I used to think there is no basis for comparing a Teacher with a Bricklayer but a recent event change my line of thinking.

I went to visit a friend at a construction site around Meiran in Lagos two days ago, and almost immediately I got there I noticed that one of the Bricklayers working there was being called TEACHER by his co-workers. I wondered what would make his colleagues be calling him Teacher, could it be that he is so good that he even trains his colleagues on the job?

So, I inquired about him from one of his colleagues why they refer to him as TEACHER, the man replied that he is actually a school Teacher. Not satisfied, I went to TEACHER himself to hear from the horse’s mouth. The man who appears to me as a man in his mid-40’s told ne his name is ADIO; he said he is actually a trained Teacher and had taught in several schools before deciding to leave the Teaching profession for Bricklaying.

When I asked him why he left Teaching he said

‘things are hard in this country and the mingy, chintzy, niggard school owners make things harder for their workers with the way they treat them thereby; making it difficult for someone like me to feed myself and family. Even the peanuts, meagre pellet which they are expected to pay at the end of the month, the avaricious, penurious and tight-fisted proprietors find it difficult to part with them. It is either they are short-paying or under-paying or not paying. By the end of the month you as an ‘educated pauper’ are actually living from hands to mouth like a blind shrew

I asked him why Bricklaying of all jobs,

‘I taught professionally as a school Teacher with both my NCE and Degree Certificates for over 20 years yet I have nothing to show for it but since almost 3 years now that I’ve fully embrace Bricklaying things have been more than better. God has been too faithful to me and by His Grace by December I will be moving into my own cosy and comfy house at Atan in Ogun State. What I couldn’t achieve for more than 20 years as a Teacher I’ve been able to do so in less than 3 years as a Mason. If reincarnation is true then, in my next life I would choose Bricklaying over Teaching over and over again.’ ADIO said.

An average bricklayer/mason earns a min of 7k per day's job while an average school teacher in a private secondary school(not even primary sef)earns an average salary of 15k(take note of the 'minimum' and 'average' in these two context). Of course a lot of school teachers earn far less than 15k. Some are earning a misery 10k that doesn't even come at the end of the month but on the 1st,2nd and even 3rd week of the next month.And believe me teaching is more physically,emotionally and psychologically exhaustive and draining than a labourer's work.By the time u wake up by 4:am,prepare so you can be in school latest 7:30 am,go round classes teaching(4-5 classes a day),prepare lesson notes depending on the number of subjects and classes(I used to write 12 back then)and other tasks and then go home around 4:pm, ur body go tell u. Plus many a times u carry out these duties on empty stomach.The only advantage a teacher has is being able to dress smarter, being shielded from the hot sun and having more respect.