The Lecturer

He is a scrawny old man; one whom you might expect would be well-advised to stay indoors during the windy season. A constant shower of saliva baptizes the front row as he reels a list of cases and laws for us to remember. His reedy arms are a blur from the moment the lecture commences to the instant the bell brings him back to reality. There is very little of the presentable teacher in him – his clothes wrinkled, his hair badly combed and his sandals torn. Even his teeth, which he flashes us after every joke, have almost certainly seen better times. But we love him - that is the simple truth. His lectures make us remember why we once loved the subject. Between being put to sleep by some of our lecturers and maddened by the others, he is the dose of adrenaline that keeps many of us going. I think I know what his secret is. He is not a lecturer; he is a stand-up comedian with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law. It is after all his ability to make us laugh and think at the same time that makes us pay attention. His mastery of timing and gauging the interest of his audience keeps us mesmerized.