It was a tug of war between me and my students. He's the type who always disturbs my class even though I have tried several times to stop him.
Max Fisher
To be sincere, I’m the type whose class is always calm and organized. Students always found it easy to understand any concept I taught them based on mathematics. Although, majority of them have seen mathematics as a tough subject and a subject which they do not want to hear about or see at any time. I have tried all means to bring mathematics to their doorsteps by using tactics that can make them smile and laugh a bit.
My method was the type that can bring joy and some noise into the classroom, but I don’t care since they can be able to understand the concept of what I’m teaching them. Samuell has been a case in my class, most especially when it comes to the aspect of mockery or making a joke of someone. After teaching one fateful day, I left happily as my students were getting the concept. I'm not a Yoruba man, but I tried to add some Yoruba language into my teaching just to bring life into the classroom.
The following day, when io entered the class, all the whole students greeted him keenly, but Samual made some statements which I do not understand clearly. I just let it go, but then the whole class burst into one kind of serious laughter. I was still confused about their new habit. I started the class after I had made them keep their mouth shut. I said some words related to what I had said before. The whole class burst into serious laughter. I got confused, but then I thought maybe it was just ordinary noise.
After a few minutes, Samual said another word which got me angry. I asked him to keep his mouth shut, but he refused. At some point, he had already kept his mouth shot, and flamed up again, which comes with another phase of serious laughter. I got angry after stopping Samuel several times without listening to my words. I left the class with anger, although I had finished teaching.
In our next class, I had prepared for what I was going to do to the class just to make them keep quiet. I decided to give them one tough question that has no answer. They solved and solved without arriving at an answer. Samuel, the noise maker, solved and walked up to me and said “sir, this question is incorrect”. I looked at him and said to myself, “It means this boy has some great thing in his brain”. I changed the question again by giving them a question that has no answer yet again. It was a question that can make one think and think all your head off. I thought they would all fail it all, but after about seven minutes, I saw them sweating. I kept observing them further. After another five minutes, I saw Samuel’s hands up. I thought maybe he had solved it and got an answer, but my thought was wrong. He said, “I did not get any answer. This question is not having an answer. I think it is not a correct question”. I opened my eyes and said to him, “Why did you always disturb my class when you have something upstairs?” he was a brilliant student and was someone who got so many things in his brain.
While others were still struggling to solve what I did not know, he had already given me what I wanted. I was amazed and stopped the class from writing. I told them that the question they were answering was an incorrect question. I also told them that the only person who discovered this was Samual. The whole class opened their eyes widely. After I was done talking, I asked everyone to clap for him, which they did.
After that day, coupled with the advice I had given to him, he changed totally and started behaving well in the class.
