Euphony Academy

What's your greatest fear in communication?

What's your greatest fear in English?

Mine was English spellings and the fear of facing the crowd.

I could remember when I was in primary school.

Whenever my class teacher reads to us in class, she always calls one of the learners out to also read for the class.

My problem wasn't the reading because I used to read to my friends after the teacher had completed the reading period.

One day, after the teacher's reading, she called on a student to read for the class.

Guess who she called?

Yes, I was the one she called.

Omo come and see the way I was shaking like leave.

On my way to the front, the class was clapping and my friends were chanting my name. Tunde! Tunde! Tunde!

when I finally got there I was already soaked with my sweat and when I started reading my voice was skipping like CD📀 and each word was coming out with tears 😭.

As a result of the scenario my class teacher didn't leave me, she kept encouraging me and also invited my dad on how they can both help the innocent genius guy.

After some days, my dad bought me a radio, 📻 bigger than the Palito(a radio brand in 'the 90s) my mate uses then. I was elated but he told me to be using it to listen to news.

I was like NEWS! News ke!

He also brought out some books which looked very colourful. So whenever he is at home, he will sit on the bed 🛌 and tells me to stay afar from him by reading 📖 out loud for him.

It was very boring initially, but my dad always rewarded my younger brother and me after reading, by giving us biscuits, money, and sometimes Blonblo elejo(a long balloon like a snake) which made it more exciting.

The second thing my dad does was that whenever he observed I'm having challenge with a word, he will get 2A exercise book, then use the word I'm struggling to spell to form a sentence by writing it in the 2A exercise book and then instructed me to write it from the beginning of the book to the middle and sometimes to the end if he wanted to punish
me.

Lastly, he will always tell me to interpret what the newscasters are saying in Yoruba language for him.
My dad wasn't a professional teacher. He was a great teacher, son of Baba teacher, a grammarian, and a CR crime recorder at Nigeria 🇳🇬 Police Force.

He was only 39 years old when died.😭

May Almighty Allah grant him Al Jannah Firdaus.

I miss you, dad.

Omotapa leepe
Omo otoro be toro abe
Omo onisu mo loungunyan...

Kindly help me say a prayer for my dad and my teacher.
He is my hero.

Do let me know your greatest fear in English and what you've learnt in the story by dropping it in the comment section.

Thanks for reading.

©Abdulghaneey