TEACHER'S MIND : Please do not be an April Fool

TODAY is April Fools’ Day! The day is customarily marked by the commission of hoaxes (pranks) and other practical jokes on friends, family members, or anyone. It can also be in form of sending someone on a fool’s errand aimed at embarrassing the gullible. According to the web encyclopaedia, Wikipedia.com, in some countries like UK, Australia and South Africa the jokes last until noon and someone who plays a trick after noon is called an “April Fool”. This day has always been a source of laughter for those who remember it in time to play the jokes on their friends. For some reason, this day that is not highlighted on most national calendars comes when many others have forgotten about it all together a fact that makes the jokes easier to pull off. A witty teacher may trick his forgetful students into doing something weird on that day. A good one can be a fake resignation announcement in the morning and a mock packing of your things! You come early and announce to the class that you will not be teaching them again because of a new appointment with an NGO for example. Tell them how the heavy workload at the school is the reason behind your shocking decision to leave and then carry your books and gently walk out of class and the school compound. In the afternoon you can then tell the school how it was all a joke for the April Fool’s Day and enjoy laughing at them for not having seen it coming. There are many more jokes that I cannot think of right now that can lighten up the day. This day is great because it breaks the serious routine and creates room for serious laughter. Education requires seriousness if a student wants to achieve the objectives that brought them to a learning situation in the first place. Unlike the “April Fool” who continues to joke after the clock strikes noon, students must never postpone seriousness when it comes to school matters. There can be times to laugh and play while in school but this should not go on for ever. If you are good at sports then you are lucky. But you will be a big fool if you fail to know where your sports antics stop and studies begin. In a whole year of 365 days only one and in some countries only half of it is put aside for jokes. The same mentality is needed for scholars. You need to dedicate the largest chunk of your school time to serious academic work. Some students fail to recognise that while at school, the holiday has actually come to an end. They continue to relax and waste time narrating useless holiday escapades instead of being attentive in class and reading their books. Others only remember to start revising their notes when examinations are around the corner. A primary school pupil who thinks he will get serious once he reaches secondary school is a fool. The one in secondary school that hopes to get serious once at the university is a bigger fool. The university student who thinks being at the university is a license to relax and party non-stop is simply joking with their lives. A parent who hesitates to encourage a child to work hard at school is a fool too. They are a bigger fool if they even attempt to support their teenager’s indiscipline. Policy makers who are not ready to lay a good foundation for education are only fooling themselves. No house can stand strong without a firm foundation. Short sighted school owners who only look out for profits without investing in their schools are fools as well. Anyone who attempts to approach education matters in a joking manner is much worse than the April fool because education is life. It’s simply not something to joke about. Enjoy you April Fools’ Day! ssenyonga@gmail.com