₦airaland Forum

Hmm how long does it take you to make each one of these drawings?

Odey1997:
Monday


Back in class today and everything flowed effortlessly. That experience only a corper truly understands. When students resume school, suddenly your days have a kind of structure and it is regimented. It felt good to be back again.

I took a short Christmas break, stepped away from the same routine, rested well, ate properly, and yes, added a little flesh in the right places 🤣🤣🤣🤣. No complaints there. Sometimes, resting is not laziness, it is a necessary maintenance. Life has a way of rewarding you when you pause long enough to breathe.

There is something deeply fulfilling about returning refreshed, with a clearer mind.

Sometimes, you really do need to take your head off certain things, reset, and come back better.


Tuesday

Earlier today went for my CDS as usual. CDS is meant to be free time, a breather, nothing intense. But as is my personal tradition, I still decided to teach. Not because anyone asked me to, but because knowledge should not be switched off simply because the timetable says so. Not everyone can do that, and I say that without arrogance, just honesty.

We had our CDS meeting, new EXCOs were selected, the usual formalities. I returned and went straight into class mode. Somewhere in the middle of teaching, it hit me again, if I were not studying my current course, I would have chosen history without hesitation. History opens the mind in a way few disciplines do. It gives clarity, context, and perspective. It helps you understand that today did not just appear, it was built by yesterday.

While teaching, I explained Nigeria’s military regimes and how they systematically stifled fundamental human rights. I referenced cases like Ken Saro-Wiwa, spoke about journalists who were executed for doing their jobs, and traced how military governments changed over time. The similarities, the differences, the patterns of power, fear, and control. Then I moved seamlessly into the next subject. And then another. And another.

Four subjects in one day.

In a CDS setting.

Anyone who understands how distracting and disjointed CDS environments can be will understand why this matters. It was not easy, but it was fulfilling. By the end of it, I felt genuine joy. The kind that comes from knowing you gave more than was required and used your time well.

Today deserves applause.




Wednesday

This morning, while teaching my students/pupils about food fraud, a memory I had buried resurfaced. It is a story my mother told me years ago, one I still find unsettling each time I remember it.

It is about a woman popularly known as Iya Seki, who ran a buka somewhere around the Jakande, Lekki area in the 1990s. I was not born then, but the way the story was told made it feel vivid, almost present. I grew up in Igbara, or Gbara as we call it, and stories like this were told with fear, not exaggeration.

Iya Seki was not an ordinary food seller. She sold everything, rice, beans, ewedu, amala, egusi, all neatly arranged with tempting assortments. Her customers came in swarms. Within a short time, other food vendors around closed their shops permanently. She had become the centre of attention. In one day, she sold no fewer than six coolers of rice alone. Customers queued endlessly at her entrance. Married women trusted her food so much they packed it into their children’s lunch boxes. Ironically, behind the scenes, she treated her workers with extreme cruelty.

There is a saying, every day for the thief, one day for the owner.

Iya Seki had a strange habit. She bathed very early, before 4am. On one such morning, an elderly man, reportedly a Muslim traveller from Ikate, one of those unusually tall Niger men often called Godogodo, happened to pass by. What he saw stopped him cold.

According to my mother, the woman was bathing naked outside, around Orita Meta, the main junction. As she scooped water to pour on her body, she washed her private parts and emptied the contents into a large pot, the same pot she used for cooking. Very disgusting!!!!

The man raised an alarm immediately.

Within minutes, the entire community was awake. People came out with cutlasses, knives, tyres, petrol. Mob justice followed, brutal and uncontrolled. Before she was killed, she was tortured until she confessed.

Her confession was worse than the accusation.

She admitted to using mortuary water, the water used to bathe corpses, in cooking her food. She confessed to several ritual practices over the years, including killing her daughters. She spared the last one because she was married, but according to her, that daughter had suffered repeated miscarriages because she spiritually used the foetuses for rituals.

Whether every detail is true or not, one thing is certain, the fear that story planted in people’s minds never left.

Many people have lost more than money. Some lost health, peace, and destinies, simply because they never asked questions.

Be careful what you consume. Be careful who you trust. Some lessons are too expensive to relearn.




Thursday

I don’t joke with my students(pupils), and I never joke with their learning. One thing people who know me understand very well is that I care deeply about how much my students actually retain, not just what I rush to teach.

Today was one of those days. I was extremely busy, mentally and physically drained even attending to other classes, and the heat in Umuahia North was something else. Very hot.

