My Academic Journey: A Look Back at Different Educational Stages
This blog post takes you through my educational journey, highlighting the key differences between each stage: nursery school, primary school, secondary school, and university (including a bonus section on tertiary education).
Early Year’s
Nursery School (Age 5): My adventure began at Tulila Preschool. At this tender age, the focus wasn’t academics, but socialization and basic skills development. Play was a big part of learning, and the environment nurtured curiosity and exploration.. What I mean is that at this age I can’t say I knew what I needed in life but like any other person we all need to have good things and dress decently so by having this in mind my parents had implanted the notion that educated people have good things and generally good life .Having had cousins who were far old enough from me ,who by the time were either in secondary schools or in the universities and a few working had good talks in the neighborhood so for me I opted to follow their footsteps not to be educated but to have better things than they had.
My life in the preschool was marked by the test examination to join the lower primary which was done after someone had gone through the 2 years .Having the anxiety to join the rest of my cousins at Tulila primary school I had to work hard and that means my mother used to take me through revisions in the weekend as the end exams neared.By being threatened that if I was going to remain in the nursery school if I didn’t excel in the exam I had no other alternative other than studying hard to ensure that I join the primary school.As they say no hard work goes unrewarded I excelled in the exams and couldn’t wait for the Christmas and new year festivities so that I could join most of my cousins in the primary school.As the new year began 2009 I was eager to attend the school and ass usual the first day our parents were to accompany us to the primary school those who were eligible for the start of primary education.I remember the first day the head teacher trying to request my mother to let me do an extra year in the nursery school reason being compared to the rest of the class I was among the smallest but as the I had passed the end exam my mother suggested that I should just be enrolled.
Having most of my cousins we were very playful which reflected on our academic performances.Our class-teacher having noticed became so keen on me and I couldn’t get much time to play with the rest of my cousins as I was usually loaded with homework and assignments.Days went by and worst happened when the nearest cousins relocated to a distant town and now I was on my own one again as in nursery school.Having no one to play around during the weekend made the days so lengthy and hoped that we could relocate to but that never happened.I think this was for the best as my grades were very good and I was usually among the top performers of the class.In class 6 I joined the soccer team where now I made a lot of new friends and I could feel lively once again.
Beginning of Academic Excellence
Primary School (Age 6-12): Stepping into Tulila Primary marked a shift. Here, academics took center stage. We learned core subjects like math, English, and Kiswahili, with regular exams to assess progress. This stage nurtured a foundation for further learning.
Being a good player and having a good academic performance in the school made me most teachers favorite and usually we all have that one teacher that we usually dislike and that was our social studies teacher who still used to coach the volleyball team and I usually thought that since I never joined the volleyball team or had any interest in volleyball that could be the reason for me disliking him but the most was that he usually cained students a lot.
The end of my primary education was marked by the KCPE where I also performed well and joined Nyangwa Boys High school located along Embu -Kiritiri Road .This was a great change of scenery from Machakos to Embu.By the time I began my secondary education my parents used to stay in Nairobi.My interests in football began to die as in the court that we resided outside was a basketball pitch that the other families used to practice basketball I began developing interest in basketball and usually worked had in my end of term exam as my father had promised to get me my own ball if I performed excellently.By the time I was in form three I had my own ball and during the holidays I was usually in the pitch practicing.This used to take my mind off the studies and get a chance to socialize with the new neighbors.My high scool was characterized by good performance and by the time I sat for my KCSE exams I was sure that I would join a university.When the results were out it was the most joyous occasion in the family as the same day the results were out my younger brother was born.
Secondary School (Age 13-18): Joining Nyangwa Boys High School in Embu was a big change. The curriculum became more specialized, offering subjects beyond the basics. Extracurricular activities like sports (my love for football transitioned to basketball here!) provided a healthy balance. This stage prepared me for university entrance exams (KCSE) and the demands of higher education.
New Stomping Ground
University (Age 19+): Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology became my new stomping ground. Here, independent learning and in-depth studies in Information Systems and Knowledge Management took root. University offered not just theoretical knowledge but practical exposure too. My internship at an insurance company as a system administrator provided invaluable experience. This stage equips individuals with specialized skills and prepares them for professional careers.
I was enrolled at Masinde Muliro University of science and technology in September 2021 where I began my university education.Having secured a room in hall 4 there I meet a roommate who finally became a great friend as in the first week we realized we were taking the same course and both had interest in basketball.I was glad that by just the first week of my semester I had met someone whom we shared the same interests and since then weve been roommates even after moving from the halls.
Life in the university has been fun and marked with academic excellence as I always have someone to discuss and practice basketball with.During my third year had the opportunity to undertake my industrial attachment at an insurance company having been assigned roles and privileges of a system administrator by my supervisor Mr Fredrick Oloo Omiti I was able to learn a lot as both a system and network admin as we usually performed the roles together.It was really educative period of my university education and having completed I was glad to have to extend for a month .At the end of my attachment period I was promised by the CE0 once I graduate that I would have a post that he has secured for me and this keeps me going to make my grades good and knowing that I would have a starting point in my career after graduating.
Currently am in my fourth year and all is well still pressing on.
Bonus: Tertiary Education
The Birth of New Passion.
The passage also mentions a sponsored program offering Information Technology courses after high school. This falls under the category of tertiary education, which provides vocational training or specialized programs beyond secondary school but might not lead to a full university degree.
This journey highlights the diverse nature of education, with each stage playing a crucial role in shaping an individual. From playful exploration in nursery school to the focused learning of university, education equips us with the knowledge and skills to navigate the world and contribute meaningfully to society.
Since it was such along holiday I traveled to Malindi to my elder cousin .One day a chance came by a school sponsored by Nina Chung the founder and CEO of Cisco was offering sponsorship to students who had completed their secondary education to undertake some Information technology courses for live classes at lower cost.I applied and had no hope as I thought they would only sponsor students from only Kilifi County.Fortunately I was among the students who were selected and undertook three courses before I joined the university.
The courses taken were:
- Information technology Essentials
- Computer Hardware and software basics ,maintenance and repair
- Get connected 1 and entrepreneurship.
By being sponsored meant by payment of one time fee you could get access to all netacad materials which later changed to skills for all. I was happy to have had the chance to take the courses which led me to choosing information systems and knowledge management which is the course that am currently enrolled in at the university.
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