I am quite proud of this. The ‘P’ being the propaedeutic diploma of the biology course I’m doing (next to my full time day job as a teacher and all the citizen science ambassador stuff). It’s only an expensive piece of paper which says you’ve finished the first year of the education, so it doesn’t make you qualified for anything yet, except for the fact you’re allowed to continue the rest of the course. Is this making sense to readers outside this little country? If not, trust me, it’s a milestone. They would’ve sent me away if I hadn’t passed these exams.
I’ve been asked a lot if it’ll give me new letters. It won’t. Not even when I finish the whole course, as it’s the same level I’ve already done, but for a different subject. I’m not after status as much as learning new things, although maybe another title in the future would be cool (friends of mine have gotten their ‘d’ and ‘r’-s after their fifties so). Anyway, I’ve worked hard for this – as it’s a full time course – and my grades are good even, so yay! It’s hectic sometimes, but I’m happy being “everything” (this is how my colleague described it once, being a student and a teacher).
It’s also a very interesting course. And a frustrating one at times, ‘cause I guess teachers are the worst students. I have learned a lot already though, I am also blessed with me classmates and I have a feeling that ‘I belong’. Seriously, I think I was kind of meant to do this. I stumbled upon old school reports, one going back as far as the opinion of the teacher on little 4 year old me. Apparently, I used to tell the other kids about my pets and nature in our class’ ‘circle conversations’ and they’d listen. When I was 15, my biology teacher told me he could see me taking over his job one day.
This was way before I knew I’d actually be a good (biology) teacher, but I am now indeed working at that same college. Can you imagine how cool it was when this teacher walked into the classroom at one of our open days not that long ago to visit his old school?! Life’s been good to me so far. I’m not religious, but I do believe that if you work hard, doors will open. I’m not there yet (it’s about the journey right), but meanwhile I enjoy the moments when a student looks at her arm’s vessels mumbling ‘wow, how weird that’s all under my skin’, while I explain the blood circulation.
I’m much the same. While I’m studying the nerve system, I think to myself how all of that information processing is going on in my brain right that moment. Biology is awesome. The study of life itself. I’m looking forward to the next modules!
7 Comments
Gefeliciteerd met het behalen van je Propedeuse! Groet
Well deserved for all the hard work that you’ve put in. Onward and upward
Cheers guys !
Congratulations Hanny… that’s another milestone.
I must confess I had not heard the term propaedeutic diploma before… had to look it up on Wikipedia.
It sounds like a very sound concept. Can’t tell you how many people I have met in my career who should have been told early in their education to find a different line of study.
I do hope you meet with the same success in the rest of your studies.
Thank you, Jim. That’s indeed what this ‘milestone’ is for. (I used wiki too).
Astronomy, biology – isn’t life just *too* friggin’ interesting at times?
Yes, yes it is. Well said!