- Tweeter
republish
He says he arrived in teaching by accident, he stayed there because of passion. Coming from Gambia at the age of 16, Alhassan Susso now works in a high school in the Bronx, New York. At 34, he devotes his daily life to helping new migrants and to teach them that nothing is impossible. Reportage.
On the fourth floor of the Bronx Public International High School, a song by Katy Perry sounds along with the bell announcing the beginning of classes. This is how Alhassan Susso welcomes students every day in his social studies class.
In front of the door, a warm smile on his face, he greets everyone by his first name, in English, Spanish, French, Arabic. Because here, all students are immigrants, recently arrived on American soil.
On the walls of the classroom, a portrait of Martin Luther King, quotes from Nelson Mandela, motivational phrases. A personalized decoration by Alhassan Susso himself. " These are permanent reminders for students to be inspired on a daily basis, " he explains.
A difficult youth
Born near Banjul, The Gambia, Alhassan Susso is growing up in difficult conditions, especially because of a rare eye disease that makes him almost blind.
At 16, he arrives in the United States and lands in a high school where he is the only African. " It was very hard, " he recalls, " most had no idea what Africa was. Some of my comrades asked me if I slept with lions at home .
At the time, he was studying business, but in the first year of university, his sister, who remained in The Gambia, contracted hepatitis B. The family tried to send her to the United States for treatment, but the US authorities refuse him the visa. She dies four months later. In shock, his grandmother died of a heart attack. For Alhassan Susso, " the world stopped at that moment ", after the funeral, he decides to change the way to become a lawyer. " I wanted to specialize in immigration to help and avoid others what my family endured, " he says.
Education, evidence, a mission
But in a discussion with a law professor, Alhassan Susso remembers a quote from Nelson Mandela: " Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world . He then became a teacher and chose to teach in the Bronx, the poorest district in the United States with one of the largest populations of new immigrants. And it does not matter if he has to go every day for four hours from Poughkeepsie, where he lives, to come to his high school.
" For me, teaching is a mission, " he explains, " Mine is to ensure that these children have the necessary weapons to go to university and make a successful living ."
When he arrived at his high school eight years ago, the success rate was 31%. Today, it is 83%, thanks to its methods and the support program it offers an hour before classes. " At first, everyone thought I was crazy, " says Alhassan Susso with a smile. " The director told me: you're funny, these kids do not come on time and you want them to come an hour earlier ? In the first year, 29 students participated in these workshops. Last year, more than 75% of high school students took part.
Best teacher of New York in 2019
For his students, Alhassan Susso is an inspiration. One of them, Kiefer Rosado, decided to become a teacher too. " Being in this class has been a great experience ," says the young man of Dominican descent. " He is an immigrant like us, he understands us. He is there for us in class, but we know we can also go see him if we need help outside. "
Alhassan Susso wants to show these young people that the past and the difficulties of life can not define the future. A dedication that inspires even older colleagues. " I learned a lot about how to build good relationships with students, how to make classes interesting, " says Nassira Hamdi.
A work that earned Alhassan Susso the title of Best Professor of the State of New York in 2019 . Chosen from more than 200,000 candidates, he had the privilege of being received at the White House. A meeting with Donald Trump which he keeps a particular memory. " I told him that I was an immigrant, that I was proud to come from what he called" crappy countries ". I told him that that day I was also representing what the United States has to offer. "
This week, Alhassan Susso began his ninth return to the Bronx. In his class, students learn a lot, often laugh, sometimes sing. All have the personal number of their teacher, he holds. " My secret is this relationship I have with them. We can not help a student if we do not know where he comes from, if he eats well, if he has a problem. "