Today we’d like to introduce you to Wiseman Praise.
Hi Wiseman, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It all began when I was a young kid as I was accustomed to dismantling my electronic toys out of curiosity, to see what was inside that made them work the manner in which they did. Sometimes I was scolded for doing so. Nonetheless, I believe my parents saw the potential in me and figured out how to encourage me. For instance, I can still remember vividly when my dad sent me to a radio and TV repairer’s workshop to get familiar with the basics of electronics, and how to fix things. That was where my passion for electronics was ignited. I was only 10 years of age around then and in primary 4 when I had that experience. Obviously, parents play a vital role in the destiny of their children. After my elementary education, I proceeded to secondary school and at last wound up as a science student, particularly where I excelled in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics. There I joined JETS (Junior Engineers, Technicians and Scientists) club and was privileged to represent my school in science fair events. When I was leaving secondary school for a higher institution, it seemed only logical that I pursued a career in electrical/electronic engineering, which I did at the University of Port Harcourt in Rivers State, Nigeria. Aside from the knowledge gained within the four walls of the university, I went the extra mile to develop myself through informal training in areas relevant to my interest. After my graduation from the University, I worked with an IT organization as a network engineer and resigned after a year and six months. It is important to mention that prior to my resignation from the IT organization; there was a significant event that occurred that truly got me into teaching STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) as a vocation. What brought about this defining moment was the point at which my brother-in-law was browsing the web one fateful evening and stumbled on a book titled: “Making Things Talk” by Tom Igoe. He additionally saw other fascinating science and engineering project books for kids, especially on how to make things. He was excited about what he saw and called my attention to the books as a result of my engineering background and love for science. We discussed extensively about it and that was when the idea of teaching kids some of those thrilling science-based projects in schools came up. I became sold out to it since it involved hands-on learning and what I have a flair for. Moreover, I was dissatisfied with the traditional methods of teaching science which failed to provide students with a basic understanding of it. Hence, it became critical to focus on an educational program that achieved sustainable learning through hands-on learning experiences.
By the grace of God, we came up with a brand name for our STEM program: “Enovatekids!” It was 3 months to the official launch of Enovatekids that I resigned from the IT organization where I worked, to pursue my passion which has turned into my profession. I can say that I officially began my STEM profession in August 2012 and from that point forward I’ve found fulfillment in teaching STEM to both primary and secondary school students. However, during the covid-19 pandemic, Enovatekids became challenged as schools were shut down and as such we couldn’t proceed with the STEM program. Everything came to a halt but I wasn’t deterred. In the course of time, I transitioned from Enovatekids to set up “d.i.ySTEMkids” which is the brand name I’m using presently to run STEM programs in schools. Through persistence and hardwork I have continued to the present day.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth sail nor has it been all blooming. I believe challenges are normal in life and I’ve had my own portion of them. At the beginning, it was challenging getting schools to buy into STEM learning because many of them were not aware of STEM or knew what it was all about. It was completely new to them. Attributable to this, I’ve been turned down by schools and faced a series of disappointments. I submitted proposals to schools including doing presentations after which they said they’ll get back but they never did. Despite all these, I kept at it since I believed in what I was doing and could see a future in it. Gradually the consciousness of STEM began spreading; I adopted a new marketing approach and started to leap forward. By the grace of God, I’ve taught STEM as a co-curricular, after-school and summer school activity in over 20 schools.
Also, producing the STEM project kits with simple hand tools has been a bit stressful, especially where I have to ensure that they are neatly produced and packaged. It is time-consuming. In any case, the joy of having a product that is adding value to young lives compensates for the stress I go through.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I enjoy what I do and appreciate working with kids and teens. My work is two-dimensional. I first and foremost specialize in teaching STEM across primary and secondary schooling with a do-it-yourself or learn by discovery approach on STEM projects. I work with a curriculum that focuses on introductory and intermediate-level STEM projects intended to furnish young students with important 21st-century skills. Likewise, it incorporates real-life situations that will help the student to learn how science concepts relate to life. Secondly, I hand-produce DIY STEM kits for various projects from my home workshop. These project kits among others help to cultivate critical thinking and creative problem-solving in young students. Furthermore, the kits are intended to help science teachers to become more effective in the classroom. The objective of d.i.ySTEMkids is to re-engineer the minds of young students with dynamic and creative science-based projects thereby making them future-ready to contribute to national growth and productivity.
I create a fun learning environment and ensure the students are given the project materials to engage on a one-on-one basis. The materials include items that can be found in our homes or surroundings that are creatively combined with basic electronic components. At the end of each project, the young inventors do a presentation to defend their work which eventually becomes theirs and they take home. This sets d.i.ySTEMkids apart from others who run the STEM program
What are your plans for the future?
Moving forward, I plan to upgrade d.i.ySTEMkids from being a one-man-business to a well-structured organization. For instance, a portion of the staff will be employed for administrative purposes while others will be trained and engaged as STEM instructors to schools. Likewise, I intend to set up a factory that produces exciting and instructive STEM project kits. I must mention here that I’m motivated by what Meccano is doing. This great organization produces kits that enable the building of working models and mechanical devices. I desire to go with the same pattern.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/d.i.ystemkids
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/D.i.ystemkids
