My Lost but Found Student!
Author: David Oletu
“I hand over my son to you; please help me teach and develop him, so he will be a better person,”
a mother pleaded to me, handing her son over to me to train and mentor.
She entrusted her son to me because she had seen my other students, whom I had nurtured, grooming them to become great and reputable people in life.
Some of my students are now leaders who are raising other leaders and excelling in their various fields.
The mother of the boy was impressed with the positive results she saw in my impact on young people,
so she wanted her son to grow too.
My Lost but Found Student!
Every Child has hidden potential in them; they can’t possibly bring it out on their own. They need a good guide and mentor.
I accepted the boy wholeheartedly.
His name was Promise, and he was just a 10-year-old boy at the time and in Primary 6.
One of the things I noticed about Promise was that his self-esteem was very low. His study habits were poor, and his grades were badly affected.
No one knew why, not even his mother.
Everyone just assumed it was his nature not to easily comprehend things.
But that appears like a fallacy to me.
I believe every child has hidden potential in them; they can’t possibly bring it out on their own.
They need a good guide and mentor.
Unfortunately, the mother couldn’t have been that perfect guide to Promise,
because she was a woman who didn’t have much time to monitor her son’s growth and mental needs beyond materials due to the highly demanding nature of her job.
Who could blame her anyway?
She was a single mother who was abandoned by her husband and left to take care of Promise alone.
Of course, she had to make money for herself and her child to survive,
so, she had no choice but to hand over her son to me because he had been lagging in many areas.
My Lost but Found Student!
I tried engaging Promise in a heart-to-heart conversation to figure out why he doesn’t do well, despite being provided with everything he needs.
And the only words he uttered were:
“I am alone.”
I wondered what he meant by that.
And I am certain he would have had the boldness to share more things bothering him with me if only he had good self-esteem to express himself freely.
He was always quiet, keeping a straight face that neither smiled nor frowned.
Who could tell what goes on in the lad’s mind?
No one, except the person, is so intentional about his growth.
My Lost but Found Student!
One day, my curiosity led me to sneak into Promise’s school to see how he was doing and how he related generally to his peers.
I planned with his class teacher to silently watch him among his peers, peeping through his class window.
He was seated in the class quietly alone, while other pupils were seated in pairs.
Still keeping a straight face like an emotionless being.
A few minutes later, while I was about to leave, I noticed two boys who were seated far behind Promise.
They were tearing some sheets of paper, rolling them like balls,
whispering to each other’s ears while giggling, and aiming the rolled papers directly at the neck of Promise.
They did it consistently and laughed.
To my surprise, Promise didn’t make any moves to react.
He sat down still. Perhaps he had already gotten used to his class bullies.
I felt unrest and angry seeing such an act.
In an attempt to go into the class to scold the bullies,
Promise’s teacher tapped me on my left shoulder to stylishly alert me that I had almost spent all her periods observing Promise and it was time for me to leave.
I left peacefully; however, I didn’t fail to express my displeasure at what I saw.
“That is how he gets bullied in school by his peers,” the teacher revealed.
“But we are trying our best to scold his peers for bullying him.” The teacher continued.
“Eh, and you know…
This is a big man’s school, so we have to be very careful with the way we deal with the children,” the teacher hinted while winking at me,
perhaps trying to make me understand why many of their pupils are spoilt.
“So, because this is a big man’s school, you can’t discipline your kids?”
I responded angrily and left the teacher pondering on my statement.
My Lost but Found Student!
There are no parents to give him attention!
And There is no teacher to guide him!
Bullies surround him!
There is no one to voice his pain and troubles to!
Why won’t he feel low and lonely?
And Why won’t he perform poorly?
Then, I knew better!
“Are you aware that your child always gets bullied at school?”
I once asked the mother,
but she seemed to be ignorant about the other salient aspects of the boy’s life and mental health and strictly fixated on work, work, and work!
I had deep compassion for Promise.
So, I grew more intentional about saving Promise’s future.
It became a personal commitment for me.
I said to myself that I wouldn’t rest until Promise gets better.
And I vowed to serve as the father he never had the chance to have.
My Lost but Found Student!
Each time his mother brought him to my house to spend some time with me, I played with him, acting as the best friend he ever had.
I shared God’s word with him consistently and gave him some good words of affirmation to say consistently.
And I also complimented him with sweet words to erase the negative identity of himself that had occupied his thoughts.
Within a few months of my therapeutic and coaching sessions with him, he began to smile once again and see the best in himself.
