Because of silence

Adede Owalla is an educationist whose pieces I find very helpful and inspirational. He's an all round author and a thespian who has mastery of literature.

This is a story by him about a school girl who lived miserably because of being misunderstood. 

In a school whose name won't be of much significance...

One Friday evening a dormitory captain  brought up a case of a form two girl that the students  believed to be a member of some satanic cult and reported it to the boarding mistress. The captain claimed that the woman had unusual conversations with unseen spirits in the middle of the night and occasionally ran across other students as they wandered the dormitory area while everyone was asleep. 

The previous night, at around 2:00 AM, two students who had gone outside for a call of nature observed someone at the literacy garden, which was next to the hostel. They raised the alarm among the other students, and the security guards came to the rescue. The literacy garden was a small park-like area where the school planted flowers and trees that provide shade, such as the Royal poicana and Madagascar almond trees, as well as reading-specific chairs and tables. 

As soon as they arrived, the security team found the lady sitting in the garden's darkest part, puzzled. She had a nightgown, a basin, and a tiny water bottle. The fact that she was unable to explain why she was there at that time of night aided the ladies' argument that she was a devil-worshipper to prove their point. According to the students, she was seen doing various rituals.

This girl came from a wealthy household and was one of the top students in her class, yet she hardly ever spoke to her classmates or even the teachers. She also didn't have many friends, thus among the evidence that the other students had about her was that she was usually brilliant on tests but never read or engaged in class activities like the other students.

She was called to the staffroom because the boarding mistress, was under pressure from the dormitory members who said the girl was frightening them. In the presence of the other instructors, she would handle these situations in the staff room. When the girl arrived, the boarding mistress inquired as to whether she was a member of the cult that the other pupils had alleged. She neither acknowledged or disputed this; instead, her tears continued to flow.

She was trembling while crying, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't find the perfect words to do so. It got to the point where the boarding mistress intended to send this matter to the deputy principle, but she refrained because her class teacher decided to call the student to her desk first. She comforted her, put her hands on her shoulder, and then asked if they could walk outside and talk alone.

The young lady concurred. They discussed it, and the teacher later called her father, who confessed that his daughter was suffering from a condition known as "somnambulism." This is a state where a person who is sleeping displays behaviors consistent with being awake, appears to be awake but is actually still asleep. Both sleep walking and sleep talking fall under this category. Because it is so uncommon, even adults often have trouble comprehending those who are affected. 

Sleepwalking or talking episodes are typically accompanied by everyday acts ranging from the simple - sitting up in bed or walking to the bathroom - to the severe, such as getting into a car and driving. Sleep-related eating and other complex actions may be accomplished, much to the individual's surprise the next morning. 

The parents informed the senior teacher of this at her entrance, but the teacher was transferred without informing any other teachers. The girl found it difficult to express her condition because even she couldn't understand what was going on with her; it was more physiological in nature. 

Because of the stigma, the girl was forced to transfer to a different school the next term.

Students are stigmatized in schools for a variety of reasons and contexts. At some time, the students would either stop participating in classroom activities or run away from school. As a teacher, it is sometimes necessary to try to understand students from the perspective of their parents. 

As a teacher your teaching responsibilities do not prevent you from being that student's mother or father. Talk to them like a parent; inquire about their troubles like a parent; assist them in resolving the issues as a parent; and conceal their humiliation as you would your own child. Be patient with them and try to understand them before disciplining them for an offence. 

Some of these students cannot simply communicate what they are going through in their lives; but, if you take your time and get them closer to you, they will be open with you and tell you everything.