The Lecturer Who Said I Would Never Have a Distinction
Part 1
I will never forget the day one of my HND Physics Lab Technicians looked me straight in the eye and said:
“You will never have a distinction in this department. Physics is not for distinction candidates. I will follow you to the end.”
Yes! to my face.
I was stunned. I didn’t steal, cheat, or disrespect him. My only “crime” was organizing tutorials for my coursemates and students, tutorials that I used to make students pass exams effortlessly, to survive, pay my rent, and afford my school fees because nobody was supporting me. It looked like I was trying to prove too much or trying to be what I shouldn’t be and that became a threat to this man.
As if his words were not enough, this same Lab Technologist went ahead and gave me 0/40 in a practical exam we hadn’t even written yet.
You read that right. Zero. Over. Forty.
Then he boldly pinned it to the notice board in his office to humiliate me in front of everyone who walked in there.
People begged on my behalf. My classmates but he refused to listen to anyone.
This man was determined to pull me down.
I even went to him privately. I explained:
"Sir, I finished my ND in 2012. I couldn’t proceed to HND in 2013 with my mates because I had no support. It took me till 2016 to come back. I teach students just to survive and help others." He nodded like he heard me… But did what was already in his heart.
From then on, he did everything possible to make sure I never succeeded. In every exam, I was separated from the crowd and made to sit alone. It felt like punishment. Like humiliation.
Students feared him. Lecturers wouldn’t speak against him. Nobody challenged his wickedness.
I wasn’t even sure he had a Master’s degree, he was mostly a lab technologist with HND or maybe a PGD. But somehow, he had the power to frustrate students.
Even when he stopped teaching me in HND1, he still reached out to his colleagues and influenced my results negatively.
I remember after every practical session, I would write the report so well. I plotted my graphs perfectly. I used my brain. I helped many of my classmates do theirs and they would all score an A. Me? I would see C.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to give up. I wanted to cry.
Some courses that everyone feared, I would score A or AB. But that Lab Technologist course? C. Always C. It was all calculated.
But guess what?
I may not have gotten that Distinction in my HND… But I didn’t let him win.
I graduated with an Upper Credit, and I promised myself that:
"While going for my PGD and Master's, I must come back and break every limitation. I must face the most difficult aspect of physics-Theoretical and Mathematical Physics and I must graduate with distinction."
That’s exactly what I did.
But I will leave that for Part 2.
Many students out there are victims of lecturers like this. Some of you reading this today are still struggling because of a teacher who told you “you can’t.” Some of you hate math or physics or chemistry because someone made you feel useless.
Now I want to hear your story:
Which teacher or lecturer made you almost give up? 💔 Which subject did they ruin for you?
Drop it in the comment section. Let your story be heard.
Anticipate PART 2 The comeback. The distinction. The victory.
Instructor Alison's Tutorials
The Lecturer Who Said I Would Never Have a Distinction
Part 1
I will never forget the day one of my HND Physics Lab Technicians looked me straight in the eye and said:
“You will never have a distinction in this department. Physics is not for distinction candidates. I will follow you to the end.”
Yes! to my face.
I was stunned. I didn’t steal, cheat, or disrespect him. My only “crime” was organizing tutorials for my coursemates and students, tutorials that I used to make students pass exams effortlessly, to survive, pay my rent, and afford my school fees because nobody was supporting me. It looked like I was trying to prove too much or trying to be what I shouldn’t be and that became a threat to this man.
As if his words were not enough, this same Lab Technologist went ahead and gave me 0/40 in a practical exam we hadn’t even written yet.
You read that right.
Zero.
Over.
Forty.
Then he boldly pinned it to the notice board in his office to humiliate me in front of everyone who walked in there.
People begged on my behalf. My classmates but he refused to listen to anyone.
This man was determined to pull me down.
I even went to him privately. I explained:
"Sir, I finished my ND in 2012. I couldn’t proceed to HND in 2013 with my mates because I had no support. It took me till 2016 to come back. I teach students just to survive and help others."
He nodded like he heard me…
But did what was already in his heart.
From then on, he did everything possible to make sure I never succeeded. In every exam, I was separated from the crowd and made to sit alone. It felt like punishment.
Like humiliation.
Students feared him.
Lecturers wouldn’t speak against him.
Nobody challenged his wickedness.
I wasn’t even sure he had a Master’s degree, he was mostly a lab technologist with HND or maybe a PGD. But somehow, he had the power to frustrate students.
Even when he stopped teaching me in HND1, he still reached out to his colleagues and influenced my results negatively.
I remember after every practical session, I would write the report so well. I plotted my graphs perfectly. I used my brain. I helped many of my classmates do theirs and they would all score an A.
Me? I would see C.
I wanted to scream.
I wanted to give up.
I wanted to cry.
Some courses that everyone feared, I would score A or AB.
But that Lab Technologist course?
C. Always C.
It was all calculated.
But guess what?
I may not have gotten that Distinction in my HND…
But I didn’t let him win.
I graduated with an Upper Credit, and I promised myself that:
"While going for my PGD and Master's, I must come back and break every limitation. I must face the most difficult aspect of physics-Theoretical and Mathematical Physics and I must graduate with distinction."
That’s exactly what I did.
But I will leave that for Part 2.
Many students out there are victims of lecturers like this.
Some of you reading this today are still struggling because of a teacher who told you “you can’t.”
Some of you hate math or physics or chemistry because someone made you feel useless.
Now I want to hear your story:
Which teacher or lecturer made you almost give up?
💔 Which subject did they ruin for you?
Drop it in the comment section. Let your story be heard.
Anticipate PART 2
The comeback.
The distinction.
The victory.
#StudentsDeserveBetter
#SayNoToAcademicBullying
#InspirationForStudents
#PhysicsWithPurpose
#FromCtoDistinction
#LetTheStudentsBreathe
#Part2ComingSoon
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 14