42 Years in the Classroom: Honoring Mr. Albert C. E. Clemens
Some teachers teach a class. Some teach a generation. And then there are teachers like Mr. Albert Christian Eugene Clemens, whose work stretches across generations.
For 42 years, Mr. Clemens has stood in the classroom, teaching, guiding, preparing, and believing in children. Today, he teaches Prep Six at The Awada School, with particular focus on the core subjects students need to succeed in the National Primary School Examination (NPSE).
His journey into education began with the example of his late parents. The knowledge and values he received from them inspired him to pass that same gift forward through teaching.
And he has kept doing it—for more than four decades. What has kept him going all these years is remarkably simple: the results he sees in his students.
For Mr. Clemens, there is a special joy in watching a child learn, prepare for a public examination and succeed. During TeachLift's verification process, his school leadership spoke highly of his work and the strong academic outcomes associated with the students he prepares. His own greatest satisfaction is seeing children take the knowledge he has given them and use it to move forward in life.
But perhaps the true measure of 42 years of teaching cannot be captured by examination results alone. Mr. Clemens says he has watched former students build successful lives both within Sierra Leone and abroad. He even points with pride to having taught people who later rose to significant positions in society. His story reminds us that when a teacher stands before a group of children, no one can fully know where those children will eventually go—or how far the lessons from that classroom will travel.
He is also clear about the kind of support he has always tried to provide. His contribution has not necessarily been financial. His gift has been knowledge. He has invested his time and experience in helping children prepare, excel in public examinations, and believe that they can succeed. After 42 years, he is still doing it. That is why this recognition matters.
The TeachLift October 2026 Teacher Recognition Award is not simply about celebrating one moment of achievement. It is about stopping long enough to recognize a lifetime of service that could easily be taken for granted. For decades, Mr. Clemens has helped children move from one stage of their lives to another. Some of the children he once taught are now adults. Some have families and careers of their own. Yet he remains where so many of their journeys began: in the classroom.
Today, TeachLift says thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Albert Christian Eugene Clemens, for the lessons taught, the examinations prepared for, the children encouraged, and the generations whose stories carry a piece of your work.
After 42 years of teaching, your service deserves recognition. Congratulations to our October 2026 TeachLift Teacher Recognition Award Honoree.
TeachLift
Lifting Teachers. Shaping Futures.
🍎 17 Years of Teaching—and Still Showing Up for His Students
When Michael Sengbeh Kallon first entered the teaching profession, he didn't do it because he had always dreamed of becoming a teacher. In fact, he says he never initially planned to teach. A friend encouraged him to enter the profession. Seventeen years later, he is still in the classroom.
Today, Mr. Kallon teaches JSS 1, JSS 2, and JSS 3 at Methodist Girls High School in Bo, where his commitment has grown far beyond simply delivering lessons. When asked what has kept him in education for so long, he speaks about the relationships he has built with students and colleagues—and the satisfaction of watching his students pass and succeed in the subjects he teaches. But some of the most meaningful parts of Mr. Kallon's story happen after the school day ends.
He says he organizes extra classes for students in the community where he lives. Parents sometimes call and ask him to come to their homes to help their children. When students are struggling, his response is to encourage them not to lose hope. At times, he has welcomed students into his own home to teach them. And sometimes the need has nothing to do with a textbook. He says he has provided lunch to students who needed it.
That simple detail says something important about the kind of teacher Mr. Kallon has chosen to become. Teaching, for him, has not been confined to a timetable or the walls of a classroom. After 17 years, he can now look back and see what some of those years of investment have produced.
Mr. Kallon speaks proudly of former students who continued their education through university and went on to establish careers, including people now working in the medical field, as officers, and in other professions. Those successes matter deeply to him. Teaching has not always been easy. He spoke candidly about the financial difficulties that can come with the profession, including low and sometimes delayed pay. Yet, despite those realities, he continues to teach. Perhaps his story is especially meaningful because this was not the career he originally imagined for himself. A friend simply opened the door.
Seventeen years later, generations of students have walked through doors of their own because a teacher decided to stay. Mr. Kallon's story reminds us that the impact of a teacher is not always found in one extraordinary moment. Sometimes it is found in years of ordinary acts repeated faithfully: an extra lesson after school, another explanation when a student doesn't understand, encouragement when someone wants to give up, a visit to help a child learn—or even a meal when that is what the student needs most.
This is why TeachLift exists. Not every teacher we recognize will receive the month's main award, but every verified teacher has a story worth telling and an impact worth recognizing. Our goal is to make those stories visible and, as TeachLift grows and develops partnerships and resources, to build a community through which teachers can access greater opportunities and support.
Today, we recognize Michael Sengbeh Kallon for 17 years of service to education and his continued commitment to his students. Thank you, Mr. Kallon, for choosing to stay, serve, teach, and encourage. Your work matters. Your story matters. We see you.
TeachLift
Lifting Teachers. Shaping Futures.