I forced my students to carry dictionaries

Though the practice of carrying dictionaries to class is mostly common in English lessons, Jonathan Kivumbi, a teacher of Economics and Entrepreneurship, says no student is allowed in his class without a dictionary.

The Economics teacher says, for a student to be able to understand what a teacher is explaining, they need to get a clearer interpretation of some difficult words in a topic which can best be obtained from a dictionary.
“I know some people call me insane when they see me insisting on all my students having dictionaries during my lessons but this has on the contrary greatly helped them get good results,” he says.

Kivumbi is a passionate teacher who prides himself in making sure all students pass his subject no matter the circumstances. He recalls having 36 of his first set of students scoring A in Entrepreneurship at Uganda Martyrs Secondary School, Namugongo and his latest being 66 all scoring As.
Asked about how he manages to get these good scores, he says he loves his profession and puts in extra effort.

Background
The 39-year-old was born in 1979 to Samuel Kivumbi in Namugongo, Wakiso District. He attended primary school at Kireka SDA from where he joined Kyambogo College School where he completed both O and A-Level from.
Kivumbi says one of the reasons he was able to succeed at school was the trust his teachers had in him. “My teachers always believed in me which motivated me to work hard so as not to disappoint them,” he says.

He recalls being actively involved in debating and writing clubs which helped keep him focused and aggressive to get the best as a student.
It was this background that taught Kivumbi that one of the tricks teachers should use in motivating their students to learn is believing in them and encouraging them from time to time. “When a teacher believes in a student, it gives them courage to read hard and push for better grades.”

In 1999, he joined Makerere University for a Bachelors of Arts in Education and majored in Economics. Getting him to study education was not a big hustle because his aunt Molly Namayanja always encouraged him to study the course because he would make a great teacher. Soon after his graduation in 2003, he joined Rise and Shine High School in Ntinda and his first salary was Shs80,000. He says the payment did not discourage him since he was passionate about teaching with his major aim being seeing his students always passing with flying colours.

Kivumbi was promoted after a year to the deputy head of Finance and Admissions a position he held for two years. He later joined Mukono High school as a public relations manager but this he did alongside teaching. While here, he introduced Entrepreneurship since the subject was not being taught. He was happy that students loved it and passed well.
In 2010, Kivumbi joined Uganda Martyrs Namugongo to introduce Entrepreneurship and this is where he achieved his greatest milestone in teaching. “I achieved the highest number of As and to me that is one of my greatest successes in the profession,” he notes.

Kivumbi the author
Currently, Kivumbi does not teach in any specific school, but is focusing his energy on writing books except he still coaches students during his free time. He has so far released a couple of books among which are ‘Communication skills’ and ‘The truth behind Business Communication’.
He says these books have given him leverage including being recognised by the National Library Board of Uganda as an international author. Along authoring books, Kivumbi is pursuing a Master of Science in Entrepreneurship at Makerere University Business School.
Kivumbi says for a teacher to be successful in their career, they need to keep updated since they are teaching a generation of students who are well-informed.
“There are teachers who do not read newspapers at all not considering that they are teaching students whose parents buy newspapers for on a daily basis. How do you expect to become an excellent teacher when you are not informed?” he wondered.

VOICES

“He was very ambitious and would do whatever it takes to have his students pass. I am proud of him now that he an author.”
Ronald Kibuule, Minister

“He is a confident teacher who loves accomplishing his work. He is also trustworthy and hardworking a reason why he was able to succeed as a teacher.”
Eddy Sserunjonjo, RPC, Bushenyi

“He was my teacher of Economics and my mentor as well. He is aggressive and always strives hard to see things done the right way.”
Ali Bakka, Uganda Air Defense Forces

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