Being a Bridge of Learning

“True teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross; then, having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create their
own.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis

I really like this quotation about the my vocation/profession. It gives me enough motivation to go through each class session, each consultation, each conversation hoping and praying that I have been a bridge that my students cross as they go about their learning journey.



Honestly, there have been times when I ask myself "Is this worth it?" especially when I get feedback in the Student Evaluation of Teacher (SET) that a student doesn't like the way I handled the subject, that a student was expecting that we discuss something more value adding for him/her, that a student can't seem to understand why those exercises need to be done, etc. But I have come to realize that I will never be able to please everyone, that there will always be people who won't appreciate my teaching style, who won't get why I do things the way I do them in class. And, yet, there will ALWAYS be people who will get it, who will appreciate why I'm passionate about teaching and the journey of learning that I want my students to enjoy. These are the people that encourage me to continue striving to be that bridge that they can cross so that they, too, can become bridges to others around them.

One student's BA 105 reflection journal contained the following which, up to now, continues to serve as an encouragement to me in my journey as a teacher:

Sir Manny knows how to challenge his students – he knows what tasks will produce the optimal amount of participation, thought, and analysis from the student. From our out of classroom experiences to our actual case studies, we have been challenged to go beyond our usual classroom tasks and instead, venture into the real world and interact with actual business people. None of the requirements were too difficult to accomplish – some were definitely challenging – but each was able to elicit the right amount of thought and effort to accomplish completely.

Sir Manny genuinely cares about each of his students, and every student recognizes that fact. J He makes an extra effort to make his students feel involved, and he never misses the opportunity to reward his students who perform well. And this class is the first time that I have ever experienced a professor who shows genuine affection and care for his students.

I continue to look forward to opportunities that I will be given to be a bridge and build bridges of learning as I pursue the call that the Lord has blessed me with. :-D