Physics & The 3 Me’s (Part 1) – A Critical and Personal Reflection | Babalola Emmanuel

Before going to today’s reflection, I want to say thank you for reading my post. I hope you will learn a few things from my #story as a #teacher or parent. Please do kindly share your thoughts and the lesson learned in the comment section.

This story began in my secondary school days. I loved physics and I attended one of the best schools in Ondo state. Prior to SS1, after concluding my Junior secondary school examination, the expectation of my parents especially my Dad, and most of my teachers was that I will pick a career in the Arts. They believed I will make a good lawyer. There are so many reasons for this perception but I will only list two for the worth of time.

1. My Teachers – They felt I was good at writing and argument. Their judgment was not based on my academic performance, because I did well in all my subjects.

2. My Dad – He was working in the legal circle as a #courtstaff and he had always wished one of his Sons will become a Judge or at least a Lawyer. And here I am, always following him to the court at every opportunity I get.

Well, on the other hand, I hate cramming things into my head, and I was uncertain if I want to tow that path. I know I love three things so much and they are things that make me who I am.

1. I love arguments – If you can’t prove it beyond a reasonable doubt, don’t get me involved. (I guessed the courtroom experiences helped me develop this value more.)

2. I love demystifying #complexities – If it appears complex to me, I will not rest until I simplify it.

3. I love questions – I am so curious that I recall my dad called me one day and told me to stop asking questions in church! I don’t care if you think it is weird or odd. If I have questions, I will ask. And, if your answer is not satisfactory, I go ahead and ask somebody else. (I am cutting down on that now – You understand how we cut down on things because of marital compromises)

These three intrinsic values got a better grip on me. The unusual hype about the Science department being difficult was the first hook. Our seniors in the Science department will intimidate us often with such pomposity and confidence to prove that Sciences is the survival of the fittest. They will talk about practicals, how you observe, carry out experiment, and infer. The most intimidating part is when you are involved in a conversation or argument with them, when they observe they are losing out on the argument, out of the #blues, you will hear them state or quote one Einstein or Isaac Newton law, to prove a point that is not related.

So I found my three ME’s strongly drawn to the Sciences. I made up my mind after our Junior WAEC examinations to read and explore the introductory aspects of all the science subjects, and one particularly difficult subject got my attention. It was #Physics

Question For Readers : What informed your choice of a career path? Will you be willing to share to help others?

10 thoughts on “Physics & The 3 Me’s (Part 1) – A Critical and Personal Reflection | Babalola Emmanuel”

  1. Adeola C Babalola

    Woah this is an informative write up because I never know that my personality really matters when it comes to choice of career. Thanks for that.
    To what inform my choice of career, I just love science because of mathematics, I don’t like boring history or literature

  2. Reuben Ogba Onwe

    I found this quite intriguing, although I am not oblivion of such experiences because I had very similar story. Nevertheless, you really took a bold step in striking a balance between the experiences surrounding your upbringing and your choice of career.

    Keep it up Emmanuel!

  3. Adelayi Moromoke

    My love for mathematics was one of the reasons I moved into the science class. However, on getting there, I realised I hate drawing diagrams, and cramming those weird botanical names… Or is it the chemical names of compounds? Oh my, it never got stuck in my brain. Well, since I loved mathematics and did so well in it, Physics was the closest to it…. I went for it and later realised it’s an interesting course.

  4. Well, I wanted to be a Banker but my parents love for science got me to a science department, which at first was quite uninteresting to me but being an undergraduate of Biochemistry made me fall in love with Science and Technology.
    Thank you very much for the Piece, Sir.

    1. Waoh! Thank you for sharing with us! It is also worthy of note, to state that parents can make good decisions for their wards. Nevertheless, such decisions should not be enforced or mandated! Learners’ individual strength and intrinsic values must be given top priority. What do you think?

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *