My Neighbors Hired A Man Who Could Destroy Their Kids
An angry teacher comes to teach my neighbor’s daughters every week. Yes, I said ‘angry’ because that’s the second thing you’d notice about him.
Yesterday, I rushed out when I heard someone banging on the main gate, and when I opened the door, I found him there: eyes red, veins ridged, angry as always. He was so angry he forgot to thank me for opening the gate for him. He barged into the compound and only said: (not exactly to me) “I came to teach these kids. I’ve been out here since”.
I am not sure what he teaches the kids, but with the level of anger he possesses, he must be a maths teacher! Forgive that I didn’t mention: the first thing you’d notice about him is that he is angry. The second is his anger. His anger has a peculiar way of making one laugh.
So, yesterday, after I opened the door, he went straight to my neighbor’s door and started the second round of banging. The parents were often away by that time, so he knew it would be the kids alone. He banged on the door shouting, screaming: “if I count three, and you do not open this door, I will flog you two ten, ten strokes by the time I enter”.
I couldn’t help but stand there, wondering how exactly the kids were going to ever understand whatever was being taught when they hate even the presence of the teacher so much that they do not want to open the door for him.
I took pity on the kids when he eventually entered and another round of screaming began. “You don’t read, it’s just to play. Give me your hand!”
Well, I’m sure you’d have laughed at some point because it’s funny. I would have felt the same way two or three months ago too — that it is funny.
I would have laughed it off and thought the worst that could happen to the kids is that they would develop hatred for the subject the angry teacher taught. But, last month, something happened.
Last month, I spoke to a good friend who was apparently a very smart person, but had failed some exams repeatedly and was suffering from a loss of self-esteem and self-doubt.
For a very long time, I had wondered what story was behind my friend’s self-esteem issues, because the issues had affected so many aspects of her life.
When I finally spoke to her, I expected something big, like “I was raped when I was young.” but I was shocked! A story that would have been dismissed as funny just as my neighbor’s daughters’, was what caused a lot of her issues.
She told me: “it used to be comparison”
I was astounded. Comparison?
She said, “yes, I had a maths teacher who taught us and, whoever didn’t understand, he’d insult them, call them names, and compare them with those who understood.”
I was shocked when I heard the revelation. She apparently lost the zeal to learn, and the self-belief necessary to propel herself to do many things just from her interaction with the teacher.
When I remembered my friend, it was hard for me to see just an angry teacher who would destroy the children’s interest in learning his subject, I saw a teacher who was destroying the kids’ esteem, destroying their love for learning, and destroying their dreams.
It was especially hard because when I thought back, I realized that no, he isn’t just destroying their dreams, he already has; (or maybe someone else is responsible) because I remember one of the girls once said: “I want to become a doctor, but I am not smart enough for it”.
This statement is most probably the result of being told how stupid and dull they are because they can’t understand a subject being taught by a teacher whose mere presence frightens them; a teacher who imports his anger into the classroom even before he is irked.
The parents have hired the man who would probably destroy their kids, but they do not know, they only see a disciplined teacher!
In January, we launched a 30-day campaign on teaching methods that are damaging to children, and in February, we did a 7-day campaign on how teachers can help failing children. Don’t miss out on any of our activities, connect with us here.
