Born to succeed
By Vincent Muli Wa Kituku
Sunday, December 30, 2007 2:56 AM PST
Born to succeed is the thought that couldn’t leave my mind as my wife and I were discussing growing up in Kangundo, Kenya.
We were brainstorming on what name would fit my wife’s new child care and education center. We realized that the backbone of the professional and personal growth we have enjoyed were rooted in what our parents, teachers and elders instilled in our young minds during our childhood — that we were born to succeed.
Like all children growing up in our community, we never had industrial toys. We got clay from riverbanks and created our toys — cars, doles, houses and whatever else we could conceive.
With dry cornstalk I created mock spectacles.
Our soccer balls were made of scavenged newspapers or torn cloth materials — the balls never bounced, but we played with them.
We played with mud.
I made my first watch with a piece of paper and a bottle top.
Our world of fun and exploration was not limited by what we didn’t have.
I remember part of my early schooling when our classroom was primarily under a tree. We learned to write our ABC’s and 123’s on the ground. If the wind blew, our homework was gone. I still recall the rainy days that led to unexpected no-school days — natural holidays.
There were no textbooks for each pupil. Teachers wrote what we were to learn on the blackboard and erased it at the end of a period.
Songs were also written on the board for a short period of time and we memorized them for life. Even with the myriad of challenges, we were taught life parameters that transcend classroom walls.
Learning was part of life — not isolated for five days a week.
What comes to mind is the day my mother taught me multiplication tables as we were putting manure in our garden. That has never been erased from my memory for more than 40 years since it happened.
Years later, I used a family activity to teach one of my children multiplication tables. She has never had challenges in that line of arithmetic ever since.
Several teachers sacrificed their Saturday mornings to come to school and help us prepare for the extremely difficult high school entrance exams. They were not paid overtime. Their greatest reward was to see the young people in their community succeed.
There were other adults who were not relatives or our teachers but still encouraged us to do our best, not only in school, but in life.
There was a woman we didn’t know who spanked us when she found me and my buddies hiding, sneaking out from class in sixth grade to try a cigarette a “friend” had.
A principal from a different school than mine took time to tell me that using my time to study was a better investment than helping at the small restaurant my father had.
Looking back, it’s hard not to highlight key factors that were critical in our upbringing. Parents, teachers and other adults believed in us. Each contributed to the best of their ability to prepare us for the unpredictable future. They cared.
We were told family stories (among others) that helped us know who we were and gave the sense of belonging each person needs.
We learned stories of traditional heroes and their struggles and triumphs against stronger forces.
We learned respect is not slavery: We gave our seats to adults and listened without interrupting when someone else was talking.
We shared any book available.
We were responsible for bringing clay or whatever items teachers needed for our learning. Lack of material goods was never considered as poverty. Improvisation was part of life … and that’s how you succeed.
My wife, Theresia Muli Kituku, with a master’s degree in early childhood, is a lifelong educator of young children.
She owned and operated group child care in Wyoming. She taught for the Head Start program before serving as the director of the Hillview Preschool and developed and directed the Training in Manila Envelope program that was designed to assist teachers and professionals serving children with special needs.
Theresia has been the director for the Growing Place for the last two years. Born to Succeed Early Care & Education Center, Inc., is open for children ages 1 to 6 years old and is established for children to explore, learn, grow and have fun incorporating attributes that make each child know and believe he/she was born to succeed. The new phone number is (208) 658-5561.
