"Who can tell me the formula for electro motive force? "
Our Physics teacher asked out of the blue. The whole class, which was usually very noisy, suddenly turned to silent whispers. My classmates sneakily whispered among themselves about the answer. Some tried peeking through their notebooks for the answer.
"Prefect! Go get me my cane", The teacher said in his usually overbearing voice which commanded authority.
Mr Kelechi, as he was popularly called, was our Physics teacher and also the head of the school disciplinary committee. His strict and stern nature made him quite popular in the school. He was a no-nonsense man who took any slight form of disrespect and impudence too seriously. He believed students should always be disciplined in whatever they do, and often preached to them, urging them to be diligent in their studies. For that, he loved and appreciated students who read ahead of their teachers.
Today was one of those days when Mr Kelechi was being his highly disciplined self. We were supposed to be talking about heat energy, which had nothing to do with the question at hand. So everyone was at a loss for what to say. The concept of electro motive force was something we were supposed to learn about in our next two classes, so the answers weren't even in our notebooks. At the mention of the cane, everywhere became so quiet and calm that you could hear the drop of a pin on the floor. Nobody dared to speak for fear of being mercilessly flogged for an incorrect answer.
I looked behind me to see some of my classmates trembling in fear. His pattern was, if no one knew the answer, the entire class would be mercilessly flogged. Fortunately for me, I studied ahead, knowing his pattern, so I wasn't shaken by the question or the afterward of what might happen. I took a deep breath. With a bit of hesitation, but not trepidation, I slowly rose from my seat with doubts running in my head.
"Yes" he said.
"The electro-motive force is the force that..." I Started off, explaining it's meaning before giving the formula for it. By the time I was done talking, the teacher was beaming with a smile, apparently impressed that I had taken my time to study ahead.
"Sit down while every other person stands", he ordered.
"Class a round of applause for her" He spoke with authority.
The whole class followed suit clapping their hands for me while standing up. Mr Kelechi went on raining praises on me like all the other teachers usually did when I was the only one who could answer their questions, for the entire class he kept on rambling about how good of a student I was and how my classmates should imitate and behave like me in between his teachings.
As much as I was happy about the nice remarks I received from teachers, it came with its own problems. As a star student there were some downsides to it that I didn't like. Unknowing to Mr Kelechi, the praise he was raining on me brought with it hatred, envy and jealousy. I was resented for being the best. Some of my friends began distancing themselves from me. Others called me a hypocrite. They believed I was putting up a show for my teachers, and I wasn't even a good girl, as they all said in their praises towards me. With my continued academic excellence in various subjects, my classmates hated and envied me more and more. I became most of the teachers' favorite. And was given more privileges than any other student.
Meanwhile, on the other hand, the resentment I received from my classmates took a great toll on me. I felt so lonely and withdrew into myself, as most of my classmates didn't like me. I preferred the silence and loneliness to a crowd of students because I knew I would be rejected any way. One faithful day, I decided to talk to some of the teachers who often praised me in class after school
"Mr Kelechi, can I speak with you?" I said boldly. Unlike many students who were often afraid of this man, I wasn't. To me, Mr Kelechi was a simple man who valued discipline so much.
"Yes, how can I help you" he asked.
"I was wondering if you could cut down on the praise you usually rain on me in class. It brings a lot of hatred and jealousy" I said to him.
There was a long silence after I said that. I began wondering if I had angered him with my request. Then he smiled and spoke
"My dear, I only say what is true, I don't give you unnecessary praise that you do not deserve. However, if you want me to stop it, I will keep that in mind"
"But, Divinefavour, you shouldn't let others dim your light or quench the fire in you. They can either choose to shine with you or you drop them aside. You are a star that is obviously destined to shine brighter. You don't need to feel guilty for being your best." He said to me in a tender tone, far from the authoritative voice we students were used to, then he left.
I stood there pondering on what he said. Maybe he did have a point. So I resolved from then henceforth not to feel apologetic for being the best that I was.