What Biodun Stephen’s “Teacher’s Boy” Teaches Us About the Boy Child 

As the world celebrates the Boy Child this month, Biodun Stephen’s latest work, Teacher’s Boy, offers us a much-needed window into the lives of many male children and some of their struggles as they make their way through society. 

The Teacher’s Boy tells the story of Romade (Chima Bright Owuama), an emotionally guarded young man deeply scarred by his childhood experiences. Romade’s story unfolds through dual timelines, revealing young Romade’s exposure to serious physical and psychological abuse at the hands of his single mother (played by Mary Jeremiah). 

According to her, she was unfairly saddled with the responsibility of caring for young Romade after his father absconded. This abandonment leaves her emotionally shattered and mentally burdened by the weight of raising him alone. Unfortunately, her struggles are further compounded as successive suitors lose romantic interest in her upon discovering that she is a single mother. Agonised by her circumstances, she subjects Romade to constant psychological torment, blaming him for the disappointments and frustrations that have come to define her life. In the end, she abandons him at a boarding school in order to secure a new romantic interest. 

Left to navigate the devastating sting of parental rejection, young Romade is rescued from total despair by Mr Akande (Jude Chukwuka), a kindhearted male teacher who steps in as a surrogate father, sacrificing his reputation, romantic life, personal goals, and comfort to protect the vulnerable boy.

As both timelines progress, the film explores the severe, long-term consequences of this childhood trauma. In the present day, Romade is a young, successful man embattling trust, vulnerability, and intimacy; he is unable to sustain healthy relationships because of the early betrayal by his mother. The two timelines meet at the zenith, showing Romade’s emotional breakthrough as he is forced to confront his inner child. 

The Teacher’s Boy is an exploratory thesis on the importance of positive male guidance in raising boys. The film puts constructive male mentorship as crucial for the emotional and psychological development of the male child, particularly those grappling with neglect and wider social and psychological challenges. 

Our world today is defined by harsh vicissitudes. Harsh socioeconomic policies and upheavals have made raising children more difficult than ever. Children, regardless of gender, are (primary) victims of a myriad of unfriendly social conditions. Unfortunately, cultural perceptions continue to militate against the recognition of the ordeals faced by the male child and the urgency with which their emotional, psychological, and social struggles are addressed. For a great part of their lives, many young boys are raised in a ‘hush’ culture that presents emotional suppression as an emblem of masculinity. But this culture, as studies show, is highly counter-productive. A 2014 study of incarcerated male adolescents revealed that “physical neglect during childhood arose as the strongest predictor of violent behaviour.”

In The Teacher’s Boy,  Romade is fissured, and in time, he internalises his several damaging beliefs about himself and his place in a family. He continues to believe that he is a burden and that people are better off without his existence. In a couple of other instances, The Teacher’s Boy spotlights the ordeal of (young) men at the hands of labour expectations. There is the house boy in the hostel, who is of Romade’s age group but is unable to pursue formal education because he has to “hustle.” We also learn of Romade’s father and the fact that he died trying to make ends meet for Romade and his mother. According to the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), 97 million boys were in child labour globally at the beginning of 2020. Unfortunately, this is not a crisis that is given the attention it requires. 

On the brighter side, Biodun Stephen tries to illuminate the life-saving necessity of positive male guardianship. Romade’s life is reshaped only when Mr Akande, a kindhearted male teacher, steps into the role of a surrogate father. He tells him that he is “loved, cherished, and chosen,” and equally shows him what it means to be loved and treated like family. Teacher’s Boy argues that male mentorship is an important aspect of male growth, and without positive male figures to anchor them, abandoned boys are left highly susceptible to antisocial conditioning or toxic behavioural loops. 

The climax of this movie is a deconstruction of male vulnerability and a rebuttal against the societal expectation that boys must always “suffer in silence.” At first, Romade puts on a bravado attempt to mask his fissures and his anxiety through hyper-focus on work and masculine bravery. But, Biodun Stephen pierces that veil and presents before us Romade’s unvarnished grief. As he confronts the roots of his insecurities and faces his mother (who returns to make amends), the movie dismantles the societal expectation hoisted upon men. We come to the primordial understanding that the boy child, like every normal human, is equally subject to emotional struggles, which can only be mitigated by open dialogue and targeted psychological care. 

In line with the theme of this year’s International Day of the Boy Child, The Teacher’s Boy reminds us that building stronger relationships, healthier families, and more stable communities begin with intentional investment in the emotional, psychological, and physical well-being of the boy child.