IT’S OFTEN been said that great teachers don’t just share knowledge. Their influence extends beyond the classroom, shaping lives, instilling a lifelong love of learning and motivating each student to reach their full potential. Juliet Coley from Hackney, east London, exemplifies the type of transformative influence a teacher can wield.

The retired senior deputy headteacher recently travelled to Ghana to work with 19 children on a project that turned them all into published authors.

Coley worked with pupils aged nine to 12 from the Deacons Academy Foundation School of Excellence in Accra, initially to help them with their learning during the worldwide pandemic in 2020.

Deacons Academy headteacher Janet Obiri-Yeboah asked Coley , Obiri-Yeboah, a former librarian at City and Islington College who decided to open a school in her native Ghana in 2013, explains: “When the pandemic came I was fearful that my children would academically fall behind. I knew Juliet had retired from teaching due to ill health so all I had to do was convince her to help the children.”

Coley, an award-winning teacher with over 20 years of experience, had only recently retired due to health reasons. However she immediately agreed to help.

“I left teaching in September 2019 following a heart attack, quadruple bypass surgery and bowel cancer,” Coley recalls. “But Janet contacted me some months later when the pandemic struck. She was worried that the children at her school would fall behind academically. So when she asked me to help a school in Africa I couldn’t say no.”

Coley overcame the obstacles of physical distance with the help of technology. Twice a week she would hold classes on Zoom helping her pupils with literacy and reading and evaluating stories with them. But when one of the pupils she worked with asked her if she could help them to write a book Coley, herself a published author, says the question sparked an idea in her mind.

“I was teaching an English lesson on rhyme and I was using one of the books I’ve written, Crayven the Nyamming Jancro, about a feral Jamaican bird to illustrate a point.

“A discussion then followed about my career as an author and publisher, it was then that one of the students Nana, who wanted to be an author, asked if I could help the children to write their own book. I thought this was a great idea.”

She began the process of brainstorming ideas by getting the children to conduct research on the country they called home — Ghana. The award-winning teacher encouraged them to investigate the West African country’s rich culture and heritage to find subjects to write about.

Among the topics they decided to produce a book about were Ghana’s history, its resources, some of its most famous people and even UK personalities who Juliet taught of Ghanaian heritage such as former Arsenal footballer Emmanuel Frimpong and Nana Rogues, a Hackney-based songwriter and producer for Canadian rap superstar Drake.

Undaunted by the financial challenges of bringing a book to life, she decided to set up a crowdfunding campaign to help pay for production costs such as design and printing.

Eventually over £1,600 was raised. Nearly three years after she began working with the pupils the book, an anthology called Deacons Ghana: the place we live, learn and love, was complete. The impact of Coley’s work went way beyond the original goal of improving the children’s literacy skills.

Knowledge

Through the process of research, collaborative writing, and the eventual publication of the book, the children not only gained valuable knowledge but new-found confidence and self-esteem after becoming published authors at a young age.

“The way they spoke was more confident. Their attitudes were positive and they were so proud when they spoke about their contribution to the book as co-authors and were able to point at the pictures of themselves which are on its front cover.”

Following publication Coley was invited to Ghana for a special book launch ceremony to mark the children’s achievement. The event was attended by Mercy Naa-Oyoo Quartey, the National Literacy Trainer and Content Developer, Juliet Wiafe, President of Early Childhood in Ghana, and Enoch Gyethah, the Director of Ghana National Association Council of Private schools (GNACOPS).

Quartey was full of praise for the project that enabled children of primary school age to become published authors.

Emotional

In recognition of her work with the Deacons pupils, Coley was made the patron of the school and awarded a Citation of Honor for her leadership and support with both staff and students. “Meeting the children was surreal,” Coley recalls.

“These were children I communicated with twice a week on Zoom. But seeing them in the flesh, being able to read, laugh, play and hug them was emotional. It was like meeting celebrities who you have watched on television. When I walked into their classrooms for the first time, they were in shock and open-mouthed. And they were exactly the same when they saw their book for the first time.

“Witnessing that moment was a massive highlight. All children were given a special medal for their achievement which they wore all day with pride.”

Coley revealed plans to continue working with Deacons Academy in an effort to support its staff and pupils.

“One main area of concern for me is the state of the school library, so in October I decided to set up a fundraiser with three young authors that I work with through my publishing company, Romeo Bremmer, Oneicia John-Baptiste, and Sheldon Barrett.

The fundraiser aims to decorate and fully resource the library.”

She continues: “We hit the £1,500 target in two days. To date we have raised £2,000 which will help paint the space and lay new floors. Now the young authors are organising a series of sponsored events for 2024 which will help provide funds to buy new books.”