Thursday Thoughts: When students pick the wrong lesson from a lecturer

Weather is never a problem when you are in the right place at the right time. Doing something that suits the weather. If it is raining when you’re in bed, sunny when you’re by the poolside, cloudy when you’re taking a walk. Consider yourself lucky. And so far my luck with the weather has been on the downside!

One Friday, I decided to go to town and spoil myself. Considering the fact that I had travelled all the way from Mukono to downtown Kampala, I hoped the weather would be on my side as a sign of mercy from whoever was watching above. However, things didn’t go as I assumed they would. While I was roaming around enjoying myself, I received a message from my classmate saying there was a test at school later that evening. As soon as I read, it I decided to leave for Mukono, but then, suddenly, it started raining and the timing couldn’t have been any worse.

I rushed for a taxi and nearly crashed into a bodaboda man, but I didn’t waste time on him, I had bigger things to worry about. I eventually got one, after a mad struggle. Red with anger I sat there wondering what lie was going to save me from attending this test. But I came up with none. I got to school, and on my way to the lecture room. I witnessed many people getting their fair share of mud prints on their clothes.

I made it to the classroom in one piece and the first thing I noticed was the evil grin on the lecturer’s face when he said, “Wow, I have never had a class this full since I started teaching”. He was not lying most of us did not even know who he was. We knew the basics, “we had a test”. And he never mentioned the test in the course of the lecture so we imagined he was going to give it to us at the end.

And a few minutes to the end of the lecture he said, “thank you for coming, I now actually know how many you are, every time I see less than this number in class I will roll call, compare the list to the one I have made today and black list those who are not here”.

His statement sobered up the whole class and what was once a group of passive, bored, lifeless students was now a group of scared, confused, worried students. A lot of jeering came from all corners in the room. No one was amused. He had just volunteered himself, for students to attack his home.

We asked ourselves how we were going to balance the bar, town and boyfriends with this 4pm Friday lecture. We ended up missing actual tests because we had learnt never to go to class even after hearing about them. It seemed like a better idea than being tricked into attending lectures that didn’t fit into our schedules.

features@ug.nationmedia.com