09/05/2026
It was my first year in the senior secondary school when I had a memorable experience with my new class teacher.
This was the incident...
Now, we had a rule in my class, we were expected sign in and sign out of the class register for attendance daily with our class teacher.
But unfortunately, on this fateful day, I was carried away with after-school activities (it was playing around, by the way) and so, I was still within the school environment with others who had not gone home.
Later that afternoon, it dawned on me! "You have not signed your attendance today!" I thought and my heart sank.
I quickly rushed down to her office, and luckily for me, she was still in the office about to close up for the day already.
She knew what I came for and I did all the pleading I could do with tears already welling up in my eyes but she refused to let me sign. 'It's past the closing time, we will meet tomorrow!" she spoke sternly.
The countenance on her face already passed the message.
"You are in soup!" I thought to myself and the emotional me started crying and started to turn back to leave.
I had taken some feet away from her office when I heard my name faintly.
"Did she just call me?"
I dragged my feet back to the office with shame on my face agreeing to bear the consequences of my action.
Getting back there, she looked at me face to face and saw how overwhelmed I had already been.
You are a baby, I know" she said smiling...
What do you want me to do?
I said, with my voice shaking "forgive me ma and allow me sign out for today, I won't do that again"
She felt the fear in me already and perceived that I was genuinely sorry for my action. She also knew that allowing me go home without calling me back can damage me for I had cried out my eyes in such a short period of time.
She did sign my attendance that day and "the baby in me" was comforted.
From this, I learnt as well that teachers should learn to understand how learners feel and relate with them with compassion.
Dear teacher, it's good to be Disciplined but also be Empathetic!
