Remembering My Teachers – Mr. Dalton Naturinda

by Tayebwa Rwakinanga Samwiiri

Dalton Naturinda the Biology Teacher was a unique instructor. He walked so fast, taught different classes without a book for all the lessons and was a games teacher. He spoke so fast and was an eloquent speaker when he was using English. He was so stubborn in his instructions, in and out of class and despite being a Mukiga, he would never speak to you in vernacular no matter what. It was always a moment of wonder catching him speak Rukiga with either a cook or a parent and all those for who culture demanded that he lowers his neocolonialism guard.

Pacing towards the classroom door his first step inside always coincided with a rap of very many biological sentences.
“Salivary amylase is a glucose polymer enzyme that is produced by the Salivary Glands. It comprises of the a small portion of the total amylase excreted which is mostly made by the pancreas. Amylase digests starch into smaller molecules ultimately yielding maltose which in turn is cleaved into glucose molecules by maltase.” went a typical Dalton dictation.
This would happen before you got the books, or borrowed a pen and even when others would be running to class escaping from the sweet equator. His lessons always started in Total Confusion that always threw the whole class into murmurs after getting stuck. This confusion would enlist total attention from everyone for the rest of the lesson.
Magnanimous enough he would repeat his rap. This time fast but carefully and writing new words on the black board or stopping to give a spelling here and there.

During our S4, he demanded that we draw another vertical line on the right hand side of the pages of our exercise books saving two inches on that right hand side. That space he demanded were for main points and key words. He always checked books to see whether we were complying with the same. The key points had to be written in a different color, normally black or red. Ohhh Dalton, Dalton, Dalton…

All these his methods seemed like stress of course until results time or until years later.

As a Games teacher, he had a way of being professional. I always helped him to mark the football pitch, clearly practicing all the mathematical construction lessons on those curves, circles and right angles.
He once tried to introduce a game for us who were not so talented in the main games. We would throw plastic plates as improvised tools in the throw and catch game. Those plates would glide and dodge the ones trying to catch them and because many participated in that “silly game”, it was always an evening spectacle. An all inclusive activity especially for lower classes of Form 1 (S1) and Form 2 (S2).

Dalton’s behavior was confusing, he was friendly but very strict where wrong doing was involved. He would have you caned in the staff room when he took you there smiling. He would be engaging you in a conversation and making you sweat in the House General cleaning. For those of us who were blessed to have him as a House Master, the comments on our reports were very particular. One of those I received was, “He is a hardworking Member of the house but he needs to reduce on the noise.” Christ Lord, I couldn’t even explain to my Father why I made noise in the house. Deep inside I knew this was a very accurate comment. Orwaariii was my thing. What else can a small boy be known for? Noise of course.

The height of Dalton’s unbecoming behavior, which as grown ups we came to know as professionalism manifested during our Final O-Level UNEB Exams.
Teachers always get instructions for practicals early enough. They are either told to gather insects, seeds, leaves etc. They are either instructed to plant seeds or get hooves or claws of chicken and many other things including several laboratory reagents. At this point, the teacher knows what the examiner is looking for. Phones then were scarce and students had a habit of hoping from school to school to at least get a whisper of what was going on since some private schools teachers were believed to take their students through many options of what may be the answers.
Dalton scheduled such a lesson, the last Biology practical towards exams. We all settled down and became hopeful. He had taught us everything and clearly he was going to give us kasasi (a peep at the questions) in that last lesson. So we thought.
The lesson day came and Dalton came with either insects or leaves. I have since forgotten. We settled in the lab, reagents in front of us, we received instructions and started. He walked around guiding us on how to measure reagents, how to keep test tubes clean and all tools free from contamination. Total silence, total concentration and total alertness.

The day of the UNEB practical came and Dalton set before us, dry maize grains and germinated maize seedlings. Completely different from what he had given us 3 days before. Remember Maize takes 8 days to germinate so it means he had kept germinating maize as he took us through a rigorous but different lab exercise.
He had reached the epitome of unbecoming behavior, we did the practical. Tested for starch successfully as the iodine turned blue black. We went for sugar testing in the germinating maize and all was well. He had prepared us well but still he was a snake in our eyes. Nyoka Kabisa… Enjoka Lazima

Immediately after the UNEB practical exam, as we talked outside, we felt we needed to intercept him for an explanation. We rushed towards where he used to keep his bicycle and he was gone. He was nowhere to be seen.
That year we passed Biology highly and we had a sizeable number of our colleagues continuing with Biology as a subject at A-Level.

Wherever you are Master Dalton, we shall never forget you. You are our hero, one of my best and most unforgettable teachers but one question remains unanswered.
Why would you keep Germinating maize and then go ahead to have us practice with insects and leaves on our last day? Why? Why?