The news about Amanda wasn’t a huge surprise, she had sometimes observed the girl in class through the secret cameras in her office and she had seen her, often alone on the playground. Amanda was the granddaughter of the Minister for health and her father was the MD of renowned Saint Havers Hospital so she had to thread with caution.
She had asked her psychologists to check Amanda out and they both decided that while Amanda had no learning disabilities, she seemed to have problems keeping up in such a boisterous environment and felt a little left out. They offered that Amanda receive home lessons for a while so they could see if her performance would improve.
Which was why Mrs Ingalam was sitting in her office waiting for Dr. Fiyin Arowolo to keep their 2 ‘o’ clock appointment. When she heard the phone ring, she picked it up and listened as her secretary made her know that Dr Arowolo was around.
“Let him in” she said and barely 40 seconds later, he was in her office, his handsome face creased in worries. “Dr. Arowolo, it’s a pleasure to see you again..” she said as she shook his hands. “Thank you for coming, please have your seat” She gestured towards the chairs in front of her table.
Fiyin: “Is there a problem ma’am?” He asked as he sat down.
Mrs Ingalam: “No sir, none at all!” She was quick to assure him, “would you like to have anything?”
Fiyin: “No, I’m fine, thank you ma, if there isn’t a problem, why have you invited me?”
Mrs Ingalam: “Oh, it was nothing, I wanted to talk to you about your daughter, Amanda.”
Fiyin: “I figured as much, what is the problem?”
Mrs Ingalam: “Sir there isn’t really a problem, it’s just Amanda hasn’t been keeping up in her class. She cleared her throat, what I mean to say is she isn’t doing so well.”
Fiyin sighed, “What do I do? She had the same problem at her former school and my mother recommended I bring her here that you would be able to handle it. Isn’t she doing better?”
Mrs Ingalam: “Sir, its not beyond us to handle Amanda’s case but as you may be aware as a parent, what works for one child might not work for the other. At Reign Academy, we are committed to taking care of each child in accordance to their special needs and with procedures that will work for them individually.”
Fiyin felt a weight on his chest, it seemed he had tried all he could to help Amanda do better at school but this was the 3rd school and it didn’t seem to have worked. Maybe he would take her out of school for a while and whenever she was ready, she could start again.
Mrs Ingalam: “We have had Amanda assessed by our excellent team of child psychologists and we agreed that the problem is not so much Amanda’s inability to learn but the environment.”
Fiyin: “Maybe, youre right, she plays at home when she’s alone or with family but freezes up around strangers.”
Mrs Ingalam: “Exactly!” Mrs Ingalam said with excitement. “And we decided that the solution will be for Amanda to be home schooled for a while……”
Fiyin: “Home schooled?! How?!”
Mrs Ingalam: “Yes. The teacher will come home and take her for her lessons. Depending on how she performs, we can bring her back in a next session.”
Fiyin: “But the teacher will still be a stranger to her?” He asked, unsure.
Mrs Ingalam: “No, we would pick a teacher she already gets along with. Her present class teacher, Miss Femi Olaosebikan.”
Fiyin sighed, “And you think it will work?”
Mrs Ingalam: “We will give it a good trial, Miss Olaosebikan is a committed teacher, very kind and gifted, which is what Amanda needs. She was the one who first told me Amanda will benefit from one on one classes and I trust her explicitly.”
Fiyin: “Alright, let’s do it. I hope it works out.” Fiyin sounded hopeful, he was willing to try out anything that would help Amanda out.
Mrs Ingalam: “Very well sir,” she said as she stood up. “I will decide on a schedule with Miss Olaosebikan and get back to you.”
He also stood up and they shook hands “Thank you ma’am, you’ve been a big help. I’ll talk to you as soon as possible.” He said as he left her office.
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