With great uncertainty filling
my heart that fateful Wednesday morning, I took my carefully weighted steps
towards the SS1 class of Community Secondary School, Doho, Gombe State for my
first class as a National Youth Service Corps teacher of mathematics. Earlier
in the week, my fears of having to teach more than just my traditional Computer
Science were confirmed as I was told that I would be having at least five (5)
forty minute-classes to teach Mathematics and two (2) forty minute-classes to
teach Computer Science to the students in SS1. I took the news in my stride
telling myself that I haven’t taken the name “de Prodigy” just for the name’s
sake – I mean Math and Computer??? That’s my forte!
So I entered the class and was
surprised to see just eight (8) students sitting and waiting for a teacher.
Though, truth be told, it was the beginning of a new school term – after the
protracted struggle between organized labour and the federal government over
fuel subsidy removal, the strike action by organized labour and the eventual
negotiations between the two parties – but I was told that the class size would
be between fifty and seventy students. That I’d say, was my first shock.
I greeted my students and the
stumbled lethargically to their feet and the verbally sound ones among them
murmured good morning while the others just stared blankly at me like I’d just
walked out of the blackboard. Trying my best not to stutter, I asked them to
sit. I introduced myself as the new Math teacher and I had a quick debate in my
head on whether to call myself Corper Oladapo, Mr. Oladapo or Mallam Oladapo.
“Corper Oladapo” won the debate but I chose to stick with Corper Dapo seeing
that it sounded like something that could be easily remembered.
I then ran through the
customary introductory procedures and quickly asked the students for their
names (which I eventually realized was a waste of time – both mine and theirs –
because I had forgotten the name of the first person even before I got to the
last person in the class). Meanwhile, the class size had increased to twelve –
the additional four students had gone home to have their breakfast (can you
believe that!?) – And the only name I would remember was ‘Grace’ (for reasons I
couldn’t fathom).
Anyways, then came my second
shock. January being the second term in the school session, I picked up my
textbook as I was about to start rambling about what I’d prepared, I asked a
question. Now, the equation “4 + X = 10” is one that a JSS1 student would be
embarrassed to solve but lo and behold, not one person moved when I sought a
volunteer to solve it. Then I ventured to ask them where they had stopped the
previous term only for Grace (who was slowly becoming my favourite student just
because hers was the only name I could remember – I kept on mixing up the rest)
to tell me that they had all just registered and this was their first time in
SS1. And I thought to myself “where on God’s planet earth were you people?!”
No question I asked managed to
elicit an answer from the class and not until then did I realize my
predicament. I had to start teaching them from the first chapter in the
textbook and cover as much topics in the syllabus as I could in the little time
they have as SS1 students. I also realized that my progress would be slowed
because I perceived that the intelligence quotient of almost a third of them
was on the low side.
So I wrote on the board
“INDICES” and told them that was what we would be examining for the next couple
of days. I’d reeled off a couple of sentences from the textbook before I
searched their faces and saw that none of them understood jack. I had to alter my teaching method and broke down my
inefficient grammar to the simplest that I could manage.
Funny enough, after the first
forty minutes of my stay in the class, I’d known who the best three students of
the twelve were and surprisingly, the first and third were girls (you guessed
right, Grace was one of them). This revelation or should I say discovery made
me experience an invaluable measure of fulfillment because I felt I had started
to integrate myself with the role I was playing. To know that – in a part of
Nigeria where most where people of the female gender are relegated to the
background and only a fortunate few get to have a shot at the SSCE – in a class
of twelve, all five girls collectively showed a higher level of intelligence
compared to the seven boys made me feel weirdly elated.
The response I got throughout
the time the class lasted also made me want to leave them with something
tangible, a legacy of sorts; I felt the need to let them know that once they
dedicate themselves to their books, they could become whatever they wanted to.
I decided there and then that I’d tell them of the two years I spent in senior
secondary school and of how my last math teacher, Mr. Arimoro, contributed in
no small measure to making me who I am today.
I hope to do as much for them
in ten months as he did for me in nine months so that they wouldn’t forget me
just as I would never forget my favourite high school math teacher.
This would, to me, be the
highest level of fulfillment; being a tutor, mentor and teacher in the service
of my country and fellow countrymen.
