The power of encouragement

It had been a very hectic semester for me at the university. There were tons of schoolwork to be done -- from weekly readings to online class discussions to field observation reports to term papers. I never thought I would be able to finish all the course requirements on time -- I was enrolled in three rather demanding education courses (9 units) -- given my frail health condition and challenging family situation. But I did, and I really thank God for this.

Just this weekend, I got a pleasant surprise when I logged into the university portal last Saturday night, and saw a nice message from my favorite professor. I spotted her reply to an old inquiry of mine, which I posted on the course site way back (I was asking for advice regarding professional teaching). Her message was short yet sweet:


Hi, (my name)! You can teach first -- perhaps for a year, then get the diploma. With your PTC (Professional Teaching Certificate) and passion for teaching, you can well be a literature/English teacher. If ever you take the other diploma, it would be just to enrich your skills/knowledge. Am sure you will make a good teacher...based on your posts and performance in (name of course).


My heart jumped for joy upon reading this message. Her words meant a lot to me, especially since I know for a fact that this professor is a good teacher -- and writer.

Such perfect timing. God knows I needed that encouragement.