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RECOLLECTION TALK GIVEN TO TEACHERS OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES’ COLLEGE,

MANKON IN PREPARATION FOR THE DIAMOND JUBILEE OF THE COLLEGE
FRIDAY, 27TH OCTOBER, 2023

Jubilee Theme:
“Quality Education to the Girl Child – The Bedrock of an Emerging Nation”.

From the above theme, we shall reflect and discuss on Jubilee and its implications
for you as teachers of our lady of Lourdes’ College, Mankon.

Definition of Jubilee:
Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 3 rd Edition defines Jubilee as “The
Celebration of the Day on which an Important Event happened many years ago”.

On Saturday, 11th of November, 2023, our lady of Lourdes’ College, Mankon will
be celebrating its Diamond Jubilee. Diamond Jubilee means the day exactly 60
years after an important occasion or a special event to celebrate this. So, since
the creation and opening of your college, it is exactly 60 years.

The key word in the definition above is Celebration. An important question to ask
ourselves is:

What exactly are we to celebrate on Saturday, the 11th of November, 2023?

1. We shall be celebrating our Lady of Lourdes’ College, Mankon as a special

gift for the education and moral formation of the girl child (holistic
education) in the archdiocese of Bamenda, in the North West Region and in
Cameroon as a whole.
2. We shall be celebrating the solid foundation that was laid by the founding
Principal (pioneer Principal) with the staff and first batch of students in
1963.
3. We shall be celebrating the continuity of hard work, commitment,
devotedness, sacrifice and seriously by the succeeding Principals and staff
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over the past years in the administration of the college and teaching
exercise.
4. We shall be celebrating the excellent results in the end of course certificate
examinations at the GCE Ordinary and Advanced Levels recorded by past
students.
5. We shall be celebrating the prestige and grandeur of the college brought
about as a result of hard work and commitment by both staff and students.
6. We shall be celebrating the excellent work and acceptance by the Holy
Rosary Sisters to be the administrators of our Lady of Lourdes’ College,
Mankon. The history of the college can never be complete without them
being mentioned because they have played and continue to play a very
significant role in the running and administration of the institution.
7. Since the creation and opening of the college, there have also been
challenges and difficulties encountered over the past years. We shall also
be celebrating the fact that despite those challenges and difficulties, God
has always been with the school administration, and with the staff and
students; protecting them, enabling them to acquire wisdom and insights,
and helping the college to provide quality education to the girls who are
now serving as the bedrock of an emerging nation. Women of substance
and integrity and they are found all over the world.
8. And finally, but not the least, we shall also be celebrating the existence of a
strong, committed and generous PTA of the college. The PTA of the college
has carried out and continues to carry many projects for the wellbeing of
staff and students. As we look back over the past years, we ought to be
grateful and thankful to God for their generosity and sacrifice in the
execution of numerous projects.

Closely connected with the aspect of celebration, is the aspect of thanksgiving

and gratitude. During any Jubilee celebration, we have to be grateful and thankful
to God for His blessings, care, love and protection on us, on our families and over
our institution during the past years. That is why the Mass on the day of the
Jubilee will be referred to as Thanksgiving Mass.
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Meaning of Gratitude and what it does to us:

