Faris slumped against his chair as he stared at the word problem Miss Ahmed had just explained on the board. To him, it felt like insects crawling on the board and nothing else.

It wasn’t like he was a bad student. In fact, Faris was a hardworking student, if not a smart-working one. It was just this subject, maths, where no matter how hard he worked, nothing seemed to make sense.

Miss Ahmed noticed Faris’s struggle. She was a kind teacher, one who was genuinely passionate about teaching. She knew the only subject stopping Faris from getting a good position was mathematics.

So, after the class ended and everyone rushed to pack their bags as if they had businesses to run (instead of lying in bed and doomscrolling), Miss Ahmed asked Faris to stay back.

“Faris, I’ve noticed you’ve been struggling with word problems for quite some time,” she said as she piled up her papers.

“Yes, Miss,” Faris replied, unsure. It wasn’t like he could lie when his grade had been a constant C.

“I actually have a suggestion to help you. I have a younger student from junior grade, who’s also struggling with maths. I want you to teach him,” Miss Ahmed said while checking their notebooks.

Faris was bewildered. ‘Did I hear that right?’ he thought. Then he asked hesitantly, “Uh, Miss… but you just said I’m struggling myself. Then how is it possible to…?”

“Yes, I know. But can you think about trying it? I won’t pressure you, of course. But I’m sure it will help,” Miss Ahmed interrupted him.

And after getting mandatory confirmation from his mother, Faris decided to take up the task.

The next day during recess, he met Zayn, his student. Faris felt a mix of nerves and a great deal of responsibility as he began to explain the concepts to Zayn.

Thoughts like, ‘What if he asks something I can’t explain?’ ‘What if he ends up doing worse than before?’ crossed his mind.

At first, it was tough. Faris couldn’t articulate his thoughts clearly, and Zayn looked more confused than ever. But as the sessions went on, Faris started to understand the material better himself. Teaching Zayn made the concepts more permanent in his own mind. He began to see patterns and could make connections he had never noticed before. At home, he would do some exercises in preparation for what he would teach Zayn the next day. Slowly, things started becoming much clearer.

As days and weeks went by, Faris realised that by teaching Zayn, he was learning too. Sometimes, Zayn’s curious questions made him stop and think. Slowly but surely, the grades of both Faris and Zayn improved.

One day, Zayn came running to Faris during the break.

“Look! I got an A in maths! Thank you so much!” he said, shaking Faris’s hand. Faris’s heart filled with happiness and relief.

A few days later, Miss Ahmed smiled as she handed Faris his test paper. “Good job, Faris. I knew you had it in you. Teaching others is the best form of learning.”

Faris felt his ears turn red at the praise. He couldn’t agree more.

Published in Dawn, Young World, June 28th, 2025