to the rank of deputy head teacher, serving until 2008 when he officially retired, a move that prompted the school to persuade him to continue teaching.

“I had all the time in my hands, I had achieved my dreams, climbed through ranks and had to continue nurturing the students. Currently, I am settled in a separate office from the staff where I write books when I am not in class,” he adds.

Secret recipe

Last year, the school produced 178 plain As in mathematics, 38 A-minuses, 29 B plus, and 21 Bs. The subject posted a mean of 10.48 up from 9.18 in 2017.

But what is the secret recipe to sterling results?

“The open secret is that mathematics is all about understanding. Teachers should persuade the student, caning can go wrong with students developing a negative attitude towards a subject that simply demands understanding,” he says.

He adds that teachers should also strive to cover up syllabus by first term in form four to give room for revision and improvement while also giving low performers time to catch up.

“Teaching is a noble profession. The future lies in a teacher’s hands and I could not exchange the profession for anything else.

“Good results depend on the approach and it only gets better when one matures in the profession,” he said.

At 70, he says, all of his colleagues have since retired while others have since passed on but for him, he says, he might not retire sooner.

“I promised to do what I do best, help where I can and always better the best that exist,” he said.

[email protected]