My Pioneers. The 1601s and 1507(Aus, CATs)
My first batch of students. Ranging from 15 years old to 21. All 520 of them. Only 8 weeks. But an amazing journey nonetheless. A whole mixture of students with different wavelengths. It has been an honour and privilege to be a part of their 8 weeks. A tiny fraction of their lives. Oh this is inclusive of the 1507 from Ausmats as well. But in general the 1601s are my first batch and theirs to me.
What is more I am constantly bumping in them in the lrt. About to take out my book, "hi sir!". About to listen to music, "sir!". Hahaha it's fine. Not complaining. I'm used to it. I will surely bump into one of them in the morning and another when I leave after work. It is nice to know that some of them want to even go home with me. Hence they wait. In general it is a good gauge of how you are as a lecturer and it is a positive thing.
What is the honour is that this 23 year old was given the opportunity to journey with the students, impact them in whatever way he could. To relate to them. To connect with them. To be friends with them. To exhibit what character means in the most imperfect way. He was given such a privilege to be with such a great amount of students for the next 8 weeks. He knew he could not do it on his own. It was a miracle that he did not take matters into his own hands like he always did but depended on God to do the rest.
Week by week I made them realize I was not teaching them character. I can never teach character. Character is learned not in a way that it can be taught. So if I was not teaching character in character formation...what was I really teaching anyway? I was teaching them formation. That's right. I made it up as I was blogging. Cool right? It is true too.
You see I cannot tell them that character is good as it does this and that and shows this and that. It is pointless of me to tell them what virtues they already know being told again and again from majority of their parents. What I did? I went to a heart to heart level. When one engages with the heart it tends to collide and rubs each other off. Some were enlightened. For others it was like new revelation. There were those who went "It makes sense". There those who were also bored and there was some who were offended. But I cannot help it. When one goes on a personal level, it gets real....well...personal and there is the tendency of rubbing them off the wrong way.
I was teaching them the formations in character. What I mean is laying down certain premises, stop signs and directions that would help pave the way in forming their character should they be serious in it. Week in week out with each core values all I did was basically saying "This is what I am seeing, do you see what I see? Does it make sense to you?" Then we would discuss whether we disagree or not. If we did well okay. If we did not then we talked. Week in week out I drew for them paradoxes because character is about the ideal and humanity is what is real and I attempted to close those paradoxes.
It has been so encouraging lecturing these monkeys. Encouraged by how they say the class was encouraging and helpful. It isn't just some MPU subject. It is Character Formation. Loving enough to provide feedback and affirmations. Disclaimer. I am reminded that at the end of the day no matter what the students say, my identity is in Christ and my worth is solely found in Him. In Him I find my value, my strength, my needs fulfilled. Though...I am learning that imperfectly as well by His grace. Anyways, they are a bunch of adorable farts. Making me laugh at times. Making me facepalm my face. Lame as heck. Okay I am lame too.
In short. They have been such a blessing in my life. To have them trust me. To have them listen to me. To have me listen to them. Through them I discovered that I love lecturing. And lecturing on character. My philosophy as a lecturer is that my time is for my students. I am for my students first before anything else. (Obviously I will abide by the college rules duh). But you get me lah.
P.S. At the end of the day as much encouragement they give me, I am reminded that it is not them who determines who I am. The students only reflect who I am or may be. At the end of the day my first obligation is to God.
What is the honour is that this 23 year old was given the opportunity to journey with the students, impact them in whatever way he could. To relate to them. To connect with them. To be friends with them. To exhibit what character means in the most imperfect way. He was given such a privilege to be with such a great amount of students for the next 8 weeks. He knew he could not do it on his own. It was a miracle that he did not take matters into his own hands like he always did but depended on God to do the rest.
Week by week I made them realize I was not teaching them character. I can never teach character. Character is learned not in a way that it can be taught. So if I was not teaching character in character formation...what was I really teaching anyway? I was teaching them formation. That's right. I made it up as I was blogging. Cool right? It is true too.
You see I cannot tell them that character is good as it does this and that and shows this and that. It is pointless of me to tell them what virtues they already know being told again and again from majority of their parents. What I did? I went to a heart to heart level. When one engages with the heart it tends to collide and rubs each other off. Some were enlightened. For others it was like new revelation. There were those who went "It makes sense". There those who were also bored and there was some who were offended. But I cannot help it. When one goes on a personal level, it gets real....well...personal and there is the tendency of rubbing them off the wrong way.
I was teaching them the formations in character. What I mean is laying down certain premises, stop signs and directions that would help pave the way in forming their character should they be serious in it. Week in week out with each core values all I did was basically saying "This is what I am seeing, do you see what I see? Does it make sense to you?" Then we would discuss whether we disagree or not. If we did well okay. If we did not then we talked. Week in week out I drew for them paradoxes because character is about the ideal and humanity is what is real and I attempted to close those paradoxes.
It has been so encouraging lecturing these monkeys. Encouraged by how they say the class was encouraging and helpful. It isn't just some MPU subject. It is Character Formation. Loving enough to provide feedback and affirmations. Disclaimer. I am reminded that at the end of the day no matter what the students say, my identity is in Christ and my worth is solely found in Him. In Him I find my value, my strength, my needs fulfilled. Though...I am learning that imperfectly as well by His grace. Anyways, they are a bunch of adorable farts. Making me laugh at times. Making me facepalm my face. Lame as heck. Okay I am lame too.
In short. They have been such a blessing in my life. To have them trust me. To have them listen to me. To have me listen to them. Through them I discovered that I love lecturing. And lecturing on character. My philosophy as a lecturer is that my time is for my students. I am for my students first before anything else. (Obviously I will abide by the college rules duh). But you get me lah.
P.S. At the end of the day as much encouragement they give me, I am reminded that it is not them who determines who I am. The students only reflect who I am or may be. At the end of the day my first obligation is to God.
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