From Student to Professor: My First 7 Months Teaching

I've been a university professor for seven months now. Although it might seem like a short time, it has been enough to give me a real perspective of what it means to be on this side of the classroom.

During my time as an engineering student (a phase that, to be honest, never truly ends, since we never stop learning), I always had the figure of a role-model professor in mind. I met incredible teachers who shaped my desire to teach if the opportunity ever arose.

Throughout these months, I’ve met all kinds of students: the outstanding ones, the worried ones, those who remain average, and those who, frankly, weren't very interested in my Programming I class. However, in every class and with every question, I’ve put in all my effort and dedication to ensure they understand the topic. No matter how small the doubt, for me, there are no stupid questions, only people seeking to learn and improve every day.

Today, several of them approached me to say thank you. They mentioned that in other courses, they couldn't understand the assigned professors, or felt that the explanations lacked clarity. Hearing this, one might fall into the prejudice of thinking: "They are young, they probably just weren't paying attention." But then I remember that I lived through those same experiences, and I recognized in them the exact same look I had when I felt I was truly learning and moving forward.

I must confess that several times I felt like I wasn't measuring up. But seeing the gratitude and growth of my students makes me deeply happy to be able to contribute to the education of future computer engineering professionals. They are my future colleagues, and my greatest wish is for them to become good professionals, capable of surpassing each and every one of us. After all, that's what we are here for: to guide them toward excellence.

Thanks to my students, today I have the drive and motivation to keep fostering their development. Because I’ve realized that as they grow, I also grow as a professor.

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    console.log("Don't stop teaching");
}