Barrister of Math

29/09/2026

29/09/2026

DAY 98/100

As teachers, we plan.

We write our lesson objectives.

We select our resources.

We think through our activities.

We anticipate questions.

We strategize.

We enter the classroom feeling like:

“I know exactly how this lesson is going to go.”

Then the class begins…

And somehow, the lesson has other plans.

A student asks a question that takes the discussion somewhere completely unexpected.

You realise that the class has a gap in a foundational concept you assumed they already understood.

An example sparks another question.

A discussion becomes more valuable than the activity you originally planned.

And suddenly, that beautiful lesson plan you spent time preparing is no longer being followed exactly as written.

At first, this can feel like the lesson is going off track.

But I’ve learned that sometimes…

The new direction IS the lesson.

Good lesson planning is important.

But flexibility is just as important.

Planning tells us where we intend to go.

Observation tells us where our learners actually are.

And effective teaching sometimes requires us to adjust the route.

That might mean:

➡️ Spending another 10 minutes on a concept.

➡️ Dropping an activity because students need something else.

➡️ Giving an unplanned example.

➡️ Asking a completely different question.

➡️ Revisiting something from a previous lesson.

➡️ Or even saying, “Let’s pause here. I think we need to understand this first.”

This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have objectives.

It doesn’t mean we should walk into class unprepared.

Quite the opposite.

The better prepared you are, the easier it can be to adapt when the unexpected happens.

For me, the question isn’t always:

“Did I finish everything on my lesson plan?”

Sometimes the more important question is:

“Did learning happen?”

Because I would rather leave the classroom having achieved meaningful learning than tick every activity on my plan while half the class is still lost.

A lesson plan is a roadmap.

But sometimes, your students show you a better route.

The skill is knowing when to follow the plan… and when to follow the learning.

22/09/2026

DAY 91/100

Before last term ended, I embarked on a research project titled:

“Factors Influencing Knowledge Retention and Mathematics Examination Performance Among Senior Secondary School Students: A Case Study of Roseville Secondary School.”

Why did I do this?

Because this academic year, I made a personal decision:

I want to use data more and assumptions less.

As teachers, we sometimes say things like:

“My students don’t study.”
“They don’t remember what I teach.”
“They are too dependent on AI.”
“They don’t know how to solve problems.”

But I asked myself:

What if I actually asked them?

So I designed and administered questionnaires to senior secondary students.

I distributed over 50 questionnaires and successfully retrieved 50, which became the sample for my research.

And this wasn’t just research for the sake of writing a project.

I had another reason.

I constantly encourage my students to research, ask questions, collect information and draw conclusions from evidence.

So I asked myself:

How can I encourage them to do research when I haven’t done one myself?

I wanted to lead by example.

The research focused on factors including:

📌 Knowledge retention
📌 Study habits
📌 Problem-solving skills
📌 Mathematics examination anxiety
📌 Dependence on AI
📌 Quality of teacher instruction
📌 Revision and examination preparation

And the responses were quite revealing.

Students reported:

🔹 Poor knowledge retention
🔹 Weak study habits
🔹 Not-too-strong problem-solving skills
🔹 Very high Mathematics examination anxiety
🔹 Overdependence on AI for assignments
🔹 High-quality teacher instruction
🔹 Weak revision and examination preparation

One finding particularly encouraged me as a teacher:

The students’ responses did not simply give me information. They gave me something to work with.

The findings and recommendations have already influenced how I am approaching my SS2 and SS3 students this 2026/2027 academic session.

And because my goal for this academic year is to improve the overall Mathematics performance of our students, I didn’t keep the findings to myself.

I shared them with my team.

And I’m genuinely glad that the team has keyed into the goal. ❤️

Now, the research has moved from being a document to becoming part of our strategy.

Tomorrow, I’ll be sharing the major lessons I personally took from this research—and the resolutions I have made for the new academic session.

And I won’t be keeping the conversation to myself.

Parents. Teachers. Educators.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences too.

Because if we want better outcomes for our students, perhaps we need to stop guessing what the problem is…

and start asking the right questions.

Stay tuned. 👀

M

19/09/2026

No 5 Question, Math Neco 2026.

