ATTRACTED TO AN ALPHA STUDENT

FIRST CLASS SESSION

CHAPTER 3

It was the third day of the academic session. The Adventist students lined up neatly while the Principal, like always, mounted the podium and started addressing them with the microphone.

" You are all welcome to yet another academic term. I hope you had a nice vacation. I overheard some students discussing with others about their respective vacations. Anyways, it is not a bad thing. I can see some new faces. To the old ones, I hope you still remember the ethics, rules and regulations guiding this great institution. There won't be any room for complacency. No room for excuses at all. The school authorities are always prepared to improve in all facets of the school. You should all endeavour to imbibe the concept of excellence and effective leadership which the school is known to be proudly associated with. We will not embrace mischievous acts anymore, but one hundred per cent discipline. A saying goes like this,' a vision begins with talk, but will only become reality with action.' The school is ready to do anything possible to make your dreams and vision come true. I promise you all that the school is able and capable to take up every part of the curriculum in the education system. As you can all see, more qualified teachers have been brought into this school for more academic efficiency. We have gathered the major stakeholders and would collaborate with them to enhance your skills, and make you people relevant within and outside the four walls of this institution. We will breathe life into the respective career field any of you have chosen. I assure and promise you all that we will stay true to our word. The teachers are always ready to imply knowledge to those willing to be knowledgeable," he said fastidiously, pausing at the time, after which he continued.

" To the new students, I strongly apologize on behalf of the teachers and personally from me for the cold treatment you received on the first day of the term. I hope it was not severe. There is nothing we can do about it because it serves as our initiation rite. A rite of passage into school, making you full-blooded students of this great institution. Unfortunately, 'Operation Carefree' has been hijacked from what it was formerly meant for into something else. I assure our new students that this school is determined to give you all the basic things you came looking for. You are welcome once again and we're happy you chose to study in the best school," the Principal summed up confidently, putting up a strong face in the process. He moved directly to his office and then, the head boy took his place on the podium.

****

As the Physics teacher entered the science class, the students greeted him and sat down. He gave the roll call to the class rep, which would be used to call out the names of the students present at school for the day. The teacher moved to the back and faced the South African boy, Chime.

The class was a foursquare one with louvres on the two opposite sides that extended from the middle of the wall, with a ceiling spanning the length of the wall. The two other walls at the front and back of the class had a simple whiteboard, and two standing fans stood at the far end of the classroom. The twelve desks were neatly arranged for the twenty-seven science students. He stood up and looked at the classroom. It was full to its brim. He walked towards the board and wrote down the subject. The teacher faced the class and talked a little with them, reviewing his scheme of work and the subject schedule, both practical and also theoretical. It was at that point that Nweke informed them that he was their form teacher.

"Henceforth, I would be coordinating the affairs of this class. Everybody must conduct him or herself properly and abide by my do's and dont," the Physics teacher said authoritatively, gazing at the bewildered students. He moved closer to Chime and fixed his eyes on the boy.

"Young Mr Frank, I hope you are settling well" he called out, sounding hysterical.

"Yes Sir,". Chime's voice was quick and severe as he responded. The Physics teacher tapped him on the shoulder. Though his classmates had talked badly about the Physics teacher, he knew for sure that for him to make his mark on the school, he must be in his good books. Also, because the teacher teaches his favourite subject, it says a lot. He must dedicate time and study to improve in Physics.

"I did not come to Adventist to slack," with assurance, he proclaimed to himself once again that he had come to dominate. He had not come to play second fiddle to anyone.

The class section went on smoothly. Nweke drilled them on the different career choices and the fields suitable to each one of them. He also informed them on the importance of choosing their careers based on capacity building and abilities, and not on people's influences. The teacher used the opportunity to reveal to them the consequences of taking the wrong route in the determination of their career choices and repeatedly asked those who knew vividly that they could not perform well in the science class to relocate to the art class. In retrospect, Nweke gave examples using past students who did not choose their career subjects properly. They ended up dumping the science class after finding out that they couldn't cope. Their adventure did not fare well, therefore they could not understand the subjects affiliated with science and missed the ones they initially should have learnt in the art class. Some of these students were already in their exam classes and were preparing to take the external certificate examination before they learnt that they could not perform well and had been wasting their time in science class. As they wished they had known earlier on, they would have enrolled directly in the art class, thereby participating fully in the art course syllabus.

"You see! They lost twice. I can also say that the double-loss," the teacher said, indirectly keeping some of them in a half state of incapacitation. They wondered where he derived the grammatical term 'Double Loss' from. The ones with dictionaries started flipping through them to know if there was anything like that in it.

Mr Nweke summarised and gave them a 'read-ahead' assignment on Scalars and Vectors, which was the first topic for the academic term. He made it mandatory that every one of them must contribute to the things they know about the topic. They must participate actively in dissecting what scalers and vectors really mean and remind them of what they should expect if they fail to read up on the topic. That was a snippet of how he was going to relate to them.

The teacher reminded them of an occasion when he gave their senior colleagues the same type of read-ahead assignment but it was just a few numbers out of the majority that were able to do it. In as much as those sets were higher in class and also in age, he disciplined them by elongating their study schedule and time. Instead of going home during the school dismissal period, they were meant to stay behind for three hours more because they had to study and read the topic he earlier gave to them. Even when the senior sets made a disheartening uproar, the physics teacher stood firm on his decision. He was resolute to discipline them. He made a threatening remark about subtracting marks from their continuous assessment if they should try skipping the extended class session.

"Indeed, Mr Nweke reigns supreme," Chime confessed to a neighbour as the Physics teacher was leaving the class.