“Ahh… my President!” Like I said, today we won’t learn anything Life Orientation, but to my benefit, I’ll be learning Microsoft Excel without going to an ICT class. “Etla ngwanakogae. Come sit down.” The moment I sit on her chair, she places her IPhone 13 in front of me and also her Apple laptop for me to work on ( I most of the time feel like she is bragging whenever she allows me to touchher stuff).

She then puts her one hand on my shoulder and holds.my chin up with the other and says ” You how much I love you my love, and most of the time I missed you so much on this past long weekend.” I nod without any facial expression. “Smile phela, to show me you love me too” she says with those puppy eyes making me not smile but burst into luaghter along with the class. And I manage to say ” I love you too Mam” with a big smile. The class manages to calm down on laughing uncontrollably. She continues ” So Peterson my darling, go call Themba and Nhlanhla for our work in the lab next door.”

Themba whom I call TP (Themba Prince Sithole) and Nhlanhla whom I call Uncle Lux (Nhlanhla {Lux} Madonsela) are the school in-carders. Meaning before contacting Mam pertaining the tablets, me and Tumi, as the E-Learner reps, first need to go through them. I rush to the lab and call “Uncle Lux and TP, mam is asking for you both.” “Your mother is figuretively a headache. You know I should be at home sitting with my boy and my girlfriend” TP mentioned agitated and already thinking about his newborn son he once showed me. “And stalk sexy women wearing bikinis on Facebook right?” I add that but Uncle Lux is fast to say “I never ever had a fast forward niece like you before, hhayikhona” while laughing. I have bonded with them in the little time I had ever since they came to my school. “And please Penny, tell you classmates to stop asking you for my facebook username cause they want to stalk me, okay? Tell them I have a baby boy my dear” arghh these two are trouble makers but I love Uncle Lux as he is so smart, fast thinker and works more than TP.

We enter the class. “Ah good girl my love, waitsi I love you even more” Mam Rabs exclaimes. “So now listen my colleagues, we need to complete the quarterly ordination and check the tabs okay. But now I need the whole list for all the grade 10s, Penny can you type that for me on Excel?” “Yes mam” as I give a salute. The Sirs help in making the list and updating the information on their laptops. Everyone gets back to their positions while Mam Rabs assist the class to access GDE content.

And finally the bell rang. “Mam! Are the ICT classes taking place tomorrow?” Tumi finally asked. “No unfortunately my love. Bothata ke loadshedding! Eish rona as South Africa. I wish to take you guys to America.” “Okay mam. Dankie mam” we both say laughing at her facial expressions.

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Tell us: What do you think of Penelope’s Life Orientation teacher, Ms Rabothata?