Dear Maths Teacher,

I write out of love to express my heart felt pains during the periods I spent under your tutelage. You made me hate maths as if it is competing with me for the throne of a king. I got scared of it as if it is a masquerade with cane in its hand. When I hear the word maths, I shiver as if a gun has been pointed to my head. In maths class, my learning ability is down like a phone with a low battery. In your class, my brain is knocked down like a boxer who just received a hard punch on his head. At the mention of maths, the sound in my head is like when there is a bomb explosion.

Sincerely, I did my best. I have the desire to be good at maths but you never gave me the needed support. Remember the day I missed all my sums? You did not just write zero in my book, you went ahead to include eyes and mouth. You told the whole class that it is my big for nothing head you just drew. You told them to boo and sing for me. The song still echoes in my mind…

“Olodo rapata, Oju eja lomo je,
Oni lowe mo, Sileti lo ma lo,
Ore mi Kilogba,
Odo Olojueja,
Shiki, Shiki, Shiki,
Shiooor” (a Yoruba song for dullards)

I was always afraid to ask questions in class because my question does not always make sense to you. So, I never get a positive response from you. My condition in your class was like ‘the more I look, the less I understand’. How can I forget the nickname you gave me ‘Baba D’ (D stands for dullard).

Are you blind!
Can’t you see?
Can’t you think?
My children did not kill me, so you can’t!
I know you cannot understand!
Stop looking at me with those big eyes!
Keep looking like a slowpoke!
Lazy idiot!
Big head with no functional brain!
Those were your usual way of addressing me in the class.

Before the submission of any class work, you would tell the class that you know that I won’t get it right (you were always right, but it was not my fault). My attempt always stops at my level of understanding the subject. You flogged me to the extent that you got tired and you concluded that I can never do well at maths (you were wrong sir with all due respect). My happiness was always cut short once it is the period for maths.

Remember sir, I never come to school without doing my homework (though I will miss a lot of them if not all). I happened to be the first child in my family, my mummy was a petty trader (with no formal education), my daddy was always out trying to make earns meat for the family. My mum always ensures I do my homework but she cannot assist me with my sums and cannot afford to pay for a home lesson.

I was a good fighter. Despite being looked down upon in class, I wished you could be in my house to see how much I tried to ensure that I complete my assignments (even if I was not getting them right). At the completion of each assignment, I was always in a happy mood (thinking I had done the right thing). At least to impress my teacher at least for once, only for me to get to school and it is a different story.

For three years, I was in this situation. I was beginning to believe that maths was not meant for me. I felt others could do maths, but not me. I began to see my brain as not being wired to do maths. I thought maths was meant to be done by a few people referred to as ‘mathematicians’ (which I was not part of). A few questions were being asked in my mind with no answers.

As fate would have it, on a certain day, my father went on a journey of no return…
(To be continued)

© Adebayo Babatunde Bolaji

Lol, interesting

I dey tell you.

I find "X" tire.

Up till today e get many "X" and "Y" wey I never know where dey go hide.

I can't come and go and kill myself nah.

You should write this letter to your parents.
For the following possible reasons.
(1) a dull man marry a dull woman
(2) not been able to employ an home teacher to attend to your special need in maths
(3) coming from a family with an inherited general misconception about maths.

And advice to you.
(1) be financially OK before you marry so as to avoid the educational needs of your child
(2) please marry someone th\t is intelligent
(3) don't indortrinate your children about "maths is hard"
Peace

I see creativity in this write up.

The purpose is for you to understand elementary maths. And thats sufficient.

If I had known there would be Microsoft Excel, I would have challenged any teacher that intends to ridicule me.

Thanks for your response. Kindly note that the write up is a fiction.
I don't believe any man or woman is dull. We are created to be intelligent, only that some were more fortunate than the others.
If your car is faulty, you need the service of a mechanic. That man that educated people refer to as an illiterate. Before you will say Jack Robinson, your car is working again.

That man, if well tutored and guided posses the ability to become a professor. Growing up, I cannot remember my parents hiring a home lesson teacher for us. Myself and my siblings did well at maths.

With the right teacher and classroom set up. There may not be any need for home lesson teacher as the pupils/students will understand whatever is taught before going home.

