A career change to inspire young minds
Former IMAU PhD student and Postdoc Melchior van Wessem
Ever since I was a high school student myself, I dreamed of becoming a (math) teacher. When I eventually decided to study physics in Delft (I found math too abstract), I immediately chose teacher training as my minor and spent some time teaching in classrooms. It was great, but I wasn鈥檛 a fan of the teacher training program itself. Plus, I found it strange to be a 19-year-old teaching a class of 18-year-olds. So, I continued with a Master's in Applied Physics, which eventually led to a 12-year career at IMAU鈥攆irst as a PhD candidate, then as a postdoc.
But I always said I鈥檇 end up in secondary education one day, especially if a permanent university position (which I also would have loved) wasn鈥檛 an option. And that鈥檚 exactly what happened last year. The itch to teach grew too strong, and I felt I鈥檇 done everything I could with my research on Antarctica. So, I applied for a position as a physics teacher at College de Heemlanden in Houten, and I got the job right away. It was fantastic. I jumped straight into teaching 13 hours a week (equivalent to 0.8 FTE because it involves a lot of additional work) across 10 different classes. That鈥檚 about 300 students whose names I needed to learn, and 300 tests to grade every exam week. It doesn鈥檛 sound very appealing, but I didn鈥檛 mind. I loved introducing students to proportional relationships, Newton鈥檚 laws, and rearranging formulas with three variables for the first time. And did they find it hard? Absolutely. I often overestimated their ability and set the bar quite low鈥攖hough they still struggled!
But that鈥檚 the charm of secondary education. You experience so many fun and unique moments with the students. I haven鈥檛 regretted it for a second.
After my first year, I decided I really wanted to complete my first-degree teaching qualification, which unfortunately meant switching schools. Since last August, I鈥檝e been working at Minkema College in Woerden. And I must say, I like it even more here. Instead of 300 students, I now have 120, whom I get to teach for more hours. The school even has a beautiful Wall of Fame featuring famous alumni. The first name that caught my eye? Appy Sluijs. Clearly, great things come out of this place, and I hope to inspire a few students to find their way to university too.
Melchior van Wessem