10/04/2026
📚 STORY TIME…
I used to think school was just a place to warm the bench and wait for closing bell.
“Aishat, stand up and read,” my English teacher would say.
I would stand, stare at the textbook like it offended me, then mumble something that made my classmates laugh. Not because it was funny… but because it was terrible.
I didn’t care. At least, that’s what I told myself.
Until that day.
It was a hot Tuesday afternoon in our small classroom in Ijanikin. The ceiling fan was making noise but doing nothing useful. Everyone was restless.
Then our teacher walked in with a surprise test.
My heart skipped.
“Bring out a sheet of paper,” she said calmly.
I tried to peep into Amaka’s work. She shifted her paper. I turned to Kunle. He covered his own like it was gold.
For the first time, I was alone with my ignorance.
The questions looked simple… too simple. Things we had “done” in class. But my mind was blank.
Completely blank.
I wrote anything. Just to submit something.
The next day, she shared the scripts.
“Aishat…” she called.
I walked slowly to the front, already smiling to hide my fear.
Then I saw it.
7/30
The class burst into laughter. My ears burned.
But what broke me wasn’t the laughter.
It was what she said next.
“Aishat, you’re not dull. You’re just not paying attention.”
Silence.
For the first time, I felt it… shame, yes—but also something else. A quiet realization that I had been cheating myself.
That evening, I got home, opened my notebook, and actually read. Not because of punishment… but because I didn’t want to feel that way again.
The next test, I scored 18.
Then 24.
Then one day… I came first.
Even I didn’t believe it.
And that was when it hit me deeply—
Since that day, I began to pay more attention in class.
Not because I was forced to… but because I finally understood my worth.
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💬 Tell me honestly…
Have you ever had a moment that changed your attitude towards learning?
Or were you like Aishat—“bench warmer association president”? 😄👇
I will be waiting in the comment section 👍