I nurtured Promise to the point that, to his mother’s greatest surprise, his life turned around for good.
As Promise grew in knowledge under my tutelage, he excelled in various fields of endeavour.
He performed excellently in his academics, winning lots of awards.
I even diligently invested my money and time in him to help promote him to the best of my ability.
Also, I would spend sleepless nights just to see him grow,
ensuring that the work of his hands looked better and more appealing to the world.
My investments in him right from when he was little made him one whom people referred to as “Celebrity.”
Promise sings!
Who could have discovered he had such a hidden talent if no proper attention was given to him?
No one!
Oh! I was so proud of him, and his mother’s heart was filled with joy.
My Lost but Found Student!
As time passed, it got to a point when Promise grew to become a young man—
when he was left alone to use what he learned from me to establish himself.
As a celebrity, he became exposed to different kinds of people online;
his knowledge became broader as he began to read diverse books from numerous popular authors to the point that he started correcting me, and that was quite impressive!
Until he stopped listening to me.
I now became a student to my student, ironically.
He stopped regarding me and gave all the credit for his growth in life to the authors he had never met before.
He now claims to have become a person of repute in life only because of the authors he has read from, perhaps on social media.
I felt dishonoured and disregarded, as though I had contributed nothing meaningful to his growth in life.
He made me seem like a nobody in his growth in life.
And to his mother?
He had little regard for her because she was like a stranger to him while he was growing up.
She was just like that regular human whom he only sees every morning when he wakes up.
There was no quality time spent between them. So, his lack of affection for her could have been expected.
He left his home for somewhere else where he felt he could start life better.
His new friends in the celebrity club became his new family.
My Lost but Found Student!
Exodus 20:12 KJV
[12] Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
However, one fateful day, he suffered from an unexpected, terrible infection, which almost led to his death.
His friends were clueless about what to do because the money for treatment was high,
and even if they could afford the money, he still needed quality care and attention, especially from family.
His friends had their commitments and family to face, so none were willing to take up that risk to be with him 24/7.
“Please take me back to my mother and mentor (referring to me).”
Promise said to his friends in pain while on the sick bed.
This was when Promise suddenly remembered he had a real family and mentor who could stake anything for him when he was in dire need.
Even if his mother was truly flawed in giving him much attention,
she cared so much about his growth that she handed him over to me and also provided for all his material needs.
So, should he have undervalued her place and left her?
As for me, his mentor,
he probably admired more famous mentors and authors on social media who don’t know him, leaving me, who is not so famous and rich!
I had thought his famous and most admired mentors and authors would be the ones to come for him at his ‘down’ moment.
Nevertheless, just as the prodigal son was warmly embraced by his father,
His mother and I accepted him wholeheartedly when his friends brought him back home to receive proper care and follow-up.
This time, his mother didn’t fail to give Promise the care he needed.
She learned her lesson.
Likewise,
Promise also learned his lesson that those around him who were there for him from his early beginning should be treasured and honoured.
My Lost but Found Student!
Was there a lesson for me to learn?
A canal mind would have regretted being one of the major players in Promise’s success story because of Promise’s rebellious act.
But No! I never regret being a ladder to Promise’s growth.
I forgave him with the whole of my heart, and I am glad he is back home, hopefully with the right sense.
My Lost but Found Student!
Lessons:
Parents should pay attention to their children’s growth in all areas.
Don’t assume they are okay.
And Don’t starve them of your attention so you won’t lose connection with them.
Also, it is true that people perish for lack of knowledge, but beware!
People can also perish for an abundance of knowledge that is without meekness, caution, or virtue.
Do you remember the story of Lucifer?
He also became that lost angel from heaven because he dishonoured God,
…. already feeling like he was too good and knowledgeable to be under God, and hence he fell!
Pride!
This is the twisted reality of life today:
We easily forget or give less reverence to those around us who help us grow,
and rather highly revere people we have never seen before because of how much we admire them from afar.
One of the greatest mistakes a man or woman can ever make in life is to forget or dishonour those who were there for them at their humble beginning—
those who invested one thing or another in their lives for them to become a better person.
No matter the height you attain in life, do not stop kneeling at the feet of your elders—those who nurtured you.
Never dishonour them.
Remember how they started with you from the grassroots, helping you become who you are now?
Give them the utmost regard.
Even as you are on top of the tree, eating the fruits it bears, never forget how you were able to climb up from the root.
If you forget your roots, you will be left stranded.
My Lost but Found Student!
Also Read: Love Like You’ve Never Been Hurt. – Diademng (thediademng.org)
