Alex will regret ever coming to teach here

When Alex was posted to our school last term, I welcomed him with both hands — until I came to learn that his interests in Mwisho wa Lami went beyond just education.

He had a personal interest in my family. Once this small but critical matter came to my attention, I tried to block him from landing in our station, even wrote to the TSC county office telling them that we were well staffed, but I was overruled by Bensouda.

TRANSFER

Having failed to block Alex’s landing, my next plan was simple, to make his life here so difficult that he would start looking for a transfer immediately he lands.

So over Easter, I sent him an SMS instructing him to go attend the new Competence Based Curriculum Training for four days.

Alex was quick to respond. “Thank you, Sir, for nominating me to attend the very important CBC training. Unfortunately, 1) I am busy next week and 2) I do no teach lower primary school.” The first batch of teachers to be trained were lower primary schoolteachers.

I shot back. “Please note that we are TSC employees even during school holidays and we are expected to attend to school matters when called upon. Secondly, you are replacing Erick, who used to teach lower primary.”

RESPONSE

I waited for his response, and it came later that afternoon.

“Dear Sir, I have talked to Erick who tells me that he never taught lower primary, exclusively. Secondly, here is my request for permission to be away. Your positive consideration of this humble request will be highly appreciated.”

Even before I responded, I had noted that Alex had language, especially on SMS. No wonder Fiolina was “entering the box”

But I was the deputy HM and I was not going to be intimidated by a mere teacher. I responded: “1) Absence request declined. 2) Erick was to take over lower primary only starting May. And you are the new Erick. Case closed”

IGNORED CALLS

He called me twice but I ignored his calls. An SMS came shortly afterwards: “Dear Sir, kindly pick your calls. It is regarding important school matters.” I responded, telling him to call back later or SMS, as I was in a meeting. I was not.

“Dear Sir, this is to inform you that regrettably, I will proceed to seek permission from the HM, and to request for her intervention in your malicious decision to allocate me lower class. Thank you for your understanding.”

I did not respond to him, and Bensouda called me the next day.

“Happy Easter, Dre. What is this I am hearing from Alex?” she asked me. “You are unable to manage your teachers and you have hopes of becoming a HM? Surely Dre?”

NO ISSUE

“No, Madam,” I responded. “There is no issue, the new teacher seems difficult but you are lucky to have me as your deputy. I will deal with him.”

“Thank you Dre, let me know any support you need from me,” she responded. I told her to tell Alex that matters of absence and lesson allocation are handed by the deputy.

That evening, Alex sent me an SMS: “Dear Sir, I think you misunderstood my otherwise noble intentions, and any discomfort caused is highly regretted. I believe a meeting will help clear the air. Looking forward to a positive response from you. Your loyal teacher, Alex.”

“I have travelled to Nairobi on official school matters; let us meet when schools open. Enjoy your CBC training!” I had also dispatched Lena for the training, and asked her to check for me whether Alex would attend. From what Lena informed me, Alex attended for one day only.

INSTRUCTIONS

I was furious with him when he came to see me last Monday. “I like teachers who follow instructions,” I told him once he was seated. “We sent you for a three-day training but you only attended one day, why?”

“No Dre, I was there all the four days,” I told him I have my informers, and, not just small people. He admitted and asked for forgiveness. “You are forgiven on condition that you attend the three sessions that you missed — starting tomorrow.”

“By the way, Dre,” he said. “This training is useless, nothing they said there was new,”

“So should I tell Magoha that you are calling the new CBC useless?” I asked him.

He accepted to attend, and I asked him to see me on Friday after the training. “You will be the Master on Duty in week three.

“No Dre, I can’t, I am still new here” he said.

NEW IDEAS

“We need to learn new ideas and we can only learn if you serve as master on duty before you pick bad habits from us."

He came to see me on Friday to brief me on the training. “So you can’t change me and give me week seven or eight?” he asked, once we were done with CBC discussions. I stood my ground, and quickly briefed him on my expectations.

“Remember to check the school timetable. I have now added you,” I said as he left. He was livid when he saw the timetable. I had assigned him and Lena all the lower classes, meaning that he would be in class throughout the day. He came back to complain.

“How do you expect me to be in class the whole day? How do I prepare for the next lesson?” he asked.

CBC TRAINING

“Only you and Lena went for CBC training,” I told him “I will not allow teachers who aren’t familiar with the new syllabus to be near my young minds. That evening, he shot an SMS to me: “Dear Sir, it is now quite clear that you are out to professionally frustrate me.

You are leaving me with no option but to escalate the matter to higher powers. Do not say you were not warned. Your humble servant, Alex.”

I may or may not be able to get Alex out of this school, but the time he will be here, be it long or short, will be very difficult and so busy that he will have no time to even think about Fiolina!