Behind the Walls is a 10-chapter fiction which boldly celebrates teachers and challenges the ridiculous ways in which teachers are being treated by some proprietors and parents. It magnifies the relevance of teachers to remove willful oversight and brings readers out of willful forgetfulness.

The novella centers around Miss Beauty Ugochukwu (aka Miss Bee) who makes herself approachable and trustworthy. Students see her as a friend and teacher. Some of her colleagues become jealous and call her names such as Miss Over Syllabus and Miss Pythagoras but she is not discouraged. Notable is her encounter with Madam Olufola whose only son, out of six, always bullies girls in Miss Bee’s class. The mother insults Miss Bee for punishing her son and attempts to slap Miss Bee. The school unjustly demonstrates that parents are indispensable while teachers are expendable. Miss Bee, however, is appreciated by many people.

Chimamanda brilliantly avoided a single story by showing that just as many parents and owners of schools do not appreciate great teachers, many people appreciate and love them. Miss Bee is concerned about academic and emotional wellness of her students and is able to solve domestic problems in the family of the Adifala’s.