Diary of a Teacher (DoT) with Titilope Ogundele

DoT: I Need My Shine Back!

Last week, I was at one of the schools where I teach Phonics as a part-time teacher; I got there and realised it was their Culture Day. So, no teaching for that day. Well, no qualms, nothing spoil!

I went to greet the proprietress, so she would know I was around. Fiam! She took me to the high table, ‘Aunty Phonics, sit here’, she said. Although I protested, all my protests fell on deaf ears. I stood there, I did not sit. I could not even dance. Was I shy? I don’t even know.

As soon as I got the opportunity, I stepped down from the high table. I went into the midst of the pupils and got busy. No, I wasn’t teaching; I was dressing the pupils. I helped some of them to untie their ‘gele’ and retied it.

In the course of the ‘celebration’, different groups came up to showcase the rich culture of our country, Nigeria. As the different groups came up, their teachers came up with them and danced along. They seemed not to be bothered about every other thing. How I envied them!

When the Igbo dancers came up, they invited different sets of people to come up and dance. And behold, I heard ‘Aunty Phonics! What? The expression on my face was, you mean me? I didn’t go, I refused to heed their call. The propritress had a good laugh, she was like, ‘Aunty Phonics ke?’ I’m sure she felt, Aunty Phonics is not the cultural dance type.

That scenario actually got me thinking. I remembered the good old days, my secondary school days. Men, we were the queen of cultural dance. We went from school to school; our speciality was cultural dance presentation.

To think someone will see me as the ‘Assorted’ type, how did I get here? I am naturally a lively person. The original me would have danced with all the cultural groups not minding whose horse was gored. But now, I realised I am now somehow reserved and shy.

But, if you ask me, I prefer the lively me. I want the carefree me, back. Give me back my shine!

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