MY TEACHER STORY – AN OMNIBUS OF LESSONS LEARNED FROM MR PHILLIP TETTEH

He was popular in St. Monica’s School for his very dreaded “Omnibus” test. His “Mental” was never one to joke with. Today, we go on an Omnibus glide through the lessons Benjamin Adadevoh learned from Mr. Philip Tetteh on “My Teacher Story”.

St. Monica School was a relatively new school back in 2002. All the students in the school were linked one way or the other due to their parent’s relationship with the Proprietors at the time. I was quite popular as I earned the position of School Prefect from the Primary division through to Junior High School. Moving from primary to junior high school meant you would definitely pass through Mr. Tetteh’s class.  He was one of the fiercely respected and feared teachers in the school.

He was an overall strict disciplinarian but was quite different in the classroom. His classes were always filled with fun and excitement. He even had a funny way of pronouncing my surname that stuck with my colleagues. He taught my colleagues and me to always be welcoming and have an open and positive mind towards Mathematics. Although my favourite subject in school was English Language, with time he won me over as a fan and a Math enthusiast as I always looked forward to his classes.

Much like the coming of Christ, no one knew when Mr. Tetteh would conduct a “Mental” test in the class. He didn’t have to wait for his class to be in session, once he walked by and realized the class was somewhat idle, a “Mental” would surely follow. His mental tests were so random that my colleagues and I learned to be prepared at every moment. 

 He was also popular for his Omnibus test which he conducted for all students in Junior High School, from Form 1 to 3. What this meant was that, anyone from any of the three classes could take the top spot in  the test. However no senior wanted to lose their seniority, or appear beneath the red line, so they all studied hard!

I remember he would call me aside as the School Prefect and advise me. He always went beyond teaching and the classroom and engaged in personal interactions. He would be the listening ear we needed and advise us on issues concerning life. Sometimes, he wouldn’t have to say too much as an advice because his life in itself was exemplary. He was very humble and he had a good relationship with everyone; teachers and students alike. This taught my colleagues and me to do the same.

If his “Mental” and Omnibus tests were anything to go by, I would say one thing we all learnt from Mr. Tetteh is to be ready always. Life can throw anything at you at any given time, but the question is, ‘Are you ready?’ This lesson has seen me through life till now and it has made me who I am.

Even though I may not know where he is at this very moment, to Mr. Tetteh I would say: “You really impacted a lot of lives when we were in school. I know, not a lot of people liked you because of your “Mental” questions, but it made us all prompt and always on point and ready for action. You kept us on our toes for Math and also for life. It made us all do well in Math as well, so you’ve done a lot in shaping our lives. We owe you a big gratitude for giving us advice and mentoring us to be who we are. God bless you wherever you are.”

Benjamin Adadevoh completed St. Monica’s School in 2004.  Did you attend St. Monica’s School too? Were you a student of Mr. Phillip Tetteh? Share your experience about how he impacted your life in the comments section. 

Also, don’t hesitate to let us know what you think of Mr. Phillip Tetteh. Do you have a teacher who motivated and impacted your life in a way that made you who you are today? Share with us on “My Teacher Story”. Reach out to us on Whatsapp https://wa.link/dzccey 

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