Being visually-impaired for more than 50 years and a principal of a secondary school may sound outlandish to some people. Ms Deborah Mojisola Balogun has suffered visual-impairment for this long but her handicap has not dampened her spirits. MOJISOLA CLEMENT-OMOBOWALE writes that her determination not to succumb to the vagaries of life which would have derailed her vision translated a somewhat dismal situation into success.
Not even a five decades visual impairment would keep her down.
Ms Deborah Mojisola Balogun did not allow what would have been a terminal handicap to dampen her spirits. Her determination not to consent to the vicissitudes of life which would have derailed her vision translated a somewhat dismal situation into success.
She kept her hope aglow despite all odds by proving that there is ability in disability. Hers became an inspiring story to those whose state of helplessness would have ruined their future. Her optimistic stance on life invalidated her disability.
Being visually-impaired for 50 years and a principal of a secondary school may sound outlandish to some. But it is real. Here is reality staring us on the face.
Although her visual-impairment is protracted, the conduct and mien of this dark-complexioned, eloquent woman would always stir doubt in people concerning her sight challenges.
But one gets convinced that she has sight challenges when she gives out pieces of advice to her students who may have one form of challenge or the other. She would urge them to be focused and not consider their disabilities as impediments to achieving their dreams. She would advise them to be committed to whatever they do and should not allow anything weigh them down. These pieces of advice are based on her experience.
For 30 years, she has been in teaching and is the Principal of Community Junior Secondary School, Bayeku Ikorodu with a population of over 850 students.
A native of Ikorodu, Lagos State Ms Balogun told Southwest Report she would be 60 years old soon and the eldest of six children. She added that she had loving parents who ensured that their children had the best they could afford.
Any wonder she is in love with the teaching profession! Her father was a head teacher during his working days while her mother had to resign from the Ikorodu Trading Company to look after her when she lost her sight. However, she said her mother later ventured into sales of farm produce such as eggs, pigs, food crops and cassava processing. Ms. Balogun speaks English, French and Yoruba fluently.
The vision that turned her life around
Narrating how the incident that turned her life around began, Ms Balogun said she had a dream one day which she relayed to her father.
She said: “In the dream, I was wearing a white garment; carrying a bell and moving round the town, calling people to Christ. I was not wearing any shoes. My father went in search of a church that could fit into that description. Eventually, he found something similar at Makoko, a suburb of Yaba, Lagos Mainland. It was a Celestial Church and I moved in to stay with them.
“I began a new life of learning to pray every three hours. The Lord just wanted me to dwell in His house for some time. I was left in the church until the Lord was ready to do something. I was there for a year with the likes of Pa Oshoffa, Pa Bada and Pa Ajanlekoko whose wives looked after me. Upon leaving the church, I enrolled at Pacelli School for the Blind at Surulere.”
Educational background
At the age of five, Ms. Balogun had begun her education at the Salvation Army School, Onishigida Sabo Junction in Ikorodu. She had no problem with her sight then. It was at the end of her primary two when she moved to the Pacelli School for the Blind, Surulere because her sight had gone bad. Six years later, she enrolled into Queen’s College, Yaba, where she obtained her Higher School Certificate.
After then, she attended the University of Wales in the United Kingdom (UK) where she obtained a Second-class Honours degree in Education and History. She also had a Post-graduate certificate in the Teaching of History and English as Second Language. She also obtained a Diploma certificate in Biblical Studies. She came back to Nigeria, after which she obtained a Master’s degree in Education Foundation from the Department of Counselling of the University of Lagos, Akoka, and another Master’s degree in Education in Learning Disabilities from the Special Education Department of the University of Ibadan.
How she became visually-impaired
On how she became visually-impaired, Ms. Balogun stated that it was a sudden occurrence.
She said: “My sight went overnight. Then measles was widespread. There was an epidemic of small pox as well. When I was examined by specialists at an eye clinic in London, they confirmed that my eye problem was not as a result of either of the two ailments.
“But I had stopped worrying about the situation. Rather, I was adjusting and trying to adapt to my current situation. After visiting some medical facilities such as the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Lagos and University Teaching Hospital, Ibadan, I decided to live with the situation.”
Career
On her career, she revealed that she worked for roughly one-and-a-half years as a typist at Ikorodu High School under the late Pa Akinwunmi and Rev Odejide. That was after her Higher School Certificate examination. She noted that she has been a Principal for the past three years. But before the appointment, she was a Vice-Principal at Ipakodo Senior Grammar School and a teacher at Odogunyan Grammar School. In all, she has about 31 years’ experience in teaching, administration and counselling. At various times, she had taught English Language, Literature in English, History, Christian Religious Studies and occasionally French in the junior schools.
Why in the teaching profession?
But why did she choose to be a teacher? She explained that “I didn’t really set out to be a teacher. There was nothing like counselling when we were in primary school and even in early secondary school. So, professions were chosen especially by the Prophets. My being a teacher came as a result of prophesies from more than four people and that was from the age of seven. My parents were told that their child was going to be a teacher; that the Lord is going to use her to set students free from their helpless situations.”
How I teach
As visually-impaired teacher, what methods does she adopt while teaching? The Principal told our correspondent that she, at first, engaged the services of a brilliant non-teaching member of staff who would first read what she had written. If she is convinced he or she read it completely, she will then type with the old typewriter.
So, after typing, she will pass it on to the non-teaching member of staff who will read it again. When she is sure it is somewhat error-free, the member of staff will write on the chalk board for her with the permission of the Principal. As the non-teaching member of staff writes, the students will get up and read each paragraph. That way, she was able to know students who were very good in reading.
My first day of teaching
“My first day of teaching at Odogunyan Grammar School, Ikorodu was quite easy. The Principal, Pa P.O. Adebayo who is now retired, studied in Manchester, England. He knew what it entails to be visually-impaired. Secondly, I met teachers some of who lived in my area. They knew me and were helping me out, particularly in terms of mobility. All that helped. The issue of discipline was taken seriously. So, it was easy for me to fit into the system,” she said.
About marriage and children
“I have brought up a lot of children in and outside the family, particularly those with learning difficulties. They stay with me from JSS1 and leave after their SS3 examinations. Getting married as visually-impaired woman then was on trial-and-error basis.
“Most families did not accept it. It was much later that people began to truly accept it. So, I never got married. But personally, I have nothing to regret at all. To be candid, it is better to remain single than to be married to a wrong man because it could pose some challenges which could jeopardise one’s future,” Ms. Balogun said.
My typical day
For her, the day begins at 5:30 in the morning every day. Though she lives very close to the school, she wakes up that early to begin preparation for the day’s business. She ensures that her home is organised by getting everywhere neat.
By 7:15 a.m., she is out of the house and in the next 15 minutes, she is already in school. By 8:00 a.m., she will go round to check on the teachers in order to know how they feel. She does this because she understands that teachers’ feelings are also important. If any of her teachers is not happy, she would want to know why and proffer some solution. By 5:00 p.m., she goes home.
