My childhood was marked with a speech challenge, stuttering, which made me a target for teasing by people around me, especially my peers. Sometimes this made me lose my confidence. But with time, I learnt to manage it. The fact that I was always among the best in my class, often topping the class, helped a lot in boosting my confidence. After secondary school, I gained admission to study Mass Communication at Benue State University. I went on to have an interesting experience during the compulsory Internship which I did in a radio station where I delivered excellently in presenting editions of the programme I handled. Again, during my National Youth Service, I was posted to teach in a school. Instead of seeing this as a challenge, I saw it as another opportunity to raise the bar against that speech challenge. To my surprise, each time I stood before a class, the stutter disappeared. Thereafter, my passion for teaching increased. I continued in the teaching profession after graduation and studied to obtain a postgraduate diploma in Education. In my years as a teacher, I have often been recognized as one of the best teachers in the schools where I have taught.

Author’s Biography

Margaret Achie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from the Benue State University, Makurdi, and a postgraduate diploma in Education from the National Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna. She lives in Makurdi, Benue State.