Mrshape:
You should write this letter to your parents.
For the following possible reasons.
(1) a dull man marry a dull woman
(2) not been able to employ an home teacher to attend to your special need in maths
(3) coming from a family with an inherited general misconception about maths.

And advice to you.
(1) be financially OK before you marry so as to avoid the educational needs of your child
(2) please marry someone th\t is intelligent
(3) don't indortrinate your children about "maths is hard"
Peace

OPEN LETTER TO MY FORMER MATHS TEACHER (PART 2) (continuation)

On that day, two men came to our house and requested to speak with my mummy. She quickly rushed inside the room and dashed out in few minutes after. She went with them and to cut the long story short, the information passed to her was that a strayed bullet had hit my father and he was in a critical condition lying on the hospital bed.

He eventually died. His demise was painful as we all wept bitterly. If tears could bring back the dead, the resurrection of my father will be one of such. We traveled down to the village and we were expected to spend a few days for the burial ceremony. Being the long vacation period, we would not be affected academically.

It was in the village that destiny brought Corper Chandelle my way. She was serving her Fatherland in my village. She took interest in me when she heard I was from Lagos (as she also was posted from Lagos). She gave me the permission to always come around her whenever I am free. My intention was to always go to her lodge to play; I never knew she has a different plan for me.

On a certain day, she inquired about my academic status, I told her I just wrote my Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination and should be getting promoted to SS1 when I return to Lagos. She inquired further about my best subject, I said Basic Science. She said, which is the subject I hate or find difficult to comprehend? Before she finished the question, I had said Mathematics.

She paused for a while and the next thing she said was that I do not have to hate any subject as I possess the ability to understand whatever I am taught. My countenance changed as I felt she did not understand what I was saying. If only she knew how much I had suffered trying to understand maths. She asked if she could give me some sums to solve. I was tempted to say no as I was battling the fear of being insulted in mind. Reluctantly, I said yes.

Corper Chandelle brought a sheet of paper and a pen. She copied some questions from a textbook and passed it across to me (I was almost regretting meeting this corper). I thought I had escaped that “terrifying subject” (at least for a while). I took the sheet of paper, glanced through it. As my usual custom, I missed virtually everything.

Why is mathematics coming between me and this my newly corper friend? I was ashamed, wanted to escape and never had anything to do with her again. She put her arm around my neck and told me I can do better. She told me that was not my best.

It was time for me to go. She rubbed her hand on my head and assured me again that I can do better at maths. She told me, she was willing to help me out. For the first time in forever, somebody is giving a “dullard” like me hope. How is this possible? Is she from another planet? I dashed down to our family compound with a new vigor (though before leaving, she told me to come the day after that day).

The happiness in me on that has no boundaries. I could not wait for the day to break so that I can quickly go to my newly found friend. At around 10:00am, after assisting my cousins with the little house chores, I decided to leave the compound for the corpers’ lodge.

On my way going, I met Corper Chandelle on her way out. Oh! Bolaji, how are you today? I am fine. I responded quickly. She told me to come along with her as she was planning to get some stuffs in a nearby kiosk. On getting there, she requested for toothpaste, detergent and a bathing soap. How much is everything she asked, the man replied, N245. She gave the man a thousand naira note (N1,000), and the man handed her change to her.

She called my attention to what transpired between her and the owner of the kiosk. She said did you notice the man did not press any calculator to know how much change he was to give me. He did the calculation in his mind. That man, like other every other human being possess the ability to do maths.

Do you mean maths is not for some special people? I asked. She said that takes us to our first lesson. That was when I realized that I have a new maths coach.
Lesson 1: MATHEMATICIANS ARE HUMAN
(To be continued)

Thanks

seunlayi:
Lol, interesting

bhmw:
Thanks for your response. Kindly note that the write up is a fiction.
I don't believe any man or woman is dull. We are created to be intelligent, only that some were more fortunate than the others.
If your car is faulty, you need the service of a mechanic. That man that educated people refer to as an illiterate. Before you will say Jack Robinson, your car is working again.

