Contest| "Tell your Story#25" A story of disappointment

Happy Sunday, beautiful ladies. I am @destined from Nigeria. Merry Christmas to all ladies here. It's another opportunity for us to tell our stories but first of all, let me appreciate @ruthjoe for giving us an avenue to express ourselves. I hope you learn from my story today. This is a story that has to do withy workplace, it's a long one but I'll try to cut it short. Few years ago, when I graduated and went seeking for job, I saw one close to my place and applied, I got the job and I was given subjects I liked which I taught. That was literature and CRS. But we were never always paid on time. Then apart from that, my boss was very good in calling his staff names like useless, fool, and so on. At a stage, he started threatening me do I had to leave without my pay for that month. I let it go. I left my state to the East to with and I stayed there for a while but due to the insecurity there, I had to come back. When I came back to my state, I looked for jobs bit couldn't find ones favourable to me, and I have always preferred the teaching field.Its either the pay is too small and can't cover transportation or I'm given a class like preparatory which I have no experience in. So on a particular day, on a Sunday precisely, I was going to the market when my boss saw me and drove or reversed back to meet me. He said that the literature teacher that was there in his school was a law student and ASUU had called off the strike, so he would like me to come takeover. Due to the fact that I was already short of cash looking for jobs, I accepted. I started the work but there were many changes, even negative ones. Holiday lesson was now running even in December, meaning after school closes for the term, holiday lesson starts immediately, from December all through to January, no rest but when I was there before, it was only in April and august. The second change was that whatever you earn, 5000 naira is deducted and kept as savings but the truth is you will never get it. Then I also found out that the name calling had worsened to the proprietor even telling staff 'you will be my slave forever ' abd then as usual, salary was always paid the following month sometimes middle of the following month, then deductions had worsened.

Teaching in class

But in all these things, I still decided to do my best, especially as I saw my former students. Despite deductions, name calling , abuse by the boss, I never gave up. So this first term ended on Friday, December 6. But the students had finished exams on December 4th, and my subject English was the last to be taken. Abd I had to deliver the results latest on Friday morning. Imagine the pressure of marking English scripts of the whole school in two days including essay writing, I put myself under pressure and marked it. The admin asked us to indicate if we had uploaded our results online, so that the proprietor could pay us, I did that, then out of nowhere, the proprietor called for a meeting and at an unfavourable time. I called the proprietress and informed her that I had a meeting that was fixed since Wednesday and I can't cancel it cos it was with an elderly person, she gave me the go ahead to go for the meeting and then I was told the proprietor said I don't deserve a salary of November because I wasn't at the meeting. I was very disappointed, so if I want to get November, I'm to work in December throughout doing holiday lessons. I felt very bad, yes, it's what he does, he looks for something to do so as to delay payment and will boast to staff that instead of his family starving, he will rather use the money to feed his family but it hurts very much to work and the person refuse to pay you, not because there is no money, but because he had planned it all along. I forgot to say that I teach 6 classes and I also work as an admin staff for my section.

One of those stressful moments

Always happy with my students despite conditions

With my students, I looked wornout

The notice that said of we upload our results or submit it online, we will be paid

My results which I submitted yet they didn't keep to their promise

I have learnt lots of lessons from this issue tho it's not occurring for the first time but I think what's making it so painful this time is because I really needed money when to appreciate my parents and take care of my needs.

• Don't ever go back to a place or someone who had used you and abuse you no matter how desperate you are. Infact, don't be desperate. I thought the years would have changed him but rather, he got worse.

• Never work with someone without a conscience even if he is a pastor.

• Don't deprive yourself of rest and other things, putting yourself under pressure for someone who doesn't deserve it.

• Never put your eggs in one basket, have other sources of making money.

• As a teacher in a private school, don't love the school or students more than you love yourself. Passion is good but make money with your passion.

I don't wish anyone to be in the kind of place I am right now, but I have learnt my lesson. I might or might not continue there, but I'll be wiser from now on. Thank you.