Chapter 2
Assist him!
Gift pov
I was standing by the mirror, straightening my neatly pressed gown. I got this green sleeve gown right before I started my new work, and I grinned at my reflection. "You are the teacher, indeed," I told myself.
I let my braided hair fall over my shoulder; my long, dark hair is quite noticeable for a Nigerian. I'm a gorgeous black woman with adorable dimples.
Before leaving my residence, I took one last look in the mirror after putting on my shoes and gathering my belongings. I made my way to the top of my bus stop and signaled Keke to stop ( a transport vehicle). As he started to move, I informed him of my destination because I was the last one to board.
I was a certified latecomer at my previous employment. I want to break that record once and for all. "Owa !" I said as the Keke slowed down to the park, I yelled, "I'm going to be early, praise God," and then I checked my time at 7:09.
After tipping the driver, I crossed. As usual, there are lots of children playing, talking, and strolling about the school. Before heading to my lesson, I went to the headmistress's office to sign in.
I used the time the class was empty to get ready.
A boy was the first one to enter. It's unbelievable that I forgot his name.
He said, "Good morning, ma." as soon as he entered.
"Good morning, what's your name again?"
"My name is James. Although you claimed not to forget my name, you did
I omitted that statement. I prayed that I wouldn't forget your names. Still, I'll make an effort to remember your name starting today. James—all of James—is James. Remember James "I warn myself.
The boy took a seat, opened his bag, and took out his books with a smile on his face. I resumed my previous task.
A little while later, two boys came in and greeted me.
Sitting side by side, they talked about a movie they had seen. The class quickly fills up. As I waited for one of my students, I became aware of the assembly bell.
"You heard the bell soldiers, match on to the assembly ground," I grinned at them.
They all pause what they're doing and head towards
the gathering place. Their easy obedience pleased me.
As I saw an elementary school teacher conduct the assembly, I joined them.
With him, the kids sing and dance. I quickly discovered that he was the primary-level head teacher.
We all proceeded to our classes after assembly. Shy, I entered my class. I need to take a seat for a while before I feel confident again. I soon got up to speak with them.
"Good day learners, we are going to start today's lesson with maths so everyone let me see your maths notes on the table."
As I write the date and subject on the board, they start pulling out their notes.
Thus, place value will be the topic of our discussion today.
Place value is only a numerical value. I suppose that you were taught the importance of numbers in basic 1. Let's review what we remember.
I write, "1 means unit right?" with my back to the board.
"Yes," they all say in unison.
"So if I write 1 and 0, 1 there means what?"
"Tens!" Everyone uttered
Excellent. This indicates that you were able to recall. The subject of today is identical to what you were taught in Basic 1. Suppose you were handed a five-digit number, such as 4(3)789. Additionally, you must determine the place value of 3. All you need to do is write the number's value, such as "3 thousand."
"Do you understand how is thousand?"
"No"
"Yes, very simple"
"I don't understand ma"
"Can't you see that 9 is a unit, 8 is a ten, 7 is a hundred, and 3 is a thousand?" Mubarak challenges his peers
I'm not sure why, but this boy's name has stuck in my mind since day one.
"Umm Emmanuel and Lara, do you understand now?"
James corrected me, saying, "My name is James ma not Emmanuel."
"My name is Bola, not Lara" Bola also said
I give them a quiet "sorry" and then nod. "Do you now understand?" I inquire once more.
"Yes, ma!" Everyone joins in the chorus.
"Ma please give us class work" A boy requested, I think his name is David.
"Ma don't explain again, we know it" the Great man chimes in
I grinned at their answers. Before assigning them homework, we go over a few more revised examples together.
"John James" I hand his book to him. I'm sharing their books with them now that I've finished marking their classwork.
"Mubarak, Bola, Emeka, David, and Great Man"
There were whispers around the room as students talked among themselves about their scores. I got up to clean the board and write the correction. I heard Bola starting to mock James at that point.
James is the least valuable. He's never good at anything. He is not even able to read." Bola said
I tell her to stop since it's not pleasant, but she persists.
Even though it was a straightforward task, you failed at it. Hehe! You're dull.
James responded, "Is you that is dull?"
Bola laughs as other people join in. Will you all please stop? How could you speak to him in such a manner? Everyone is being rude here.
It doesn't matter if he's average you all should talk to him with respect." I forewarned
I attempted to console the youngster as he began to cry. He continued to shiver and cry aloud.
All of my comforting, "Hey don't cry... what's wrong, please stop crying," went unanswered as he continued to wail, drawing the attention of other teachers.
"What happened?" They hurried in and inquired. I felt like a failure for a brief moment.
As the teachers were reprimanding Bola, I gave them an explanation. I should take him to the headmistress, they say. As a novice educator, I paid attention while holding his hand and guiding him to the principal's office.
He became slightly more relaxed after being petted. He was being held by the principal. As she spoke sweetly to him.
When he left, I was informed more about James by the principal. James experienced the loss of his mother at a young age, so the anguish occasionally resurfaces. She told me to support him during this difficult time in his life.
I had sympathy for the boy. A fresh urge to prevent that youngster from being looked down upon arises within me to help him succeed academically.
And this my friend is just the beginning.