MY TP DIARY: FIRST THINGS FIRST – NAMES, NAMES, NAMES…

I set about my tasks the fully the following day after I resumed my assignment. First things first, I go for the attendance register. It would not happen that I have stayed and gone for the day without learning my students’ names.

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Names are important. We place great deals of values on names and this is not only peculiar to Africa. Throughout the history of mankind, names have been of great importance in family and social space.


The names we bear are not mere tags or labels, but something far weightier than these. Whether it is nickname or real name, the major essence is that they all bear significance between the bearer, his family, friends, and other individuals/groups in the society, and above all, his destiny.

Names define destiny.

Thus goes a popular quote.


Our names impact in one way or the other on our lives, our hearts, and they can tell a whole lot about us as individuals.

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Anyways, I open the attendance register. The class is small so the list of students is pretty short with the girls names on the top section in red ink, and below them, the boys' in blue ink...
(An idea just strikes as I type this: it’s been an age long observation that girls’ names are always in red ink in class registers while the boys’ names are in blue ink. I have never given it a thought that this could bear some significance till this moment. I grew up in a family of educators – both mum and dad are retired teachers, so of course I have been unconsciously observing this trend since as a kid. No doubts, mum and dad know something. And I have outlined my queries to them at once as regards this. Smiles)

Well, here are the pretty princesses (girls) in my class:

Peace
Esther
Ruth
Deborah
Divine(girl)
Destiny

And the princes (boys):

Promise
Anyanya
Victor
Sifon
Don
Emmanuel
Idorenyin
Chidebube
Divine(boy)
Godswill

Six girls and ten boys; sixteen students in all for JSS1.

Angela is to join the class much later… and her story is quite touching…

These kids have beautiful and great names, well fitting for each of them too. Esther for instance is as beautiful as the queen Esther of the Bible; Anyanya is a beautifully handsome and collected fellow that you would figure a crown easily fit on his head. Lol! His name means “Crown” (Ibibio language). Idorenyin is heady, yet I have hopes one day he would turn a new leaf (His name means “Hope”). Ruth is strong-willed (remember Ruth and Noami of the Bible?)...

The rest of them, their names are also fitting in some sense.

I pray they all grow up to discover their destinies… even if those destinies lie in their names…

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THIS SERIES IS DEDICATED TO MY BIG SISTER, UNYIME(MY PGDE SPONSOR).