 Gratitude means thankfulness, counting your blessings, noticing simple and
great events giving us pleasures, and acknowledging everything that we
receive. It means learning to live our lives as if everything were a miracle,
and being aware on a continuous basis of how much we have been given.
 Gratitude shifts our focus from what our lives lack to the abundance that is
already present. There is so much abundance present in our Lady of
Lourdes’ College, Mankon. Are we aware of that?
 In addition, behavioural and psychological research has shown the
surprising life improvements that can stem from the practice of gratitude.
Giving thanks makes people happier and more resilient. It strengthens
relationships, improves health and reduces stress.
 Those who practice gratitude tend to be more creative, bounce back more
quickly from adversity, have a stronger immune system, and have stronger
social relationships than those who don’t practice gratitude. To say we feel
grateful is not to say that everything in our lives is necessarily great. No, it
just means that we are aware of our blessings. Eg. Lourdes’ College!
 Many People tend to take for granted the good that is already present in
their lives. There is a gratitude exercise that instructs that you should
imagine losing some of the things that you take for granted, such as your
home, your ability to see or hear, your ability to walk, or anything that
currently gives you comfort. Then imagine getting each of these things
back, one by one, and consider how grateful you would be for each and
every one. In this light, we need to start finding joy and happiness in the
small things which come our way in the teaching ministry, instead of
holding out for big achievements before allowing ourselves to feel gratitude
and joy.
 Another way to use in giving thanks to appreciate life more fully is to use
gratitude to help you put things in their proper perspective. When things
don’t go your way, remember that every difficulty carries within it the
seeds of an equal or greater benefit. In the face of adversity, ask yourself:
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“What’s good about this?” “What can I learn from this? And How can I
benefit from this?
CONCLUSION
Once you become oriented towards looking for things to be grateful for,
you will find that you begin to appreciate simple pleasures and things that
you previously took for granted. Gratitude should not be just a reaction to
getting what you want, but an all-the-time gratitude; the kind where you
notice the little things and where you constantly look for the good even in
unpleasant situations. Today, as teachers of our Lady of Lourdes’ College,
Mankon, start bringing gratitude to your experiences, instead of waiting for
a positive experience in order to feel grateful; in this way, you will be on
your way towards becoming a master of gratitude.

Diamond Jubilee and Its Implications for you as Teachers of Our Lady of Lourdes’
College, Mankon:

“At the end the world will remember the wealthy, but celebrates the great!” In
which way(s) am I touching the lives of students in Lourdes’ college so that they
will celebrate the greatness in me?
Questions for personal reflection and group discussion:
1. In which ways are we the staff of Lourdes’ college contributing, not to
simply maintain and sustain the solid foundation (quality education and
moral formation of girls) that was laid 60 years ago, but more importantly,
to continue improving it?
2. Are we a grateful staff, being gratitude to God and to the agency for having
the opportunity to work in a prestigious institution? Or we are a
complaining and disgruntled staff?
3. Are we making efforts (collective efforts) to live together as a family, the
education family of Our Lady of Lourdes College Mankon; teaching and non
teaching staff together with the school administrator living in peace and
harmony; showing genuine love, care and concern for one another. Can it
be said of you as it was said of the first Christians as described in the Acts of
the Apostles, “See how the love one another”.
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4. As an individual, am I unhappy with the agency or with the school

administration to the extent of not taking my work seriously, and to the
extent of attempting to create a clique of disgruntled, unhappy and
complaining teachers? We should always keep in mind that there has never
been and there shall never be a perfect administration, not to talk of a
perfect school. Therefore instead of spending much time talking about
what the agency or the school administration is not doing to make our
situation better, we should also be asking questions at personal level: What
am I contributing as an individual to continue to make Lourdes’ College
great? Am I giving the best of myself in all domains of school life? How do I
contribute to ensure effective discipline in school?
5. Am I an exemplary teacher or I live a care-free kind of life (Laisez-Faire
attitude). How is my relationship with students? Am I aware that I am a
parent to them and that the relationship I have with students has to be
simple, cordial, open, none threatening, none-possessive, professional and
void of suspicion?
6. In the subjects I teach, in which way am I helping students to be agents of
change in an emerging nation? Do I only teach them to pass exams and
obtain “A” grades in my subjects and careless about how they will live in
future with one another (coexistent human beings)?
7. As a teacher in Lourdes’ College, Mankon, what are the major aspects in my
life I need to be grateful for?
8. Have I lived my life as a grateful person since I became a teacher in the
Catholic Education Agency and in our Lady of Lourdes’ College in particular?
If Yes, Explain and if No, why?
9. Which areas in my life have I been neglecting to appreciate God?
10.What steps should I take henceforth in appreciating God and others?

Facilitator
Rev. Brother Ivo Njongai (Marist), fms
(Principal, SACC, Bafut).
Tel: 677847634
Email: ivonjongai200@yahoo.com