This piece is a bonus in addition to the copa-ticha episode 1-10. It is dubbed to reflect that it contains some kinds of “over sabi” though they can go a long way in helping you during and even after service year. Some may even give birth to your personal CDS. I have highlighted and briefed some of this tips under the character they fit into. Read and benefit…

• THE GOOD CORPER

Being good is a virtue that so many people lack, but virtually everyone can be good or pretend to be. Humility, punctuality and diligence at work are needed here. Let the management see you as an upright person, mannered and righteous. Your co-teachers may not be degree holders, mind the way you address them.

• INNOVATIVE CORPER

As a copa-ticha you have to display your skills in the school, let them know that you actually studied that prestigious course for 4, 5 or 6 years. It may not be something in your discipline but something good and nice will make the school write your name in gold. Say you studied an environmental related course, you can choose to initiate planting of flowers around the school premises, that’s not stressful…your students will always be there for you. They naturally like wahala!

• CORPER ICT

This is not for those graduates that cannot use MS word, no insult intended. Play this card by either encouraging or helping your school to be ICT compliant though it is a “no go area” in some schools. Well, you can help to create an email, build a website and recommend e-testing if they have a computer room. Let them know that their students will not get admitted into higher institution in the country without passing CBT UME and being a regular user is an edge over others. In case you need info on that, contact me and I will gladly help. In addition, you may offer to teach some students how to use of common computer software but be smart enough not to be seen as the computer teacher’s rival.

• SOCIAL CORPER

Many people perceive being social to be limited to organizing dance shows, No! I am not talking about that, I want to focus on clubs and societies. If your school have such in place, join hands with the coordinators or otherwise you may propose an introduction. The most popular and quite important club in a school is the press. Other popular ones are debate club, environmental, HIV and the likes. If you don’t have an idea on how to introduce and coordinate one, I can help you with an outline but not here…no space! You may not know, club activities build students’ interactive and leadership skills. #reminiscence

As a plus you may assist or volunteer to be part of the end of session programme too. “All nah social”.

• SMART CORPER

Of course the students will be feeling your swags knowing you a graduate, a way to add more to the swags is by walking into their classrooms during free period to create some intellectual rapport. Talk to them about technology, history, mathematical facts or throw some riddle. How about using this line: “someone should tell us a sentence that contains the 26 letters of English alphabet for #500 cash”. Don’t be scared majority of secondary school students won’t get it right, your money is save and ………”if dem chop your money” diaris God!

If you don’t know the answer to that, here it is: “a quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dogs”.

• SMART CLASS

You are smart, you are ICT enabled, you are social, and you serve in a school where many students have smartphones, smarten up your class too by creating an online chat group for class discussions, read that well….CLASS DISSCUSSIONS.

Doing these is going the extra mile in your “service and humility”…do you agree?

This is a bonus, it shouldn’t be much but it is already, before I say my thank you, let me appreciate you for reading through. Copa-Ticha series is my first successful edu-project after Bachelor’s degree, your attention boosted my morale. I am delighted and can’t express how happy I am while writing these last lines.

Thank You!

Siddiq I. Oyelami B.A. (ED.) Islamic Studies.

(Author)

I wrote this as an advocate for quality teachers’ education, thus I enjoin you all to join up in this campaign.