There was a special kind of creativity that thrived in secondary school corridors, and it had nothing to do with lesson notes or exam answers. It lived in the nicknames we secretly gave our subject teachers. These names were rarely spoken within classroom walls but echoed loudly in whispers during break time, after school walks and group chats long before group chats existed.
Every school had the strict Mathematics teacher whose footsteps alone could silence a noisy class. His nickname was often inspired by his no-nonsense approach or his famous red pen. Some students called him names that reflected fear and admiration in equal measure. You knew the maths period had started the moment his shadow appeared at the door.
Then there was the English teacher with a deep love for grammar and literature. She corrected pronunciation with passion and insisted on proper sentence construction even during casual conversation. Her nickname usually referenced her refined accent or her habit of quoting poems unexpectedly. To many students, she represented elegance mixed with intimidation.
Science teachers were another category entirely. The Chemistry teacher who enjoyed practicals a bit too much often earned a name linked to explosions or smoke. The Physics teacher who loved formulas and rarely smiled might be tagged with a name suggesting seriousness or mystery. Biology teachers who spoke endlessly about diagrams and body parts were remembered for their enthusiasm and sometimes their dramatic explanations.
No throwback list is complete without the History or Government teacher who turned lessons into storytelling sessions. These teachers often had nicknames inspired by their love for long tales or their tendency to drift into unrelated stories about the past. Students listened not just to pass exams but for the entertainment.
Of course, there was also the teacher whose lateness was legendary, or the one who never missed morning assembly. Their nicknames were affectionate records of habits we noticed long before we understood adult responsibilities.
Looking back now, those nicknames were less about mockery and more about connection. They were our way of making sense of authority figures and adding humour to structured school days. Today, when we remember them, we smile not out of mischief but nostalgia. Those teachers shaped us, and those nicknames remain tiny souvenirs of a shared chapter we will always remember fondly.