The Fire Didn’t Start by Chance: A Lesson from a Simple Gas Cooker
“How does a gas cooker produce fire? Is it just by bringing a lighter close to it?”
I smiled and explained:
Gas cookers have built-in sparklers. When you turn the knob, gas is released, and a spark ignites it, and that’s what produces the flame.
But sometimes, that spark stops working. And when it does, you need an external source like a matchstick or a lighter to get the fire going.
Simple explanation. Everyday knowledge.
But as I said it, something deeper settled in my mind.
Gas Is Not Enough
The cooker can be full of gas. Everything needed for fire is present.
Yet without a spark, nothing happens.
No flame.
No heat.
No meal.
And I began to think of how many people walk into our schools every day like that cooker?
Full of potential.
Full of training.
Full of ideas.
But no spark.
You see it in the teacher who has attended several workshops but still teaches from a place of routine, not reflection.
You see it in the learner who is intelligent but disengaged.
You even see it in leadership, where systems exist, but energy is missing.
The “gas” is there.
But the fire? Nowhere to be found.
The Spark Changes Everything
The spark is small. You can almost ignore it.
But it is the difference between what could be and what actually happens.
That tiny ignition is what activates everything else.
In a school environment, the spark can look like:
A teacher who chooses to truly see a child, not just manage behaviour
A school leader who shifts from control to connection
A colleague who shares a new strategy that actually works
A moment where a learner finally feels understood
It doesn’t always come as something big or dramatic.
Sometimes, it’s a simple shift in mindset.
But once the spark comes, something changes.
Energy returns. Engagement increases. Learning begins to feel alive.
Let’s bring this closer to home
Think about a typical classroom.
Forty pupils. One teacher. A structured timetable. Pressure to complete the scheme of work.
There’s a hypothetical child in that class; his name is Tunde
Tunde struggles to sit still. He interrupts. He forgets instructions.
Very quickly, he is labelled: “troublesome”, “distracting”, “not serious.”
Now, the teacher has “gas”, synonymous with knowledge, curriculum, and experience.
But without a spark, the response becomes routine: correction, punishment, frustration.
Nothing changes.
But one day, something shifts.
The teacher attends a short training. Or has a conversation. Or simply pauses long enough to ask a different question:
“What if this child is not trying to be difficult? What if he learns differently?”
That question in that moment is the spark.
Suddenly, the teacher tries something small:
Breaking instructions into steps.
Allowing brief movement breaks.
Using visuals instead of long verbal explanations.
And something begins to happen.
Tunde starts responding.
He engages.
He smiles more.
He learns.
Same classroom.
Same teacher.
Same child.
But now, there is fire 🔥.
Sometimes, the spark doesn’t come from within.
There are days when teachers feel tired 😩.
Days leaders feel overwhelmed 😶.
Days when passion feels distant.
In those moments, the built-in spark isn’t working.
And that’s okay.
Just like the gas cooker, when the internal spark fails, you don’t throw the system away.
You simply introduce an external ignition.
In the workplace, that external spark might be:
A training that reawakens purpose
A conversation with a colleague who sees things differently
A supportive leader who creates space for growth
A community of educators who remind you why you started
These external sparks don’t replace what is inside you.
They activate it.
The Fire 🔥 Is the Goal
At the end of the day, what matters is not the gas.
It’s not even the spark.
It’s the fire.
Because the fire is what cooks the meal.
The fire is what meets the need.
The fire is what satisfies hunger.
In a school, that fire looks like:
Learners who are engaged and progressing
Teachers who are reflective and responsive
Classrooms where understanding replaces assumption
Systems that support growth, not just performance
That is the fire we are all working towards.
☘️
You may already have everything you need.
The training.
The experience.
The environment.
But don’t underestimate the power of the spark.
And if your internal spark feels dim right now, don’t stay there.
Find your lighter. Find your matchstick.
Because sometimes, all it takes is one small ignition…
to transform a classroom, a teacher, a child, or even an entire school.
And when the fire finally comes,
Everyone feels the difference 👏🏻.
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