Meet the teacher - Emmanuel Opoku (Manny)
Chemistry teacher Manny grew up in Ghana, where in his own words he was “surrounded by teachers”. But, despite spending big chunks of his early childhood in a classroom watching his mum, or his aunt, teach - Manny himself didn’t expect to follow the family profession.
“It’s weird. I never really thought I would be a teacher. I never thought it was a concrete career path for me”. That is until he stepped foot back in his old classroom, working as a Technician with his former Chemistry teacher Mr Farley - a man Manny now describes as “an inspiration”. (Fun fact, Mr Farley also taught MyEdSpace Chemistry teacher Dr Davinder Bhachu).
“I was supporting some students who were struggling with Chemistry one-to-one and hearing them tell me they were finding it useful, felt really good. It felt like I was helping people and being useful. So, I decided to do my teacher training after that year - and here we are,” he smiles.
“The PGCE was bit of a shock because I expected it to be full of essays and theory, but you were thrown into the deep end of a classroom more than I expected. It was tough, but really enjoyable. I was lucky because I had presented a few Chemistry demonstrations and explained what was going on in Mr Farley’s classes, so I was already used to talking in front of a class, but it was full on - especially all the planning and thought that has to go into every lesson.”
Manny undertook his teacher training alongside specialists in Biology and Physics, but as much as he enjoyed learning more about the other sciences, Chemistry will always be his first-love.
“Chemistry experiments are actually fun,” he laughs. “I don’t want to knock the other sciences, but in Chemistry, you’re making something happen that engages your senses. Something new is created that causes a change in colour, or produces a smell, or heats up and generates sparks. That’s what made me fall in love with Chemistry, it really looks like magic.”
Manny’s passion for his subject is reflected in his teaching and is picked up by his students. For example take David, who joined Manny’s GCSE Chemistry class in Year 11, predicted a 6. David’s plan to take Chemistry at A-level was hanging by a thread, but with Manny’s help, ended up achieving a 7 and scraping his way into A-level Chemistry. David kept pushing through Year 12 and into Year 13, eventually walking out disappointed to have only got an A.
“Seeing David on results day was the best moment for me. Here was a student that people doubted and probably pigeon-holed into an idea that he couldn’t excel academically and not realising how much potential this kid had. And now, he’s stood there with an A in A-level Chemistry - annoyed he didn’t get an A* - and telling me I’m the reason he wanted to study Chemistry. I felt so lucky to be the person who had inspired him, the way Mr Farley inspired me.”
Experiences like the one he shared with David, and helping as many children as possible realise their potential - while also correcting the steady stream of misinformation he was seeing on social media - was a big part of what attracted Manny to join MyEdSpace.
“I taught in mainstream schools for several years before joining MyEdSpace. For me, the way MyEdSpace brings together teaching, technology and social media in a really innovative way was a big allure. It felt like the future of education: high-quality teachers, innovative delivery, and genuine ambition to provide independent and focused learning without distractions - and I think we achieve it really well”
“There is a lot of misinformation in the kids’ social media feeds and there has been a drop in GCSE pass rates recently, resulting in a lot of students having to retake exams. I think that’s a sign of the education system failing young people."
"Traditional methods are not working for every student, regardless of their individual potential. The current approach is pushing students through the same broken processes over and over again, and expecting different results. Social media isn’t the answer on its own and sometimes, students will come into your lesson asking, ‘oh, sir. I saw this on TikTok. Is it true?’ And then you're stunned, ‘oh my gosh. What is going on?’ Or you might see a chemical equation, for example, with an equals sign, which really gets me bubbling up on the inside.”
“We need to change the way we’re engaging with our students to make sure that we are meeting their needs. Knowing that we're getting the right content out there, is reassuring. You see it in the way our students engage with the content and at the end of every lesson the live chat is filled with ‘thank yous’ - teaching Chemistry at MyEdSpace is really fun.”
Fun is a big motivator for Manny inside and outside the ‘classroom’, with a recent trip to Rio de Janeiro for Carnival a recent highlight. Manny has been involved in various samba schools across London from the age of 13, and currently teaches people how to play the caixa (a snare drum) at his current samba school.
“I had the pleasure of going over to Brazil earlier this year for Carnival. I have loved music all my life and it’s a big part of my culture growing up in Ghana. Someone suggested I take the djembe drumming my uncles taught me, and combine it with samba, and I loved it - it’s a big part of who I am. Going out to carnival and spending a month out there as well as getting the opportunity to parade with the first ever samba school in Rio, was a dream come true. We built some fantastic relationships - the local drummers progressed our knowledge of samba and I am now helping some of them with their English - the whole experience has been transformative. Without the freedom I get from MyEdSpace to keep teaching, but also follow my passion, I would never have had this fantastic experience.”