diff --git a/tinygrad/tensor.py b/tinygrad/tensor.py
index eccede4bc1..059e73d4ee 100644
--- a/tinygrad/tensor.py
+++ b/tinygrad/tensor.py
@@ -2,6 +2,12 @@
 from functools import partialmethod
 import numpy as np
 
+# optional jit
+try:
+  from numba import jit
+except ImportError:
+  jit = lambda x: x
+
 # **** start with two base classes ****
 
 class Tensor:
@@ -170,10 +176,11 @@ class LogSoftmax(Function):
     return grad_output - np.exp(output)*grad_output.sum(axis=1).reshape((-1, 1))
 register('logsoftmax', LogSoftmax)
 
+
 class Conv2D(Function):
   @staticmethod
-  def forward(ctx, x, w):
-    ctx.save_for_backward(x, w)
+  @jit
+  def inner_forward(x, w):
     cout,cin,H,W = w.shape
     ret = np.zeros((x.shape[0], cout, x.shape[2]-(H-1), x.shape[3]-(W-1)), dtype=w.dtype)
     for j in range(H):
@@ -185,8 +192,8 @@ class Conv2D(Function):
     return ret
 
   @staticmethod
-  def backward(ctx, grad_output):
-    x, w = ctx.saved_tensors
+  @jit
+  def inner_backward(grad_output, x, w):
     dx = np.zeros_like(x)
     dw = np.zeros_like(w)
     cout,cin,H,W = w.shape
@@ -200,5 +207,14 @@ class Conv2D(Function):
             dx[:, :, Y+j, X+i] += gg.dot(tw)
             dw[:, :, j, i] += gg.T.dot(tx)
     return dx, dw
+
+  @staticmethod
+  def forward(ctx, x, w):
+    ctx.save_for_backward(x, w)
+    return Conv2D.inner_forward(x, w)
+
+  @staticmethod
+  def backward(ctx, grad_output):
+    return Conv2D.inner_backward(grad_output, *ctx.saved_tensors)
 register('conv2d', Conv2D)