The Ultimate Challenge

When I graduated from the degree Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology, I never thought that I would end up teaching. I imagined myself then, working as a “sophisticated vampire” – “:sucking” blood from other people and assaying this specimen for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus ( HIV), lipid profile , and Hepatitis B surface Antigen (HBsAg), among others. Little did I know that I would end up eventually -just like my parents – in the academe.

At first, necessity was the reason for my enlistment to what people tagged as one of the noblest professions. What I was earning then as a Medical Technologist could hardly contribute in helping finance the family’s expenditures. Having been informed by a friend that teaching in a university would bring in more money; I tried my luck applying as an instructor.

Life is ironic indeed because in 1992, I enrolled in the Graduate school and simultaneously began teaching. I was tasked to handle the major subject that I had hated most when I was in college – Clinical chemistry 1 & 2. I had no alternative but to accept because it was the only subject available.

The first few days of teaching were a baptism of fire. I wanted to impress my students so I studied like crazy before the semester came. Although I was apprehensive, I pictured myself confident infront of my students with my mastery of the topic, dishing out uncommonly heard of “medical jargon”. How naïve and pompous of me though, for as I came to learn later on, teaching was not only a didactic process but also the development of the person as a whole being; the intellectual , the physical and most importantly , the moral/spiritual facets of a student’s personality.

Image by Amrit Goswami

Eventually, what at first was a source of income became an entirely challenging and self-fulfilling endeavor. I discovered that to become an “excellent instructor” one need not be a genius! In fact, teachers with average IQ’s usually came out the “BEST” teachers. Although mastery of the subject matter was a basic requirement, teaching “with a heart” was more important.

As ever, the carrot method or positive approach always worked best than the stick or negative approach; especially for problem students or “bad eggs” .  I came to learn that these “Problem students” were not really “bad”, but were only lost souls who needed somebody  who could empathize or sympathize with them. They merely wanted a listening ear in their melancholic moments. When they felt that someone considered them a significant segment of society; they gained self-confidence and became more productive and participative not only in the class but in their own communities as well.