Retired teacher Musisi wishes to return to work after 40 years of service

This sparked our curiosity to sound out the retired teacher about his professional life. Even then, these are times when some of the vocational subjects are being reintroduced.
 

Reaching Mr Musisi

To trace Musisi, I took a boda boda to JOVOC. There I found one of the staff members who gave me his contact. When I rang him, seeking directions he instead said that we ride to Nsikye Trading Centre Stage, in the school neighbourhood and ask for his home in Nyamitanga,Mbarara City.
At first, I felt hesitant but it turned out different.
When we got to the trading centre, and mentioned his name, he seemed to be known by everyone. We thought this was partly because this area is a few metres from his former school, but on closer interaction with the residents, we realised that were wrong.

“He is jolly, loving, caring and parental. From the young to the old, everyone knows Teacher Musisi, it is partlywhy he could have served at JOVOC for long,” Mr Darious Muhimbura said.
From there, we rode about five kilometres to his home. We called him again and he directed us to his grocery shop which is a few metres from his home. The short and lean man welcomed us with a beaming smile and calm demeanour.
"Thank you for bringing my visitor,'' he told the boda boda cyclist as he rose and shook hands with me with a firm grip before offering me a seat in his shop.
A few minutes later, Musisi said he was ready for the interview.
I had got in touch with him days earlier and he asked what exactly I needed to know and to that effect he had scripted his responses. Interestingly, he could also vividly remember most of the things off head.

But, Teacher Musisi, who prides himself in having served for all this long, nurturing and becoming a father to many, now dreams of going back to class if an opportunity comes , something he notes is out of passion, love and the social attachment he has always enjoyed with his students.
“I feel I am still strong and intellectually capable of going back to class because, teaching is my passion, and connecting and socialising with students has been part of my life,”he said.

“Although I am now engaged in other businesses, I feel somehow detached from where my heart belongs. I had never at one time thought of being tired of teaching. I enjoyed every moment of it, I never missed a lesson, except when I was sick. If I got another opportunity to go back to class, I would do it because I love teaching with passion,” the retiree explained.
Mr Musisi has since retired to his home in Kyeera I, Birere Sub-county in Isingiro District where he also runs a shop.

Teaching journey

Musisi's childhood dream was not teaching but priesthood. That is why he even spent a year at Katigondo Seminary in Masaka but later dropped out.He, however prefers not to divulge much on why he dropped out of seminary.
He joined Uganda Technical College Kichwamba in Kabarole District where he pursued Carpentry and Joinery.
“After Kichwamba Technical College between 1973 and 1975, I joined Uganda Commercial Bank (UCB) construction department up to 1983 when I started teaching Technical Education at Birere Secondary School in Isingiro and St Joseph’s Vocational School,” he recounts.
But, he spent only five years at Birere and remained at JOVOC where he taught for 40 years.

“I was the longest serving teacher at St Joseph’s, ” he explains.
“I enjoyed teaching, I loved my subject and the students. My teaching was like social interaction,” he says. He prides himself in having taught many students who have now moved on to different professions.
“Most students I taught never dropped woodwork as a subject even at A-Level because I loved them, became their ‘parent’ and treated them with kindness. At times people commented that they could have mistaken me to be their colleague if it were not for age,” he says.
“I have taught young people who are now priests, engineers, pilots, lecturers, who always check on me and that is my pride. Even when the school chose to throw me a farewell party, I was not aware of their plans. They sent someone to pick me up from home only to arrive at a place full of my former students!”
Teacher Musisi said unfortunately by the time they bid him farewell he had gone blind and could not even see what was going on. He showed us medical forms that indicated he had suffered from mature cataract disease and chronic uveitis.

He adds, “After the function it was some of my former students that contributed some of the funds for me to go for surgery at Ruharo Eye Hospital.”
Even during the interview, one of his former students of 2008 cohort Justus Twinomujuni , now a teacher at Heritage Secondary School in Mbarara City came by to check on Teacher Musisi.

“I am what I am because of him[Musisi]. He is friendly and a mentor. He was more of a parent to us, which is why some of us always come to check on him. Even when he gets any medical condition, sometimes I rush to pick him up at times even before his children arrive,” Twinomujuni explains.
Because of his commitment to work, Musisi also says he was able to be selected as among those that were setting Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) Technical Drawing exams for Ordinary and Advanced levels.
Teacher Musisi also published a book titled Wood Work Theory Book which he says gives more insights on doing Wood work better.

His other highlights include when the school sponsored him to go for further training in Norway.
“This is a rare opportunity. The school appreciated my work and sent me for further training,” he says.

Modern tech threats

Asked whether at times the teacher of wood work was not worried that he would lose his job because of modern technology, Teacher Musisi says: “Wood work is a practical subject, it involves projects and these cannot be replaced and that is why in the new lower secondary curriculum, it is part of technology and design.”
What he only advises all teachers including those of woodwork is to go for further studies.

“My advice to teachers is to go for advanced courses and upgrade in order to match with the modern world,” he advises saying today, competition requires extra and modern skills.
To him, qualities of a good teacher include kindness, being parental and keeping in touch with your students.

“Harassing and punishing students cannot make you a good teacher, students will fear you and will not even get what you are teaching them. They will be emotionally stressed.”
“Education is an investment ,it is about the love and passion about what you do, the little time I have spent in retirement, most of the students I taught check on me. Also, good behaviour and punctuality matter. In my active service, I was never late for classes or school engagements. That is why I managed to work with seven head teachers,” he adds.

During the farewell he advised teachers at St Joseph’s, saying it is a good school and family if you are tolerant and well-disciplined.

His 40 years of teaching have not gone without challenge. In 2005, Teacher Musisi lost his wife, Ms Mary Ishanga Musisi.
“It was a trying time for me because she was a very supportive and loving wife... but that was God’s plan,” he recounts.
Teacher Musisi also says he lost most of his colleagues to different health conditions and thanks God for life.
He also recalls when the Woodwork section was broken into and most of the equipment stolen.
“I felt like running away from teaching but I persisted and the administration encouraged me because they had trust in me,” he adds.
Teacher Musisi said throughout his 40 year-service he has achieved a lot but the most notably is educating his five children.

“I have many achievements but educating all my children stands out. They have completed their education in good courses,” notes the retired teacher. Teacher Musisi plans to go into goat farming.