When A MOTHER'S CHOICE Is All A Child Has

Reviewing Mother's Choice with the senior class was a remarkable experience,Ufuoma says

First, to loosen up, we talked about our week and learned about routines and keeping journals.

Then we moved to the book. While some kids didn't like the fact that the book was cruel to Junior with a bad ending, the others believed he deserved it. It occurred to me that the book was our first tragedy and many of the kids felt it. 

Mother's Choice by Agbo Areo is about a young boy Adedire (Junior) whose mother Mrs Ogidi persuaded to desire schooling abroad so she could show off to her neighbors. 

Junior who could do no wrong in his mother's eyes, set off to school in England sponsored reluctantly by his father.

He was on the right path until he met fellow wealthy Nigerian students Kamarudeen and Ngozi, both much older than him. When he came home for holidays, he began to attend night parties with his new older friends adding to his vices. His mother who didn't find anything wrong with her twelve year old son driving, drinking and partying late into the night, covered up for him with his Dad. 

He went back to school, got hooked on hard drugs supplied to him by Kamarudeen. At the end, Kamarudeen was jailed for raping two girls, and Junior was admitted to a mental institution to the consternation of his mother.

We started discussing the book, some blamed Junior's mother for spoiling him, others blamed Junior for allowing himself to be corrupted, and others blamed Junior's father for his general indifference.

It was a refreshing session as the kids seemed to not just understand the book but also empathize with the hero. We all agreed that in the face of peer pressure, it is better to flee than the sit and believe in self control.

For Makcit, this first meeting in June and was a success!"The older kids learnt valuable lessons in 'Mother's Choice' while the young ones took turns reading from their age-appropriate Marvel comic and 'Magnet for Disaster' by @jonadin.

The second book seemed a bit advanced for some of the kids in the younger class so we switched things up and went with the relatable Marvel Avengers.

Guess what? Lesoda coincidentally wore an Avengers Tshirt. Radical right?

I've observed that the kids have improved tremendously in their reading. They are more eager to read, they try to observe pauses where necessary and make an attempt to pronounce words they don't recognise before asking for help.

The latter part of the class with Mrs Nkem was thrilling and fun for everyone.Mrs Nkem, from Panaramic comics, creators of Okiojo's Chronicles, a series of comic books based on historical Nigerian 'super heroes'.

She played a clip about Queen Amina which gave facts about the brave monarch from Zazzau, now Zaria, Kaduna state and Boy! Was she unprepared for how smartly the kids answered her questions.

Lol She didn't see it coming.

😁 Proves we are doing something right Hehehe

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The day came to an end with snacking on delicious puff puff with a refreshing drink to wash it down.

Now this right here, is the best way to spend a Saturday morning.