(A guide for teachers by way of story telling)
Kehinde Kolade
“This is disappointing! This is really disappointing! This is overwhelmingly disappointing!” Lewis exclaimed as he scribbles his red pen over a few examination answer sheets. “I have never been this disappointed at myself, efforts and students. How long do I have to keep adding to the marks of students because I don’t want them to repeat a class?” He continued to talk to himself in the staff room.
What is wrong, mister Lewis?” Andrew, a young man whose table was close to Lewis’ asked. He had peeped at Lewis a few times before he eventually asked the question out of concern. Lewis had unconsciously been murmuring to himself as he angrily drew lines and marked the bulky examination answer sheets before him. Andrew and Lewis were colleagues at St. Francis Catholic College, Lagos but they never really formed any relationship except that they were always greeting each other. Lewis kept quiet and it was obvious that he tried to refrain himself from talking but he gave in to whatever was burning inside of him.
“This class is particularly dull. I understand that it is an Arts class and they might not be used to calculations but this set of students are the worst I have seen in years. If they really paid attention to the basic mathematics, the senior high school mathematics should not be difficult. I have marked thirty scripts out of fifty and no one has twenty percent over hundred.”
“Maybe they gave the twenty students left their scores for safe keeping,” Andrew cuts in and laughs. Lewis’ stern and frowning look at him made him soon change his expression back to how it was. “I am sorry, I was trying to brighten your mood,” Andrew said as he looked away in the opposite direction.
“Was that supposed to be joke?!” Lewis said angrily.
“Well, it depends on how you see it but I mean, on the bright side, if they get more than fifteen percent, isn’t that suggestive that they understood what they needed from the subject?”
“Are you serious right now? Do you mind going back to minding your business?” At this point, the light complexioned Lewis was already turning red, red enough to lit a dark corridor. Anyone observing from afar would think that he was blushing, just that his facial expression said otherwise.
“Sorry, that was intended to be funny, I mean to help…”
“Really? What subject do you teach in this school, misterrrrr? He asked. “P.H.E, and it’s Andrew” Andrew responded. “What’s that? A chemical formula?” Lewis said with a stern face.
“It is Physical and health Edu…”
“I know what it means, sorry you did not get the joke because it was also meant to be funny,” Lewis said sarcastically and continue. “Look, no teacher will be happy to see these scores after teaching for three terms. You do not have the same issue with your subject, is the subject that simple or it is nature of the subject to pass everyone?” Andrew paused and adjusted his posture on the chair and started talking.
“Have you heard of the illustration of the farmer, the seed, and the soil?” He asked. “I know the things mentioned but I don’t know about the illustration,” Lewis responded trying wonder the connection. “The concept of planting in the Agriculture has really helped me to teach properly and as well help those that I teach. You see, the seed alone can not become a tree and no matter how viable it think it is if it were human, it has to be sown by the farmer in order to produce anything. On the other hand, where all the sowing activities take place is the soil and in that sense none of them individually can make the plant thrive. However, because the farmer is the initiator of the process, he has to keep watering the seed till it grows. In similar manner, you are the farmer, what you teach is the viable seed and the students’ minds are the soils. Some times, your seed will meet loamy soils, at other times sandy soils but it is your duty to know the peculiarity of the soil and set the required water and fertiliser to make the viable seed grows.Have you ever wondered why they fail calculations? For some it might be an assimilation problem, then you will need to userelatable examples to explain the law of indices. For others, they had no issue with mathematics until they got into midst of their classmates and the thought of not understanding itfilled their minds, then, you will need to show them that it is possible to pass the subject and know the difficult calculations. I think it is high time you stopped thinking that they are you and they should learn at your pace, at some point you also did not know what you now teach. You are the farmer, water the seed and fertilise the soil as much as you can and you will see a great difference.”
“Wow!” Lewis could not say anything. He sighed deeply, he had never given teaching much thought to this point. “Mister Andrew, uhhh, I sincerely appreciate this thought-provoking conversation and I would like to think about as I take a walk.”
“Alright. Find the best method, I wish you the best next session,” Andrew said as he went back to his table whileLewis left the staff room.
