29/10/2025
TEACHING BEYOND THE PAY
My salary is small, yet my joy is wide,
Each dawn I rise with purpose as my guide.
They wonder why I smile through every day,
Why Mondays light my path instead of grey.
I linger long when others have gone home,
Amongst the rows of books where young minds roam.
Hundreds of pages wait for marks and notes,
Each scribble holds a dream, each line a hope.
My Abacus hangs gently by my side,
A symbol of the joy I cannot hide.
Through beads and sums, I teach them how to see,
That Math is not a monster, but a key.
From what I earn, though little it may seem,
I share with students whose lives have lost their gleam.
For in their eyes I see the child I was
Hungry for hope, believing just because.
In a class of eighty-six, I asked one day,
“Who dreams to teach, to light another’s way?”
Just one small hand went up amid the crowd,
While others laughed, dismissive, yet so loud.
“God forbid,” they said, with mocking tone,
And I stood there, my heart but not alone.
Then I spoke of leaders once called “Sir,”
Who taught before their names became a stir.
When next I asked, more hands began to rise
I saw the future sparkle in their eyes.
For teaching isn’t merely chalk and board,
It’s shaping lives, not seeking grand reward.
I founded Young Champions of Mathematics (YCoM),
To bridge the gap where fear and numbers meet.
A movement born from passion, not from wealth,
To make learning Math a joy, a strength, a help.
It’s more than just a job that pays the bill,
It’s planting seeds no money ever will.
A bridge between today and bright tomorrows,
A balm that heals a nation’s deepest sorrows.
If you are not well taught, how can you shine?
Each teacher molds the gold in every mind.
So call me Joshua Abacus with pride
A teacher, still smiling, with hope as my guide.