As a young girl, I was eager to learn and back in those days the encyclopedia became my best friend. I also read the newspapers because adults did that daily. I was very impressed - it seemed like a special thing to emulate. Most times I had zero understanding of what I read but I was encouraged nonetheless. I was very curious. You might be familiar with the saying,
“Curiosity killed the cat”.
I do not agree. I was edified because of curiosity and gained a lot of general knowledge as a result.
As a young girl, I looked up to my teachers and thought they were the perfect examples of good humans and citizens because of their knowledge. I thought it was great that they knew so much and chose a profession where they could share their knowledge with students. I was always impressed at the primary school level because they seemed all knowing. I thought teachers were walking encyclopedias.
At high school, I realized that I could ask many questions and that being assertive was not a bad thing. I understood that teachers did not know everything but the good ones will find the answers.
I had some great teachers at the basic, high school and tertiary levels. I feel as though the majority of them stimulated me to do well and to continue learning until today.
However, I’ve had bad teachers too. Some of those bad teachers/lecturers just seemed bored, disenchanted or fed up with their vocation. In the case of a marketing lecturer, she was just young and nervous, but still pedantic. She was often mostly overwhelmed by the bright questioning students in the class. She sighed a lot. Others could not get their noses out of the books whilst others made annoying students' their most important task during a lesson. Unfortunately, the bad teachers stood out like a sore thumb because they left an indelible mark - a scar really - trauma maybe. Ok, I do not want to exaggerate - you can decide after reading my ensuing story.
university lecture hall-March 2023
Mr. Math 101
My worst teacher award goes to Mr. Math 101. He gets a F- for total failure as a grade. He was my first year university lecturer for basic Mathematics or Math 101. He was a very haughty man whose voice was as big as his presence. At first, I thought I would like him because I wanted to like everything about the novelty of university. I even liked his inquisitive and teasing nature at first.
During the first lesson, he asked a few questions and I knew the answers but did not raise my hand as so many hands were already raised. They were all easy questions. I figured he was trying to ascertain the level of the class. The more he spoke the harder the questions became and fewer and fewer hands were raised. Soon no hands went up but I knew the answer so I raised my hand. The answer was right so he asked me a few more questions and I got them right too. He asked me how I knew the answer and I told him that I did GCE Advanced level math in England. He asked me to explain it so I told that it was a 2 year study of Pure and Applied Mathematics after high school. Then he jokingly faked a British accent saying,
“So you will be the “smart aleck” who knows all the answers.”
I did not react. I felt uncomfortable.
Nevertheless, I thought it would be a nice easy start; who does not like getting good grades. For the first test, I scored an A but I did not need to tell anyone because he made an announcement to the class.
“Miss Smarty got an A!”
I was shocked at this lecturer's behavior.
After a while, the familiar topics were over, so the next lessons I needed to learn. Things became difficult. It was not the material but the attitude of the teacher. He greeted me daily in a fake British accent then carried on with the lesson. Then one day he asked me,
“Why don’t I see your raised hand Miss Smarty - participation is required.”
It wasn't because of his “new” accent why I stopped participating, it was because I already drew enough negative attention. In every lesson he had something to say to me and it became awkward. I was not attentive during the lesson because I felt uncomfortable. I was always picked on or the lecturer would make sly comments such as,
“I wonder if MoMoGrOw, our British A' level math genius knows the answer” or
“Has Momogrow done this subject already - we do not hear her now.”
There were variations of the same slur in almost every lesson. Some of my classmates said it was harassment but what could I do about that?
I could not handle the situation - so I stopped attending classes. After all, this was university/ I was not obligated. I remember my year counselor asking why Math 101 was going badly whilst everything else was going well. When I explained, she only encouraged me to continue attending lesson to maintain a good grade point average. She did not want to hear about how I was treated and had no advice for me.
As a result, I spent little time on Math 101. That proved to be a mistake. Even if the subject was easy, I needed to know what to focus on. Lectures were there for a reason - I needed guidance and was now missing out. Appearing only for tests meant my grades became mediocre and also my final exams. I just managed an overall passing grade. I was lucky - thank goodness I didn’t need to repeat that class. That would have been a nightmare.
Mr. Calculus and Mrs. Biology
The following year my calculus teacher asked, after my first test for which I got an A,
“MoMoGrOw, what happened last year?"
I responded,
“I was not there.”
It was the truth and it was best not to talk about it. Mr Calculus looked at me quizically but did not question me further. He was like night and day to Mr. Math 101. He was one of the best - an A grade for sure. I loved the lessons and did great. However, if I write about my favorite teacher - I must go back to high school. I must speak of Mrs. Biology. She gets an A+ as an overall grade. Like Mr. Calculus, she made learning fun.
Biology was my favorite subject because I wanted to know everything about my body and my brain. I was lucky to have a great teacher. She taught classes in a conversational manner. She explained everything so well. Mrs. Biology was like a patient friend who wanted to help me understand everything. She made those thick textbooks less daunting. From the basics to the advanced - all made sense as we went literally deeper and deeper. It was so fascinating - I could just imagine it all. The classes became so interesting I would just read ahead and wait for her stories and be ready with my questions. She was passionate about Biology. She only needed the book for illustrations etc.
The entire class loved her as she was such a nice lady but most importantly, she loved teaching and she did it so well. Mrs. Biology challenged and motivated us. I felt we all wanted to do well because of her. I've seen her only once after graduating high school but I will never forget her.
All teachers - good or bad - make a difference. Inevitably they leave a lasting impression on their students. They can change the course of their students’ lives and ultimately their choices. I wish they could all aim for a passing grade.
The photo is my own