Over time in this teaching profession, I have come to a very clear realization. Some subjects demand serious concentration and deliberate attention. Subjects like Mathematics and English are not to be handled casually. They require fresh minds, alert brains, and a calm learning environment. That is why I prefer taking those subjects in the morning, when students are more attentive and responsive. The lighter subjects can come later in the afternoon when energy levels begin to drop. This balance is important.

Teaching is not just about standing in front of a class and talking. It is about ensuring that attention is fixed, understanding is built, and learning actually happens. If the students are not mentally present, the lesson is wasted, no matter how well prepared you are.

Today’s classes were intense, demanding, and honestly exhausting, but they were worth it. This is a small photo dump of what we covered in class today. It was quite an experience, even though I am very tired.

Still, we go again tomorrow. As usual.


Friday

Way back when we were kids, we used to arrange ourselves on stage for little performances. There were props, simple scripts, mostly Christian drama scripts, and everyone had a role to play. I remember acting different characters back then, at liberty church Idado which is close to Igbo-efon. It was really exciting.

Life moved on, of course. That part of me grew into other things. But today, standing in front of a class and teaching theatre, I realised it never really left.

We talked about the basics. What a script is. What acts and scenes mean. How a story is structured on stage. I gave examples, and as always, I drew on the board. I am a visual person, and when I teach, I teach with pictures, sketches, and imagination. Not because it looks fancy, but because it helps people understand. That matters to me.

We spoke about the stage, the lighting, the props, the actors, male or female depending on the level, and the audience. The audience, the silent witnesses, the ones who watch and interpret everything happening on stage. Theatre is never complete without them.

At some point, I asked them to draw freely, to imagine, to create.

Funny how a simple drawing can open old doors and remind you why you do what you do.

And honestly, thank God it’s Friday.

E be like say women for the last picture dey quarrel o. Abeg seperate them

You're doing well. How I wish there's 'Buy me a coffee' option on NL

Seriously you really have time.

PlutoPJ:
Kundus to you abi how una dey talk am

Kundus kọ, Sodeeq ni. Mtcheeeew!

I wish the school had an interactive board so you won't have to stress bringing out those images. You'd have used internet generated images. It's good that as a corp member, you like your job. I spent my service year mostly out of my service station. I love my bf and my mum more, I no gree stay o. Everyday na war between me, my boss and the NYSC zonal inspector.

Stephen0mozzy:
Mehn, for you to even do those drawings on the board. You really dey enjoy this teaching profession 😁. KUDOS Corper Shon.

Am telling you 😂
Very dedicated classroom teacher

Where are you serving?

The way your capital ‘T’ the cross pass small letter ‘h’ e be like say you wan send am go Cotonou 🤣🤣. For instance, second to the last picture top right, ur capital letter ‘T’ for the word Thursday be like your ‘T’ wan dey go Sokoto ooo.🤣
Nevertheless, nice drawings man.👍
You really get time and those little bannies dey like master wey Sabi draw. You done hit jackpot

Lol. If them post for u Benin schools. My brother u go hate teaching

You are enjoying it now probably because you are a corper.

Once you pass out and start looking for work, I'm sure you will never consider teaching work.
I myself im a teacher but I am currently doing it just to save money and go into something else.

Odey1997:
This particular topic was based on drama that is a play that is acted on stage. I'm a very visual kind of a tutor so I draw to show my students/pupils examples.

Hope they are paying you well with all these drawings

In my days, I left 6 months pay with the school

Odey1997:
Monday


Back in class today and everything flowed effortlessly. That experience only a corper truly understands. When students resume school, suddenly your days have a kind of structure and it is regimented. It felt good to be back again.

I took a short Christmas break, stepped away from the same routine, rested well, ate properly, and yes, added a little flesh in the right places 🤣🤣🤣🤣. No complaints there. Sometimes, resting is not laziness, it is a necessary maintenance. Life has a way of rewarding you when you pause long enough to breathe.

There is something deeply fulfilling about returning refreshed, with a clearer mind.

Sometimes, you really do need to take your head off certain things, reset, and come back better.


Tuesday

Earlier today went for my CDS as usual. CDS is meant to be free time, a breather, nothing intense. But as is my personal tradition, I still decided to teach. Not because anyone asked me to, but because knowledge should not be switched off simply because the timetable says so. Not everyone can do that, and I say that without arrogance, just honesty.

