I have always felt that it was easier leaning on people academically than actually pulling my weight. For all the times that I have been in school, I have always depended on people whom I perceived to be the brightest student in my class academically. I depend on them for my assignments, I depend on them during exams and as I go deeper into my unhealthy practices, I see myself struggling academically, always grasping at straws.
During the acquisition of my first degree, my course mates who I had leaned on did not have any problem doing all the reading and giving me their summary jotter. They also did not have any problem chipping me some answers during exams. So I had felt that it would be the same ball game advancing for my second degree. Boy was I wrong because these new coursemates of mine refused to give me fish, rather, they taught me how to fish.
Lectures started for my second degree and I wasted no time in resuming my educational hack of latching to the brightest student and having them do all the heavy academic lifting for me. We would get done with lectures and I'm running to any of the brightest students to explain to me what the lecturer just taught. It got to a point and I felt like they all discussed me because they started treating me like I wasn't the brightest tool in the shed.
“If you struggle with understanding what has been taught, don't you think you need to fix yourself in one of the study groups?” Linda, a friend of Richards, said to me as he put me through the day's lessons. I was too busy trying to learn the formulas for the day that everything Linda said to me sounded like jargons. Seeing that I wasn't paying attention to her, she pinched Richard by his shoulder.
“Ahem….” Richard cleared his throat to get my attention but my face was still halfway buried in the exercise book I was using to study with Richard.
“Ese Linda is talking to you.” Richard spat out in a tone that felt like an attack. At that point, I raised my head fully to get a proper look at Linda who was standing slightly in front of me but closer to Richard who sat by my side.
Seeing she now got my attention, she curved her lips to the side smirking at me. As upset as I was, I kept my cool and listened to her, a decision that changed everything for me. Linda didn't just request me to join her study group, she also introduced me to Ned, a senior who was currently doing his PhD and was the best graduating student first and second degree in my department.
I started the study time with Linda and her crew and also became part of Ned’s extra classes. Surprisingly, as Ned tutors, I was grasping it faster than I did in class. I was always the first to finish the exercises given and I always know the answers to the questions asked. Even I was shocked at my actions and before I knew it, the table turned. Linda, whom I had seen as someone who I was beneath academically, started consulting me for assignments and research work. I also noticed that whenever I'm being asked questions during lectures, my course mates no longer make snide remarks to my hearing.
Not only that but I no longer panicked when being called upon by the lecturer to answer some questions.
I continued to keep afloat academically and soon it was exam period. I attended my extra lectures with Ned but for exams, I studied with Richard instead. I saw Richard as the perfect study partner since he is a guru in statistics and calculations, which were the courses we were taking first and amongst the majors that we have to battle with in our exams.
Without wasting time, Richard and I booked a date to meet up in one of the classrooms for some study time. When the day came, I had arrived a bit late and Richard was already solving some past questions from previous exams. I took my seat by his side and watched as he attempted the questions.
While watching Richard, I discovered that he was not as intelligent as I had perceived him to be. For starters, the procedure that he was using was a bit long and time consuming for exams. But, I didn't say zilch, I just watched and occasionally, he would halt, look at me and ask, "hope you are following?" I’d always nod in agreement and he'd continue, "please if you don't understand or I'm going too fast, don't hesitate to call my attention ok?" Again, I’d smile and nod in agreement.
As we went deeper into the calculation and exam questions, it got to a point and Richard noticeably started struggling to arrive at an answer. He kept cancelling and consulting with his lecture note to identify what he was doing wrong. And when he finally thought that he had solved the question and arrived at the answer, he discovered that his procedure for arriving at the answer was wrong which got him even more frustrated.
"Arrrggghhh! I can't deal with this question anymore, let's just skip it and hope that the lecturer doesn't bring it up in the exams." Richard was going to close out on the page and move on to another question but I halted him by placing my hand on his and asked him to let me try.
Dropping his pen on the table, he turned to a blank page on the notebook that we are using to study and gave me the go ahead. Now I was the one solving the question and Richard was the one doing the looking. In a split second, I dropped the pen and Richard looked at me with his eyes wide open, "wait! Ese are you done solving the question? He inquired.
"What does it look like?" I responded with a smirk, feeling really proud of myself as I slanted to rest my back properly on the bench rest.
Richard grabbed the notebook, took a critical look at my methods and shouted, "wow! How did you learn this method?"
"Magic", I responded laughing.
"Omg! This is one method that no lecturer will teach you because it will save you a lot of time during the exams and even give you the opportunity to attempt all questions. Wow! I'm so learning this method". Richard concluded in excitement. We were about to get onto other questions when Richard paused and said; "Wait, you really solved a question that I was struggling with, who would have thought that you are this intelligent?"
"Meaning?" I inquired in a tone laced with anger.
"Oh I don't mean to be insulting. It's just that you've always given this impression that you are dumb and need help with everything. I mean, you were always a pest in class and every time you were looking for someone who would explain simple terms to you.
Really, I never would have imagined that you are good at calculations." Richard concluded and I was wowed, not angered really but wowed!
I couldn't even be angry at Richard because he was right about me. Fortunately, I did get the opportunity to prove myself and it was enough consolation for me.
Haha sometimes you just need to be neglected to push yourself, cos we are all more than we think. I enjoyed reading your story.
Really we are more than we think. I'm glad you enjoyed the read, thank you for reading me 😌
I know I haven't been following up with your writes... Since you're good with words, I got wondering which course was that, that needed consultation to understand because I know it's only mathematical things that require them and I was marveled to read to the point of Statistics. Wow! Mathematical brain!
This is so much relatable. I did mathematical courses all through my schooling days and I had some of these experiences. Calculus humbled me and I had to enroll for extra class to be taught by a graduating student😅
I heard Calculus is no one's mate o 😂🤣... This particular one is Econometrics, I'll look Calculus to know which is more suicidal lol. Thank you for reading me dear.
Mathematics is actually simple once you know the basics on the particular topic. The calculus became easy-peasy for us after the tutorial.
Econometrics... Omo, there's one economic -engineering mathematics we did, nothing entered the head at all and that's because of how poor that lecturer handled it
🤣😂🤣😂 Anything Economics is already difficult, you now met a bad lecturer? 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Thank you 😊
When someone takes responsibility for his learning , he becomes more independent and develop problem solving skills that will help him in the future.
You sure got that right ma'am 😊. Thank you for reading me 🙂