There was a home lesson I still talk about till today.
It started like a normal arrangement.
A parent was referred to me because of my teaching style. She already had expectations. Her daughter attended a very big private school in Abuja, but the truth was, the child was completely lost in Physics.
She was about 12 years old, and honestly, the level she was being exposed to was too high for her stage. She was brilliant and smart. She had missed her first term due to relocation, and from there everything became confusing for her.
The mother wanted her to study Medicine, so Physics was very important.
I actually suggested online classes first at N5,000 per hour.
But she insisted on physical home lessons and offered N10,000 per hour instead.
At that time, I will not lie, I needed money badly. I was broke. So that offer stayed in my head.
I also spoke to my mentor, and he warned me strongly not to take home lessons. He even said even if they offer me very high amounts, I should avoid it. He advised me to focus on my online classes, limit sessions to 3 times maximum for each week (meaning that I should not do 4 or 5 times in a week so that the student don’t get tired of seeing my face), and always insist on proper payment structure ahead of classes.
But I still went ahead.
The first few classes were fine.
It was three times a week at first, and I was already calculating steady income in my head. Then the child improved and they increased it to daily lessons except Sunday. To say the truth, I was happy because N60,000 a week is not a child’s play.
At that point, it looked like I had found something stable.
Sometimes I was paid immediately after class.
Other times, I would heWaziri Innocenty, I will transfer it.”
And that “don’t worry” slowly became a pattern.
Payments started delaying.
Sometimes I would go and they were not around.
Other times I would wait outside, and leave without being paid.
Meanwhile, I had personal financial pressure at the time, so it was not easy at all.
Then came the stress of movement.
Going was fine, coming back was the main problem. Some days I would stand under the sun for hours trying to get a vehicle, especially on Fridays. There were also safety concerns on that route, and I became more and more uncomfortable with the whole routine.
One day, after standing for hours waiting to leave, something just clicked in my mind.
I looked at everything.
Stress, risk, delay, uncertainty, all for one lesson.
And I told myself, this one hour is costing me more than one hour. If I was at home now, shebi I would just relax and take my classes in peace in the comfort of my home.
That was the day I stopped home lessons.
When school resumed, she called again and asked to continue.
I politely declined.
Three months later, she called again.
This time she said she had tried other teachers, but her daughter still preferred my teaching. She asked if I could do online classes instead.
So we started online Physics lessons.
This time, payment was always upfront.
It was better structured, safer, and more focused.
But even then, I had to eventually stop again, because the child’s school timing made her come online very tired at night. I could see she was already exhausted, sometimes dozing off during lessons. I had to tell the mother honestly that it was not the best arrangement for her child’s mental state.
What stayed with me though is the child’s passion. She really wanted to learn.
And I am glad those few lessons helped her build a strong foundation in Physics.
I still think about the whole experience sometimes and smile, because experience teaches you things advice cannot fully convince you about.
One thing I learned is this:
Teaching is important, but structure protects you. Your time, safety, and energy matter too.
Now I don’t joke with clear systems anymore. Online or physical, everything must be properly arranged from the beginning.
Have you ever entered something that looked like a good opportunity at first, but later taught you a serious lesson?
Let’s talk in the comments.
Images are mine.