Good Malpractice

_{Photo by Nguyen Dang Hoang Nhu}

I'm sure every school in the world is against Malpractice because it's not a good thing to do and students shouldn't indulge in it. But then, I feel there are some cases where we have to let the humanity in us show and just feel compassion for the next person.

A couple of years ago, while in my final year in high-school, I did something that probably would have cost me a lot if I had been caught but then I couldn't help it and anytime I tell this story and remember the lady's face that day, I'm sure I still will do what I did that day.

Anyway, it was my final year in high-school and we had this West African Examination that every student must take along with a couple of other exams (I've always wondered why we had to write so many exams) just so that they could get admitted into the university. Well usually in the exam hall, due to how close we all were seated, a proper neck stretch from your seat to your neighbour's would give you a lot of answers to your question but on this particular day, the supervision was strict.

We had like four supervisors and like six external supervisors. It was as if they heard some rumors about the school and decided to come see for themselves if it was true. Anyway, those who read began to write, while those who didn't waited and prayed that the supervisors will leave so that they can do that neck thing that I talked about. The whole lot of them who prayed must have been a bunch of sinners though because the supervisors remained in that hall until it was about ten minutes to the end of the exam and that was when they left.

Ten minutes to the end of the exam, now everybody is panicking and trying to get as much answers as possible because most hadn't written a thing. I on the other hand was done and seated, waiting for the time to run out so I can go submit. I usually would have gone to submit anyway but over here, we've all been taught that it's never a good idea to be the first to submit because it draws a lot of attention to yourself. Too much attention in an exam hall is bad.

Well as I sat there, I noticed the hands of this lady seated right in front of me was shaking, almost like she just got back from the North Pole. Her seat partner was done writing and they had opened their answer booklet for her to copy but she couldn't write. She was too afraid to even hold her pen properly.

Now the time was about five minutes to the deadline and there was no way she was going to write all of the answers in that her condition before the deadline, so I did something that would have failed me if I had been caught, I took her answer booklet and began writing for her. Now I'm a very fast writer especially in situations like this where all the adrenaline are rushing through my body, so I was able to write everything just in time for her to submit with the rest of us.

I remember her coming to me after the exam to come say thank you and everytime I think about that day, I just can't help but crack a smile.