We had our CDS meeting, new EXCOs were selected, the usual formalities. I returned and went straight into class mode. Somewhere in the middle of teaching, it hit me again, if I were not studying my current course, I would have chosen history without hesitation. History opens the mind in a way few disciplines do. It gives clarity, context, and perspective. It helps you understand that today did not just appear, it was built by yesterday.

While teaching, I explained Nigeria’s military regimes and how they systematically stifled fundamental human rights. I referenced cases like Ken Saro-Wiwa, spoke about journalists who were executed for doing their jobs, and traced how military governments changed over time. The similarities, the differences, the patterns of power, fear, and control. Then I moved seamlessly into the next subject. And then another. And another.

Four subjects in one day.

In a CDS setting.

Anyone who understands how distracting and disjointed CDS environments can be will understand why this matters. It was not easy, but it was fulfilling. By the end of it, I felt genuine joy. The kind that comes from knowing you gave more than was required and used your time well.

Today deserves applause.




Wednesday

This morning, while teaching my students/pupils about food fraud, a memory I had buried resurfaced. It is a story my mother told me years ago, one I still find unsettling each time I remember it.

It is about a woman popularly known as Iya Seki, who ran a buka somewhere around the Jakande, Lekki area in the 1990s. I was not born then, but the way the story was told made it feel vivid, almost present. I grew up in Igbara, or Gbara as we call it, and stories like this were told with fear, not exaggeration.

Iya Seki was not an ordinary food seller. She sold everything, rice, beans, ewedu, amala, egusi, all neatly arranged with tempting assortments. Her customers came in swarms. Within a short time, other food vendors around closed their shops permanently. She had become the centre of attention. In one day, she sold no fewer than six coolers of rice alone. Customers queued endlessly at her entrance. Married women trusted her food so much they packed it into their children’s lunch boxes. Ironically, behind the scenes, she treated her workers with extreme cruelty.

There is a saying, every day for the thief, one day for the owner.

Iya Seki had a strange habit. She bathed very early, before 4am. On one such morning, an elderly man, reportedly a Muslim traveller from Ikate, one of those unusually tall Niger men often called Godogodo, happened to pass by. What he saw stopped him cold.

According to my mother, the woman was bathing naked outside, around Orita Meta, the main junction. As she scooped water to pour on her body, she washed her private parts and emptied the contents into a large pot, the same pot she used for cooking. Very disgusting!!!!

The man raised an alarm immediately.

Within minutes, the entire community was awake. People came out with cutlasses, knives, tyres, petrol. Mob justice followed, brutal and uncontrolled. Before she was killed, she was tortured until she confessed.

Her confession was worse than the accusation.

She admitted to using mortuary water, the water used to bathe corpses, in cooking her food. She confessed to several ritual practices over the years, including killing her daughters. She spared the last one because she was married, but according to her, that daughter had suffered repeated miscarriages because she spiritually used the foetuses for rituals.

Whether every detail is true or not, one thing is certain, the fear that story planted in people’s minds never left.

Many people have lost more than money. Some lost health, peace, and destinies, simply because they never asked questions.

Be careful what you consume. Be careful who you trust. Some lessons are too expensive to relearn.




Thursday

I don’t joke with my students(pupils), and I never joke with their learning. One thing people who know me understand very well is that I care deeply about how much my students actually retain, not just what I rush to teach.

Today was one of those days. I was extremely busy, mentally and physically drained even attending to other classes, and the heat in Umuahia North was something else. Very hot.

Over time in this teaching profession, I have come to a very clear realization. Some subjects demand serious concentration and deliberate attention. Subjects like Mathematics and English are not to be handled casually. They require fresh minds, alert brains, and a calm learning environment. That is why I prefer taking those subjects in the morning, when students are more attentive and responsive. The lighter subjects can come later in the afternoon when energy levels begin to drop. This balance is important.

Teaching is not just about standing in front of a class and talking. It is about ensuring that attention is fixed, understanding is built, and learning actually happens. If the students are not mentally present, the lesson is wasted, no matter how well prepared you are.

Today’s classes were intense, demanding, and honestly exhausting, but they were worth it. This is a small photo dump of what we covered in class today. It was quite an experience, even though I am very tired.

Still, we go again tomorrow. As usual.


Friday

Way back when we were kids, we used to arrange ourselves on stage for little performances. There were props, simple scripts, mostly Christian drama scripts, and everyone had a role to play. I remember acting different characters back then, at liberty church Idado which is close to Igbo-efon. It was really exciting.

Life moved on, of course. That part of me grew into other things. But today, standing in front of a class and teaching theatre, I realised it never really left.

