Chronicles of Teacher Nan (2)

Hi guys, welcome!

Today, I write another episode in the Chronicles of Teacher Nan, and I'm writing about a certain challenge I faced.

So I teach the senior secondary section and I take them three different subjects (private school wahala 🤧)

I have zero tolerance for indiscipline. I'm that teacher that will walk you out of my class if you come late, and punish you if you don't do your assignment. I'll also ask you to tear your scripts and dispose of them if you're reported to have cheated in a test or exam. Zero tolerance, nothing less.

How can a student be coming to school by 8:30 A.m? 🙄  

My rules are very clear: respect yourself and we'll be fine. I repeat this statement to them a lot. Respect yourself, not me. I don't need your respect.

Beginning of the term, I spoke to them like I would my siblings, and told them the motto for my class is: 'knowledge, discipline, and sound character'. Any conduct outside this will attract disciplinary measures. Na Command Day Secondary school I attend, e still dey my blood…

Then I kept up with the discipline and was working on maintaining a good standard for my class but the efforts seemed futile...

I wondered why then a fellow teacher told me one other teacher told the students that "it's because we don't have children that's why we're always disciplining them"... 

Wow, dear…

'We' here refers to Myself, my friend who's also a corper, and one other single sister 😂

This married teacher in question had been pulling some crazy stunts before this event, but I no send...

This statement, however, brought out the confrontational part of me...something I rarely do...

But I was bent on taking this one up because she was teaching those children to associate discipline with wickedness and it wasn't going to be on my watch. 

'Wickedness' because one day in class, a Jss. 1 student asked me: "Aunty, are you married? Married people don't use to be wicked o"

I was surprised at the audacity of that student and how she came up with that kind of question...little did I know…

It was in retrospect I understood where that thought came from.

If you ask me what the disciplinary measures are sef, you'll be shocked. 

Kneel for a while...

Pick dirt around the school compound...

Do 'frog jump' within a short distance...

Receive a few strokes of cane from the man that's known as the disciplinarian. I don't flog them, I just report to him.

The so-called strokes of cane no reach wetin we chop for school that year sef. Rubbish. 

I'll tell you what I did later, but first, let's derive some lessons from this. 

First, the Bible calls wisdom the principal thing, not experience or age. The Bible is the standard.

Having the spirit of God in me, the spirit of wisdom is all the license, accreditation, and permission I need to speak on any matter, as He leads me. 

Experience is a teacher, but not the only teacher. Plus I can't trust a person's experience over the word. Tufiakwa

Next, Scripture says to train up a child, not your child, so motherhood isn't the only license to training a child. 

Then, I know for a fact that; whom the Lord loves, He chastises. And I correct them because I do want them to be better. I've seen teenagers and I've seen teenagers. They can be better and they can do better.

See eh, don't let anyone make you shrink o, wherever you find yourself, no matter your age or 'experience' do the right thing and be unapologetic about it.

I had to pray for my heart and confess the word too.

That I'm not discouraged…

My convictions are not weakened...

I stand for the right thing always and I stand tall...

It's whole warfare, but we have the victory.

The major lesson for me: don't be the reason someone gives up on doing something right.

I don't know her reason for telling them that, but she was sowing bad seeds, both in the students and in us. Seeds of truancy and discouragement.

I tried not to give up sha...

Is it easy? No, especially when you have oppositions like this. But it's possible.

Back to how we handled that statement...

We, my single friends and I reported to the Headmistress...thankfully, she's a Christian, a married woman, and a mother 🌚

She condemned the act, thanked us for being mature, and promised to talk to the teacher...

A few days later, she gave feedback that she had spoken with her...

Toh.

Love and light

Nancita✨