It was an emotional week for after it took took Nicki Minaj’s middle school teacher a while to realize that her former student had become famous.
The Trinidadian rapper, 39, took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a sweet live video of her reconnecting with her fifth-grade teacher, Liz Smith-Breslin, along with an adorable throwback clip of herself from school.
In the video, Liz recalled how she didn’t realize that Nicki – born Onika Maraj – was her student due to the musician’s name change, and explained how she eventually found out as Nicki appeared to hold back tears.
The first clip showed little Nicki speaking to the cameras as she announced: ‘Hi, my name is Onika Maraj and I go to P.S. 45. I would like to be a nurse when I grow up so I could help people less fortunate than I am.’
Nicki then posted the conversation she had with Liz on Instagram live, as her teacher explained: ‘I did not know that Nicki was Onika.’
The teacher went on to share how she even saw Niki onstage and still did not know it was her: ‘I went to a JAY-Z and Eminem concert with my sisters, and you came out and performed.’
‘And I was like, “Oh my God, she’s really good!” And we were dancing and singing — did not know it was you,’ she said as Nicki laughed.
‘A week later, my old school, P.S. 45, called and said “Listen, Liz, E! True Hollywood Story keeps calling, you were Nicki Minaj’s favorite teacher,” and I literally dropped the phone,’ she said.
The teacher then joked, saying she browsed through all her old files trying to dig up photos and videos of Nicki from school.
In turn Nicki praised Liz as she reminisced about their days in the classroom.
‘You got so much done in the curriculum, because you allowed us to have fun and to do all these amazing things we loved to do, but on one condition, “Oh, you’re not going to disrespect me.” And that’s what we were going to establish day one.’
‘I needed to see a woman be like that, so thank you,’ she added.
She also remembered that when she talked back in class, Liz would make her go stand by the window and say ‘Attitude!’ to get her attitude out.
The hitmaker graduated the elementary school – known as Clarence Whiterspoon – in 1993.