We talked about the basics. What a script is. What acts and scenes mean. How a story is structured on stage. I gave examples, and as always, I drew on the board. I am a visual person, and when I teach, I teach with pictures, sketches, and imagination. Not because it looks fancy, but because it helps people understand. That matters to me.

We spoke about the stage, the lighting, the props, the actors, male or female depending on the level, and the audience. The audience, the silent witnesses, the ones who watch and interpret everything happening on stage. Theatre is never complete without them.

At some point, I asked them to draw freely, to imagine, to create.

Funny how a simple drawing can open old doors and remind you why you do what you do.

And honestly, thank God it’s Friday.

My guy you dey draw o.. This is beautiful. Kudos to you. I love your attitude to work .Did you study anything related to science ?

I appreciate your drawing on the board; it's beautiful and comes a passionate heart, but doesn't it take time? Don't they have textbooks? You could do them on a cardboard paper and bring to class and hang them. My suggestion.

Keep up the good work.

Mypeople2:
My guy you dey draw o.. This is beautiful. Kudos to you. I love your attitude to work .Did you study anything related to science ?

Not at all.

Lovelydaisies:
I appreciate your drawing on the board; it's beautiful and comes a passionate heart, but doesn't it take time? Don't they have textbooks? You could do them on a cardboard paper and bring to class and hang them. My suggestion.

Keep up the good work.

For them to even afford money to buy the cardboard is another issue on its own sometimes.

Pentagon007:
You are enjoying it now probably because you are a corper.

Once you pass out and start looking for work, I'm sure you will never consider teaching work.
I myself im a teacher but I am currently doing it just to save money and go into something else.

I started teaching after I graduated from secondary school years ago. Teaching ain't relatively new to me I must say.

Passionate888:
Na fine arts you dey teach?

I teach them 18 subjects in total. I actually take basic or primary 6 class. So this requires a teacher to be well versed in all areas.

BreakingNews21:
Super kudos honourable corper. You are a credit to the nation and to the entire 3rd planet that travels around the ☀️🌞.

Thanks 🙏

reiddecuti:
With this your talent and time dedicated to your PPA, let the quota system boiz not take your position.

The quota system has caused more damage to this country than corruption, ignorance and poverty join together.

I'm currently working on my individual or personal CDS and I just pray something meaningful comes out from it.

HowDareU:
As a teacher who once taught in a private school, you need grit, patient and tolerance to withstand the nitty gritty of teaching your students.

Moreover, if the salary does not compliment efforts, it becomes frustrating. Teaching is fun if effort is rewarded.

Well written article OP.

Thanks

Cmanforall:
Those drawings are good
He’s doing well!

Thank you so much.

Heffalump:
Well done OP.

My only concern is that the time taken to do all these drawings on the board would have consumed the allotted time for your lesson. Isn't it better to refer to the Textbooks instead? Afterall, you're not in an art class. I know pictorial representation helps children in assimilation.

There is a corper lodge in the school(My PPA) and I resume early usually by 6a.m and start writing on the board once it's 6:15am. So before normal teaching commences in the morning I'd be through with writing and drawing to a considerable extent.

Mankind2024:
Share the Ai generated Images of Iya Seki story with your learners.
A good story.
Keep it up.

This would make a good story book I must say.

3kay945:
I am sorry i couldnt finish it up. Too much.

Just two points i picked during my skimming.

First, you mentioned the Military regime bastardized human rights during their reign. that is good. but you must also let the students know that the military institutionalized CORRUPTION in this country. That is very important.

second, you said you added flesh in the right place,, I assume you are a lady if not pls, delete that portion

You tried, i really like your type. please keep it up.

before i forget, try using Ruler to rule on the blackboard.

My PPA didn't make provisions for that. I've been clamouring for it since.

Keme4Real:
Hmm how long does it take you to make each one of these drawings?

I'm very fast with it usually it doesn't take that much time.

Princeton92:
Where are you serving?

Abia state Umuahia North LGA

Odey1997:
Abia state Umuahia North LGA

Oohh Wow 😎

Odey1997:
For them to even afford money to buy the cardboard is another issue on its own sometimes.

Okay. I actually meant you could draw the images on a cardboard and bring to class, considering how much time it might take draw on the board, in the class and still deliver your topic within the given time.

Lovelydaisies:
Okay. I actually meant you could draw the images on a cardboard and bring to class, considering how much time it might take draw on the board, in the class and still deliver your topic within the given time.

I understand but drawing on the board is way cheaper for me and even convenient.