Burning the midnight oil....hscp #2

Examinations are part of the ways that students are assessed cognitively and academically. I usually tell the students that I teach that examination period is a time for them to give back their quota for all the weeks of teaching they had received. It's just a pity that more than half of the students of this present generation are not taking school seriously.

Back in the day when I was still a student, I recall very well that despite the dread of examinations that I had, I always prepared very well for it. Thanks to my dad, I had all that I needed for studying. From textbooks, a study chair and a table to a rechargeable lamp and stationeries, all was always available.

My dad was an outstanding student during his own school days and so he wanted me to excel like he did academically. Too bad, I missed his mathematical genes as I dislike maths. Other than that, every other subject was good to go.

I won't lie and say I read daily. Nope, I didn't. If you saw me with a book, check well it must be a romance novel, lol, I start preparing for my examinations two weeks to the examination day. Call it a fire brigade approach and you won't be wrong. I think what helped me the most was my photographic memory. I had the ability to read and remember things under pressure and so I harnessed that ability.

Two weeks before the examinations commenced, I would buy a lot of Nescafe coffee, not the 3-in-1 type but the normal black coffee. I would simply add sugar and drink it that way without milk as I heard that milk would make me sleepy.

I would set my alarm when going to bed at 9pm for 2am. The alarm would go off and when I woke up, I would drink the coffee I had already prepared and put in a hot flask. Doing this would eliminate whatever traces of sleep remained and I would concentrate on my books. I would then study my books from 2am to 5am before going back to lie down.

My dad would come wake me up by 7am for me to prepare for school. I practiced this routine for years until the day I mentioned it to some girls in my class and they told me that black coffee dried up the blood. I got scared and stopped using the coffee.

I then switched to chewing kola nuts instead of taking coffee. I would buy kolanuts and chew them immediately I woke up at 2am I the morning. It took a while for me to adjust to its bitter taste but the effect was amazing. After chewing the kola nuts, my eyes would be sharp and I would not feel sleepy or tired at all. The only issue with chewing kola nuts was that it might discolour my teeth but I was prepared to chase away every form of yellowish colouration with a strong toothbrush and a good toothpaste.

I preferred chewing kola nuts before reading at night as I wasn't scared of it drying up my blood. This was and still is my routine in preparing for any examination. I like reading at night when everywhere is calm and cool. I assimilate things faster this way. My dad called my technique burning the midnight oil and I have stuck with it ever since.

Thank for reading. I am inviting @eukkie, @faithwwllington and @jmos101 to participate in this contest.

Images used are mine.