The whole place looks green and fresh unlike where I'm coming from. Well trimmed lawns and designed parks and footpaths. Everything looks in place. I was thinking this could be a teacher's haven. The kids look too tidy and in uniform. From their head s to their soles they wore the same thing. The sisters of St. Louis were doing something different from other schools.
Well I had to rush to the main administration to see the headmistress Rev. Sr. Mercy err....... I don't know why I always forget her surname. She tells me I'm going to handle grade 4 to grade 6 mathematics. We head to the primary block and then gets introduced to the classes. Right from then I have to hit the ground. From the time table I'm supposed to start teaching now. I walk to the Vicaria Class ( grade 4) and I'm met with strange looks from kids. My first time teaching kids. After teaching in a vocational school here I am ready to learn a new way of transferring maths to kids. There is this tense atmosphere in the class. Some look happy and others seem not to like the new teacher. Just be before I introduce myself to the class, there's a hand up. OK dear what do u have to say that can't wait before I tell you my name. She goes like" I don't like you". These kids are strange. OK I responded by repeating her words. OK I'm Mr Alex Fiifi Afedzi Essmon. If there is anything they found strange it was my last name. Never came across anybody who shared the same name.
The lesson went well and some students started changing their notes about me.
I like to teach mathematics the military way but fun. Strict and funny. I bet I'm the most interesting math tutor out there. I normally tell my students " there's only one captain on the ship... u get along or u swim by"
The students started falling in love with my methods. The multiplication times table were forced in their minds. I usually conducted mental exercises on multiplication and some students felt it was too harsh. I told myself once I was convinced I was doing all that in good faith there was no turning back.
I later realised the PE masters were not always around. So I decided to step in their shoes anytime they were not around and later I became the face of upper primary sports. Well that meant if you were going to be part of the school sports team then you must be doing well maths. I never had the best team at the beginning because my good students were really bad at football. One outstanding student whose name is worth mentioning ....Kofi Agyekum..... .Since anybody who wanted to enjoy sports realised that for me Sports and mathematics were parallel and also in direct proportion, other students started showing up. Once the bell ran for PE lesson you have to come to the field with your maths exercise book. I was only focused on your last test score. Anything below 70% means u could not touch the ball even if it went over the line. The rest well put into cheering the teams. Like I told you I never gave a chance students who fell below the 70% pass mark. It was my a achiles heel7 as a teacher. We were cool but not so cool.
We together with the English teacher we came up with a drama club. Went for some inter school drama and talent shows and we always came with the trophy. Well a guess students who fell out of line during my stay experienced various ways of putting them on track. My favourite was rubbing my skin around theirs till it hurt a Lil bit.
