On my way to Bermuda I found out that my primary school teacher passed away. He taught us from grade 5 to grade 7. I feel sad that I now write about him when he is not going to be able to read what I have to say. Hopefully his family will read this and give them some sort of comfort.
When we were in lower grades, everyone was afraid of Mr Mtibvu. Everyone knew he was a no-nonsense kind of teacher and all the parents wanted their children to be in his class. He was strict but he was also a lot of fun. He knew how to teach us, he often broke into song if there was a related song to what we were learning. This often lead to a song session. He did not do anything by the book but for me it worked. He often taught in Shona so no one would be left behind. I have no idea how he explained Math or English in Shona but he did.
He had such a passion for his students that we often started classes early like 6 am and finished late like 6 pm with breaks of course. Looks like it was intense but we loved every minute of it at least I did. I remember one cold morning I forgot to remove my skirt from underneath my uniform and was extra warm that day. It was my friend, Florence who noticed it when we were at school. He did not do for the money, he just wanted us to do well. The grades you get in the grade 7 results will determine the high school that you will get into, which kind of sets the tone for your whole life.
Our class was the noisiest class in the whole school and often we let him down. One day he got so angry, he did not know what to do with us. He did not even hit us(it’s allowed in Zimbabwe) which made us feel really bad and for the rest of that day we were quiet. That did not last long!
The last three years of my primary school were hard for me and my family. I started getting sick and was out of school more often than I was in. Mr Mtibvu made sure I was always up to date with my classes. I can not tell you how important it was for me that I had a teacher who cared for me beyond what he was paid to do. Quite often I would interrupt the classes and there were no cellphones during that time so my friends would go home and get my parents or any adult who was at home. Not once did he complain, he actually pushed me and believed in me. I have had people discount me at other stages in my life so I am grateful for what he did for me. I must say that he was partial to me and my other classmates did not like it though they never said anything or acted upon their feelings. When I got my results, I had 4 units(equivalent of straight A’s), he was happy like I was his own child. He even came to our house.
He was the most unconventional teacher I ever had but the best teacher I ever had and I am sure a lot of his students will agree. I would have loved to see him one more time but it will not happen in this lifetime. I will forever cherish what he taught me about hard work and being passionate about what you do. Being unconventional is good and make it enjoyable!