The Hard Lesson I Learned When I Taught for Free
When I was 19, I taught Biology in a secondary school for ₦15,000 a month. I agreed to give extra JAMB lessons to my students for free, hoping my goodwill would help them. But attendance dwindled and the value of my time seemed invisible. One day a student bluntly told me she couldn’t respect my lessons because I looked shabby and unprofessional. That remark stung more than any classroom failure. I realised that if people receive something for free, they seldom appreciate it. Since then, I’ve insisted on a fee before teaching, whether it’s an in-person session or an online tutorial. Charging isn’t wicked—it’s a recognition of the years spent mastering a subject and the effort I pour into every lesson. Value your knowledge, or no one else will.
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