MaryJane Ikeakaonwu

MaryJane Ikeakaonwu is an enthusiastic and inspirational teacher at Bridge, Daddy Savage academy in Fagba, Lagos State. She’s been teaching for eight years now and is very passionate about what she does—building a nation by developing tomorrow’s doctors, engineers and architects.

Her love of the teaching comes from the progress she sees first-hand in her classroom. At first, she says, parents will bring their children to her when they’re struggling, some will not be able to grasp even basic maths and English. However, after a few weeks, MaryJane will have guided them to improve academically and in confidence. This transformation is often noticed by the parents of the children she teaches. At home, parents report noticing the hard work she exhibits rubbing off on their children, she says: “Parents come to me and say ‘now my child is better behaved… even folding their own clothes!’”

Her method of teaching is to talk to each and every child in her classroom to ensure they’re learning and progressing. She also likes to make her classroom a fun environment for her pupils, which she does by teaching them songs, cheers (below) and games. MaryJane is a big advocate for teaching children through motivation. If a child in her class is struggling she makes sure that they’re praised—ultimately, she wants them to understand anything is possible if you work hard enough, no matter who you are or where you were born.

She’s a friend to all the other teachers at her school and wants to motivate them too! In August 2019 she was selected by popular vote to appear on the first ever Teachers’ Reality TV Show in Lagos; we’re excited to see her share her talent and passion with the entire nation! Good luck, MaryJane!

Click below to hear her talk about how she motivates her pupils to do their very best, and discover the Bridge ‘Super Cheer’!