ATTRACTED TO AN ALPHA STUDENT

THE PHYSICS TEACHER

CHAPTER 2

Who is the Physics Teacher?

The science class was in a state of anxiety and pandemonium after they had gotten the information about who would be their form teacher. It was Mr Nweke, the Physics teacher and the school disciplinarian. He is a mean man to the core. The Adventist students feared and disliked him because of his lack of time to be playful with someone.

The information was made known to them by a boy called Jidenna who was fortunately lucky in getting first-hand information. He overheard the Principal as he was addressing the teachers on the different classes they would be handling during which Nweke's name was called out as the new form master of the Senior School 2 science class, which he gladly accepted. Hearing this made Jidenna abandon what he wanted to do in the science laboratory. He rushed back to the class to inform others of the latest gist.

" Hello, everybody! Focus!" he chivvied and shouted at the same time, raising his right hand to get the attention of all.

"Mr Nweke is going to be our form master", he said.

" Who told you that," a short boy asked sharply and frowned at his face.

" What are you talking about? Another girl sitting close to the short boy glared at Jidenna.

"Yes, you heard me," a man of an iota of witness is going to be our form master. He has already affirmed towards the positive to handle this class," Jidenna responded in a cocky way, although he doesn't fancy Nweke.

Some members of the class who were acting like pesters and were not paying attention immediately switched off from what they were doing to start listening to Jide. The majority of the students present in the class were not happy at all. The hoo-hah was huge and somehow uncontrollable. They were not expecting Nweke to be their form master. They were hoping for another teacher but it came as a blow to them and they did not know what to do. Some doubting ones who didn't believe it decided to wait and see for themselves when the names of teachers and classes they handle would be published on the School Information Board, widely called the 'notice board'. Others who were serial victims of Nweke's disciplinary actions contemplated writing petitions and protesting to the school authority but the idea was shoved off, bearing in mind cognizant of the after-effects if it turned out unsuccessful.

"Why did Mr Nweke opt to be in charge of our class," Akpan, a boy popularly known for his mischievousness, asked. He was the one who suggested the idea of protesting against Nweke. Akpan could recall vividly how the teacher had confronted him on so many occasions. These countless confrontations turned out to be obnoxious, especially on the issue of buying mathematical sets for practical Physics. To show the extent of his naughtiness, he would mismanage the money given to him by his parents for the mathematical sets and spend it in the school canteen. The canteen had become like a second haven to him due to his consistent visits there.

"Nweke is the only cure to Akpan's naughty lifestyle," one of his classmates had once gossiped behind his back. The part that thrills everyone most was that Akpan still finds a way to be among the best-performing students.

"I don't think he was the one who chose our class," another girl joined the conversation.

"I think it was the Principal who willingly gave out our class to Mr Nweke in consideration of our scientific abilities in this school," a boy called Oluwatobiloba shortened as Tobi viz tongue-biting sake when pronouncing it, corrected Akpan, and enlightened him on the suspected reason why Nweke was made their form master.

" I care not! Akpan said with an askable look.

"Why must it be Mr Nweke?

"Don't we have other science teachers who are fit enough to handle this class," he grumbled, becoming more furious as the conversation progressed.

Chime could not understand why the majority of his classmates did not like the Physics teacher. Back then in South Africa, students would always prefer their form master to be someone affiliated with the major subjects they were studying, but here, things were rightly different. Imagine Akpan preferring the Language teacher more than his counterpart. He was confused and wondered why they were talking like that. Though he did not know much about the Physics teacher, he liked him because it was he (Nweke) that introduced him to the Principal. Another thing was Mr Nweke teaches his favourite subject, which is Physics. He remembered his motto,' make waves' and knew that it was one of the few reasons he got enrolled into the best school in the vicinity, The Adventist High School. He had come solely to make waves academically in school. Nobody would hinder that ambition, not even his classmates. He had already enquired about the front runners of the class and had vowed to displace them (taking words off the elemental halogens) and continue his academic dominance from where he stopped in South Africa.

As the days went by, the Principal decided to alert the entire school of the new information they had gathered within their quarters and, like Jidenna said, it was confirmed that Nweke was their form master. A big blow for the science students. They either comfort themselves properly and accept the Physics teacher or they go ahead with their asserted plan to revolt against a personality that had grown in rank among the Adventist teachers.