18/11/2023
Growing up, I never really felt I was part of my family when it came to my academic achievement, I was a bit slow and always found myself not too far from the bottom meanwhile my siblings were the exact opposite. They were smart and intelligent and were always not too far from the top. Infact they were always in the top 3 positions and this made them quite outstanding.
At the end of each term, my Dad would call us all to the sitting room. Then going through the results again he would elougize my siblings, and commend them for their effort in their studies and go on to give them a gift. It wasn't so much of a gift. Usually, it was just a bottle of malt. But even at that, I could have done anything to get that bottle or so I thought.
Yet, I was a very playful kid. All I wanted was to be allowed to play as much as I liked.
As playful as I was, I was good at reading. I read almost anything that came across my way apart from my notebooks. Infact I would read my English textbook and cover it 3 times before the end of each term and then when I was through I would then proceed to answer the questions that follwed and using the help of a dictionary I would write out the new words and check for their meaning. It didn't feel like work. Infact, it felt like fun and so I never thought much of it at the time.
Not until a particular day, In an English Language class it was a combined class (A & C) led by Mrs Azike. Mrs Azike was from the East. She was tall with a chocolate skin tone. It was rumored that Mrs Azike stayed in the U.S for the most part of her life and so she spoke a little too fast. Therefore, being in her class was a terror for some of us. Though advanced a bit probably in her early 60s back then, Mrs Azike was very good with the cane.
On this day, she asked for the meaning of a particular English word. I knew the word, I knew the meaning too infact I could spell the word. But somehow I wasn't going to say anything so l let the kings and queens (The bright kids in class) do the talking but no one did. After about 5 minutes of silence I saw her reach out for her canes (She had more than one) I knew the next thing that followed. I dreaded being flogged. So I whispered the answer to my friend God's gift A. but she refused to answer as failing the answer also meant being flogged.
Slowly I put up my hand and answered the question. She looked at me in awe for a few minutes before exclaiming *Correct* Just then she asked to see me after the class. So after class, I went to her and she asked if it was possible for me to ask my Dad to come the next day. I told my dad and he showed up the next day in my school.
I am not sure what she told my my dad but all I know is that at the end of the school term that year I received a bottle of malt from my Dad surprisingly and every other term that followed. Though my grades were still poor. I started to read my notes and Mrs Azike made sure I payed more attention to my studies. By the time I graduated from my primary school I still hadn't come 1 -3 position but I fell within 1 -10 and had developed more confidence in myself and my studies.
I remain grateful to my teacher but here are some of the things I learnt.
*Every child is intelligent no matter how unserious they may seem.
*Even if you do not think a child is smart enough, believe in him or her. Children sometimes tend to do better when they know their parents believe in them.
* Reading goes a long way to develop the brain of a child. Encourage them to start reading.
PS. Monitor what they read.
