In my community, we had a teacher called Mr Maphosa, a retired soldier who went to teaching because he claimed he had a calling for it.
All the subjects he was teaching he always got 100%. But that 100% involved parents, if you fail, then your family must explain why you failed. One time, one of my classmates failed every subject, Mr Maphosa went to ask his family, “Ifuze bani le ngane?”. The father of the family thought intwana was excelling, “Obvious ifuze mina le ngane nge...”. While he was still talking Mr Maphosa waphonsa impama. “Since yamoshwa wuwe izolungiswa wuwe”.
Mr Maphosa would randomly call the father, “Why ngathi you are watching uZalo, inzalo yakho iyenzile iHomework?”. The father didn't rest because kubethwa yena and his son. The whole community was now afraid of Mr Maphosa.
I remember the time when the whole class failed an exam. UPhosa went house to house, taking their TVs and leaving them with Maths question papers. If the family wanted their television back, ingane kwakumele ithole 100%.
Months ended without them getting their TVs back, and the community called a meeting for Mr Maphosa, abanye planning ukuthi they will beat him up. Mr Maphosa arrived in that meeting and gave everyone a class work, abezali beloko bethi, Eish!.. hayi ngeke kodwa!” but yet writing.
When the year ended, the whole community knew mathematics and physics. When Mr Maphosa showed up, you would hear a person singing, “2 times 2 is equal to 4”.
At church, even the pastor used to preach using Maths, “uJesu uyakwazi ukukunikeza u9, kodwa owakho kube ngu 3x3, waka makhelwane kube ngu 5 4. Omunye kube ngu 10-1. But all of you have 9. So bazalwane stop comparing yourselves with other people.”
I remember when one mother died without helping her child with an assignment, and Mr Maphosa requested that they bury her with a Mathematics question paper kwathiwa she will finish it off eZulwini.
Now, as I type this, most of those kids are now doctors, teachers, pilots, and journalists...etc all because of Mr Maphosa. 🔥