28/09/2025
WHEN IMAGINATION TAKES THE FRONT SEAT
I once had a pupil who would drift into his own world in the middle of Mathematics. While others were busy calculating, he was busy staging a superhero rescue on his notebook margin. I could see the excitement on his facehands moving, lips muttering but in reality, no one was being saved, and no subtraction was being solved. It worried me, but I decided to approach the matter carefully with his parents. So one day, in an open day in school I spoke to his mother about it, With a smile, I began, “Ma, your son has one of the most creative imaginations I’ve ever seen. He can turn numbers into characters and problems into storylines. But sometimes, he gets so lost in that world that the lessons slip away from him.” The mother chuckled and shook her head. “Mrs D she said, at home, he makes us watch his pretend TV shows. He plays every character himself,announcer, hero, villain, even the commercial break!” We both laughed, but I explained gently that while creativity is a gift, balance was necessary for him to succeed academically. We agreed on small steps his mother got him sketch pads for his ideas at home, and in class, I started giving him chances to tell mini-stories related to lessons. Slowly, he learned how to channel his imagination without missing out on learning. That experience reminded me that teacher-parent communication is not about blame. It’s about partnership. If I had accused the boy of laziness, his father would have gone defensive. But when I acknowledged the gift in his challenge, we found a solution together. Sometimes, all it takes is empathy and intentional dialogue to help a child thrive both in their inner world and in the classroom.
Jen Tina Ventures
Now to you dear teachers and parents have you ever had a child who “lives” in their imagination more than in class? How did you handle it? Share your experience, let’s learn together.
