Most form ones need guidance and advice about what to expect
in and after high school. Most of them (actually all) are anxious about a
different environment and lifestyle, which is characterized by the change in many
things including names.
The school headteacher is now the principal. Desks are now
lockers. Fountain pens (if they still exist) are now biro pens. To some
schools, shorts are now trousers. The journey of our teenager is currently in
progress. The Egg is Now Larva, and the pupil is officially a student.
High School Makes Men Out of Boys, and Strong Women Out
of Girls
High school is where lives are made. It’s arguably the most
adventurous life for any person who has been there.
For the boarding students, the mattress is not yet a
foolscap. The food is still tasty and edible. The preps are still attendable.
How do you keep them in that mood?
It’s in high school where lives are made. It’s in high
school when boys will be men. It’s in high school where girls will be strong
women. It’s in high school where young people between 14 and 19 will discover
who they really are. It’s in high school when many mistakes will be made by
these young people.
Learn from Your Mistakes
Those who are smart enough will learn from their mistakes.
It’s in high school when most students will be at the peak of their adolescence,
they need guidance. It is after high school where students go their way in
life, some go to campus, others to colleges, others to TVETs, while others get
married. It’s one to choose which way they will go.
Don’t stop the metamorphosis
Our message from The Global Student Mentorship Center is
Don’t stop the metamorphosis. As a young King, a young Queen with big dreams
and ambitions. You can achieve more, you can go places, you can reach where
your parents never reached, you can break all the odds.
It doesn’t matter if your mom went to high school or not, it
doesn’t matter if your school has ever taken anybody to university or not.
You must do it. It starts today. Don’t stop the
metamorphosis. You didn’t come this far only to come this far!
Form Ones Need Information, Not Motivation
Our students make decisions every day, but they don’t make
an informed decision. Students need information, not motivation. These form
ones need information, from us. You can’t make an informed decision until you
have information, can you?
Form one students need to be encouraged that it’s possible.
That’s not motivation, it’s the truth. And we have real-life examples.
The truth is that it’s only 40% of students who join class
one that finishes form four. The other 60% are victims of early marriages, the
excuse of teenage pregnance, death, the excuse of lack of school fees, the
excuse of poor performance, underage employment and exploitation, school drop
outs, among other causes. If our true and faithful God will grant you the life
will you have an excuse not to finish four with a good grade?
What We Learnt in High School Shaped Us
We were made in high school. My life was shaped in high
school. I am who I am today because of my high school life.
Those ambiguous algebraic equations, the long chemical
formulas, the world war history classes, the lessons of Pangaea, Panthalasa and
the Mohorovisic Discontinuity, Shamirisho Kitondo, all these shaped us in a way
that can’t be explained.
I was molded in high school. I am a product of my high
experiences. I am made in high school.
Your Choice or Not, the School Does Not Matter Now
I didn’t have the fortune of going to one of those boarding
schools where they were served sausages and bacon for breakfast. No, mine was a
no-frills school. Breakfast was a cup of water mixed with a cup of milk, added
in was a pinch of sugar which was thrown from five metres away, with some tea
leaves which gave it some character. I am proud of my high school. It hardened
me. It made me a man. The love I have for my high school is unexplainable.
As am writing this article. Nostalgic mood is getting the better
side of my mind. I have very many high school memories. All of them good, no
matter what I was going through.
I attended a local school, I am calling it local because I
was from the same village. We were the first boys in the school, the preceding
classes were mixed. Agirl school was formed across the fence.
School Innings and Outings
One thing I can’t forget is the opportunity for innings and
outings. This was the moment when even the ones who never showered took a
shower. They would borrow sweaters and trousers to go for outings. Everybody
wanted to look smart. All the trousers and shirts were ironed (under the bed).
Those were the moments when everybody all of a sudden came from Nairobi. This
made them look modernized. Boys from Nairobi were appealing to girls. I
remember a time when a boy from our school told a girl that he came from Nai
(short form of Nairobi). The girl asked which estate. The boy said Naitiri,
which is a place in Bungoma.
Contests
Few people would attend Maths Contest. Many feared. Seeing
an index one in form four getting 0 out of 45 was not an experience people liked.
When going for the contests at Maseno School people would talk alot in the bus
but when coming back all the contest answer sheets with marks would not pass
beyond Majengo ~ they would be thrown through the window. Nobody would talk to
each other in the bus.
Nicknames
Every teacher had a nickname. Especially the harsh ones.
These names were deep secret and would never be revealed to the teachers unless
you had a death wish.
Punishment
Punishment was sleeping on the verandah the whole day,
removing tree clumps, digging the farm, washing the entire dining hall,
expulsion, slashing the whole football pitch, etc. These are the experiences
that make a man out of a boy. Yes, you will make mistakes, but learn from them.
Adolescence is a stage of making mistakes. Hating the teacher won’t make you
better. Listening to his guidance will make you better.
Don’t Just be there, Do Something in High School
As a high schooler, join a club, make friends, win souls, be
happy, go to the library, read magazines, go for trips, vie for a leadership
position, be real, stay humble, be good to your fellow students, consult from
teachers, be good in class, be somewhere in the school.
Think about your parents as this is an investment they are
making in you, will you give them an A, an E or a Baby? Remember every input
has an output. Start as early as this.
Enjoy your high school life. Enjoy whatever you do, those
preps, those outings, the contests, the lunchtime githeri, that Deputy
Principal. Enjoy every moment. You’ll never see it again.
Your KCPE Marks Does Not Matter, You Can Achieve Your
Dreams
Go through high school, don’t let high school go through
you. Don’t just go to high school because of 100% transition. Yes you can
achieve your dreams. It doesn’t matter your KCPE marks. Young King, Princess,
Young Champion, you can! Yes you can. It’s possible. Start today. Will you
start from day one or one day?
You reap more than what you sow. If what you reap is being attentive
in class, attending classes, not faking illnesses in the dormitory, managing
your time properly, being organized by having a timetable and adhering to it,
respecting the teachers and subordinate staff, helping your fellow students,
going for preps willingly, revising well, being prayerful, thinking about your
parents and guardians, learning from mistakes, I guarantee you success.
What will you Become after High School?
It’s the little things that matter. So you need the right
mindset. “Don’t Conform To The Patterns Of The World But Be Transformed By
Renewal Of Your Mind” ~ Romans: 12:2. Everything begins from the mind.
From the mind we get the thoughts, from the thoughts we get
the words, from the words we get the actions, from the actions we get the
habits, from the habits we get the behaviour, from the behaviour we get the
character, from the character we get the lifestyle, from the lifestyle we get
the life, from the life we get the history. What history will you leave in this
school?
Remember high school will mold you, it will not break you,
but the question is, what will it mold you to?
I Wish All The Form Ones All The Best In Their High School
Journey.
I Will Always Be There For You, With You. Be Blessed By The Highest God.