eJournal Entry No. 1

My interest in science is fueled by the book about scientists and inventors given to me when I was in grade school. I was amazed how they could conduct various researches that led to various discoveries and inventions that benefited mankind and the environment. This interest was further enhanced during high school, which made me pursue chemistry for my college program. After working as a laboratory analyst for almost three years, I decided to continue my studies by pursuing a master's degree in chemistry. This had opened new avenues of learning and teaching that motivated me to become a science educator.

I must admit that I am very idealistic during my first semester of teaching. I want to become a chemistry instructor that will enable my students to understand and apply the fundamental concepts of chemistry. My primary goal is to produce a new breed of Filipino chemists that will contribute to the growth and development of scientific research and industry in the Philippines. I believe this is the primary goal and purpose of science education. We need to produce more scientists, engineers, and technologists that will catalyze the progress and change of our nation. As I went along the semester, I eventually realized that the learning must focus on understanding and application. Still, the students must also appreciate and enjoy the concepts and ideas I introduce. With this, the students will enjoy the process of learning because we know that studying science is not easy. The students must be able to love what they are studying. In this way, somehow, the lessons, how hard it is will not be frustrating and tiring. This became my mantra as a science educator, to not teach the subject as is but to allow the students to appreciate and love the subject and apply the learnings in their everyday lives.

In my first semester of teaching, I am torn with the idea of whether to teach many or to teach deeply. The course is Principles of Chemistry, wherein 18 units were prescribed in the CHED Memorandum Circular for the BS Chemistry program, but one semester had only 18 weeks. So I had to plan on how to maximize the number of sessions for every week to teach the subject. I was able to design the syllabus wherein some units were taught for one week since the content was not that long. I made sure that the topics' depth was sufficient and enough to arm the students with the knowledge they needed as first-year BS Chemistry students. Another challenge I encountered during my first semester of teaching was the entry of the first batch of the K-12 curriculum. I am excited and somehow curious on the skills and competencies that they obtained from the additional 2 years of senior high school. However, one conflicting matter is that some of my 1st year BS Chemistry students were not STEM graduates. Some are ABM, HUMSS, or GAS graduates, so they lack the basic chemistry subjects taken under the STEM track. So what I did was that I considered each student equal and taught them equally so that we were on the same boat. My opinion in this matter is that only STEM students should be allowed to enroll in a pure science college program. However, not all secondary schools in our province offer the STEM curriculum. Us teachers will just adjust to cater to different students with learning styles, learning mechanisms, and prior knowledge. Since they lack of basic chemistry concepts, I also focused on teaching them the practical aspects of chemistry from the basic lab safety to the basic lab techniques that were integrated into every lab experiment we did in our classes.

I firmly believe that the quality of instruction is directly proportional to the quality of the science educator. I continue to improve myself by pursuing further studies that will be beneficial to my students. I acknowledge the comments and suggestions for the faculty evaluation every semester since, from these criticisms, my teaching strategies will improve. I agree that there are mismatches to the qualifications of the science teacher with the science subject they are teaching. Some problems also are the faculty members are not licensed professionals, so they are not eligible to teach subjects under a specific curricular program. For instance, BS Chemistry major subjects should only be taught by faculty that are registered chemists. This is aside from the requirement that the faculty must be an MS Chemistry degree holder. I understand this requirement because how can someone teach a particular subject if they are not qualified to teach it. I admit that I always set high standards for my BS Chemistry students since the program has a board examination, so we must breed competent graduates that are armed with the competency and knowledge that will pave the way to their success in the licensure examinations. I am hoping that more scholarship grants will be available for graduate studies and teacher training. I always envisioned being a science educator that will catalyze the changes and development of our society by producing highly-competent and skilled scientific professionals. After taking DST, I am planning to pursue either a doctorate degree in science education or chemistry. I will improve myself so that my current and prospective students will gain enough knowledge and competency that will eventually be beneficial for the nation's development. After all, as Dr. Jose Rizal said, cliché as may sound, “the youth is the hope of our future.”