19/09/2026

No 4 Question, 2026 Math Neco

17/09/2026

2026 Neco Math, paper 1

17/09/2026

DAY 86

One of the things I love about Mathematics is that sometimes, a simple mathematical concept can teach you something about life.

Take probability.

Probability doesn’t promise that something will happen.
It tells us how likely an outcome is.

And that made me think…

Life doesn’t come with guarantees.

You can prepare for an examination and still face unexpected questions.

You can work hard on something and still experience setbacks.

You can have a plan and still need to adjust it.

But uncertainty doesn’t mean we should stop trying.

It means we should prepare, make informed decisions, and be willing to adapt.

As teachers, we often tell students:

“Do your best. Prepare well. Don’t depend on luck.”

Perhaps that applies to life too.

We cannot control every outcome.

But we can control our preparation, our attitude, our effort and how we respond when things don’t go according to plan.

Probability taught me something simple:

👉🏽 You may not control the outcome, but you can influence your chances through preparation.

And sometimes, that’s all we need to keep going.

16/09/2026

DAY 84

A few years ago, when I was still a relatively new teacher, I had an SS1 student who had a habit I secretly admired.

She asked questions. A LOT of questions. 😂

And they weren’t always questions from the lesson I was teaching.

Sometimes, she was asking about something I knew I would teach them later.

Other times, she was asking about concepts that were beyond their grade level.

I actually appreciated it.

It told me that she was studying before coming to class.

So I encouraged her classmates to do the same.

Then, one day, she asked one of those questions right in the middle of my lesson.

I paused.

I decided to answer her.

I started explaining…

And before I could finish, she said:

“Ma, don’t worry about the question.” 😂

Of course, I wasn’t going to let her off that easily.

I asked the class to give me a minute because I wanted to answer her question.

But after that class, something happened.

I started thinking.

How do I handle situations like this better?

How do I encourage a curious learner without allowing the lesson to lose focus?

How do I challenge her thinking while still keeping the rest of the class engaged?

So, before my next class, I came prepared.

I planned some higher-order questions specifically for her.

Questions that would stretch her thinking.

My plan was to keep everyone involved while giving her the extra challenge she was looking for.

I walked into the next class ready.

And guess what?

It never happened again. 😂

She didn’t ask another one of those questions!

But I still gained something from the experience.

Students can teach teachers too.

That experience taught me to think beyond:

“How do I deliver this lesson?”

and start thinking:

“How do I meet different learners where they are and still move everyone forward?”

A curious student is not necessarily a distraction.

Sometimes, curiosity is evidence that learning is happening beyond the classroom.

And as teachers, we need to learn how to nurture that curiosity while maintaining the direction of the lesson.

That student probably doesn’t know it, but she helped shape part of the teacher I became.

And that’s one of the reasons I love teaching.

Sometimes, we think we are the ones teaching the lesson.

Meanwhile, the students are teaching us too. ❤️

Have you ever had a student who challenged the way you taught?

14/09/2026

DAY 82

If we haven’t met before, let me reintroduce myself.

I’m Joy — a Mathematics Educator and passionate learning coach. 👋🏽

I have been teaching Mathematics for over a decade, working with learners across different levels and helping students move from:

“I hate Mathematics” → “Oh! I get it!” ❤️

I teach Mathematics and Further Mathematics, and I have experience preparing learners for examinations including WAEC, JAMB, SAT and IGCSE.

Over the past year, I have also been taking my teaching online—and I have discovered how much I enjoy creating engaging, interactive learning experiences beyond the traditional classroom.

So, today, I’m opening my doors a little wider. 🌍

I am currently open to online Mathematics coaching.

If your child needs support with Mathematics, Further Mathematics, exam preparation, or simply needs a teacher who can patiently break concepts down and build their confidence, I’d love to help.

And because I believe parents and students should experience my teaching before making a commitment, I’m offering a:

🎁 FREE 45-MINUTE TRIAL LESSON

No pressure.
Just 45 minutes to experience how I teach, interact with the learner and identify areas where they may need support.

📩 Interested? Send me a DM with the learner’s class/year and I’ll share the details.

Sometimes, the right teacher can make a difficult subject feel possible.

Let’s turn “I can’t do Mathematics” into “I get it”

12/09/2026

Dear 2027 Waec candidates, come closer. Check comment section 👇🏾