Servant Leadership Course Helps Teacher Discover Student’s Potential

Agnes, from Uganda, shared this story with researchers during the 2017 Impact Study.

“While teaching at a primary school, there was a dull, quiet, withdrawn and disinterested pupil. One outgoing teacher told me not to bother with this pupil because all his efforts to help him were in vain. Many had concluded that nothing good could come out of this boy. Before studying servant leadership, I would have believed them and ignored him.
“In the course, I learned to serve others, believe in them and give them an opportunity. I decided to find out why this boy was unique. I soon found out he had just lost his mother, his polygamous dad (who had three wives) had abandoned him, leaving him under the care of his equally needy grandmother. He walked for long distances to come to school, sometimes on an empty stomach. He suffered the effects of rejection. It took about two weeks for him to tell me all this. I started packing meals for him daily and told him stories. I visited his grandmother and took some food along for the visit. We stayed for some time after school and did his homework together.
“Soon the boy started calling me Aunt. His class work improved and he started playing with the other boys and all his potential started coming forth. By the end of the term, he was the third in the class. All teachers were left amazed.
“This encouraged me so much. I reached out to other children and now I have seven children I’m mentoring and spending time with, teaching them the word of God.
“I have seen lives transformed but it all started when I understood that leadership suffers the big boss syndrome. I was changed from within when I understood that leadership is about serving others without necessarily expecting a reward.”