SADNESS - My English Language Teacher

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I think back to the time when I was just a kid - how easy life was. All I had to do was wake up in the morning, get ready for school, after school, I played football for long hours with my friends, and when it was evening, I had dinner, watched my favorite cartoons like Superman at the time, read my books a little. And I'm off to bed.

When I had homework to do, my uncle would sit with me and help me get better understanding of the subject. I was top of my class, or sometimes I came second place. But studying was much fun back then. When I grew older, and I got into secondary education, life started feeling a bit more difficult. I hated some of my teachers as they were annoying.

I particularly remember having a clash with my English teacher. She wanted me to carry my Oxford dictionary to school, in my school bag every single day. I loved to read the dictionary, but it was very big and heavy, and I did not have English language on the timetable everyday, but she insisted that she'll check my bag everyday.

As I grew older, I started becoming more stubborn. One day, I decided not to bring my dictionary to school, just to get her angry. When she checked my bag and didn't see it, she started beating me with a huge stick. I got angrier and held the stick. Drew it from her hand, and broke it. She reported me to a male teacher, who loved to beat stubborn kids.

He lashed me so badly. The more he beat me, the more I decided in my mind that I'll never carry that heavy dictionary in my bag. I repeated the same act the next day, and many days ahead, until my English teacher decided that I'll never attend her class, she'll push me outside. All these happened when I was about to take my WAEC - which was my final examination for secondary school.

She was surprised that my score in English language was the second best in my school when results came out. And I was shocked that she was happy for me. She even congratulated me. She gave me a book, "Gifted Hands" by Ben Carson as a form of congratulations. We were both enemies for a long time.

We suddenly became friends after I passed my examination with flying colors. Sadly, she died last year. And thinking about her, I feel sad. I hated her and loved her all at the same time. She had the same feelings for me. It was later that I understood that all she wanted was for me to become better at English language.

In her eyes back then, I could see that she liked me, yet was angry with me at the same time for been a very stubborn kid. Her death really pains me, she's one teacher I'll hardly forget. She taught English Language in that school for many years before I came, and even after I graduated she taught for many years after, until her death.

Her name was Mrs Uwagba. I read English Language harder because of her, I wanted to pass English Language in my final examination, to prove to her that I was good. It's sad that death took her too soon. She was 59 years of age when she died last year. I'll miss her greatly. May her soul rest in peace. It was because of her, I formed the habit of reading my dictionary everyday. I feel sad just thinking about her.