That man, if well tutored and guided posses the ability to become a professor. Growing up, I cannot remember my parents hiring a home lesson teacher for us. Myself and my siblings did well at maths.

With the right teacher and classroom set up. There may not be any need for home lesson teacher as the pupils/students will understand whatever is taught before going home.

Yes no body is dull. But we have different abilities.
we have different types of learners and different environment.
and lastly besides making life easy for man. this is the untold reason for making mathematics
a subject in all schools mathematics which was initially arithmetics in some school is for segregation.
I never had a lesson teacher in my life, but my children will have, children have many distractions now compare to during my time

Thanks for your response... We may have different abilities, but the truth remains that all creature possess the ability to do maths.

As for having different types of learners, you are correct. We have the VISUAL learners, AUDITORY learners and the KINESTHETIC learners.
A maths teacher should be able to apply all forms of learning method to teach his pupils or students.

Kids have more learning materials than the previous generations. Rather than exposing my children to the distractions, I expose them to the numerous learning channels (internet inclusive). My first child (six years) does not have a home lesson teacher and she is always happy doing her sums always. It all depends on a child is guided (either the parent is educated or not).

Mrshape:

Yes no body is dull. But we have different abilities.
we have different types of learners and different environment.
and lastly besides making life easy for man. this is the untold reason for making mathematics
a subject in all schools mathematics which was initially arithmetics in some school is for segregation.
I never had a lesson teacher in my life, but my children will have, children have many distractions now compare to during my time

Maths that year, Chai! I still dread her...


unlike yours, my primary school math teacher did all he could to the extent of becoming my close friend to make me understand the subject but unfortunately, it was quite late already because the closeness started from primary five.

Although in the University, statistics later turned out to be amongst my best course, well, I give kudos to my lecturer, 'Mrs T', that lady wasn't just a lecturer but a very humble teacher that made me grab some intricacies of calculations, not forgetting my pals.

#followNPFL

OPEN LETTER TO MY FORMER MATHS TEACHER (PART 3) (continuation)

Lesson 1: MATHEMATICIANS ARE HUMAN

Corper Chandelle commenced by asking me to mention any renowned mathematician that I know. I said Sir Isaac Newton. I remembered his name so well because I hate those who came up with the ideas of maths.

Corper Chandelle cuts in, she said, there are a lot of mathematicians. Archimedes, Bernhard Riemann, Blaise Pascal, Henri Poncaire are part of those who propounded some of the formulas and theorems in mathematics.
Some refer to them as ‘geniuses’. No genius is made from heaven but on earth. Permit me to say that you are also a genius (I laughed mockingly in my mind), only that you have not fully utilized the potentials in you.

People are of the opinion that genius think a lot, the reason for their ability to come up with different ideas. What part of the body do they use in thinking? She asked?
I said the brain! Yes, you are right, she said. In case you have forgotten that you have one, am categorically telling you have one in that round figure on your neck. You do not need to break your head open to see it.

If Archimedes can do maths… you can do it
If Newton can do maths… you can do it
If Pythagoras can do maths… you can do it
If Pascal can do maths… you can do it
If Lagrange can do maths… you can do it
If Neumann can do maths… you can do it
If Euler can do maths… you can do it
If Jacobi can do maths… you can do it
If Euclid can do maths… you can do it
If Fourier can do maths… you can do it
If Bernoulli can do maths… you can do it
If Poincaré can do maths… you can do it
If I can do maths… you can do it.

At this point sir, I wished you were with us to see somebody telling your supposed dullard student, he can do maths and excel at it.
Corper Chandelle continued, back in my days in secondary school and higher institution, I can authoritatively say that people tend to accord respect to those who understand the rules of the subject. These people are tagged “effikos” (people who seems to be too brilliant).

The truth is that those guys don’t have special brains neither are they special beings, they have only mastered the rules of the subject and abide by it. Some are better than others due to the fact that they have better foundation than others in the subject.

All I am telling you Bolaji is that, those students in your class doing well at maths are human beings like you. They eat, sleep, walk, run, etc.
Bolaji, I need to cook right away. She said. I love maths so much and I am hungry. That means, I am also human. As she moved to place the pot on the cooker, I asked, why do some people hate maths?

(To be continued)
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