Arnel Francis

          So now, you are a Ph.D. You begin to see the light that the rise in the academic ranks has offered you. Optimistic now, you feel the change. You are deemed wiser by others and have also felt it to be true. Though you may not know it, new stern hurdles may beset the road of your one-way journey. You still flounder both mentally and emotionally and realize becoming a full-fledged Ph.D. is not easy after all.            Life after getting that degree is comparable to that of a runner. That is, paces are more tracked, longer and exacting. Spectators would seem to be seeking for more. They need the equivalent of the price they earlier paid. These spectators whom you thought were your cohorts, your mentors and adherents in the field can be the very people who would rob you off the prize. Taken by surprise, they jump on you and push you aside, thinking that you are now, an able-competi...

MAN, in the course of his LIFE, learns. Learning is actualized and proven that there is such occurrence when something in him CHANGES – his attitudes and outlook of things around him. I have assessed myself this past few years and have approximated all the VALUES I have learned in time – the value of PATIENCE and SELFLESSNESS. When I started teaching at a university, my expectations toward my students were big. I sometimes lose my temper in the middle of the class and assert my being the Master of the room. Later on, I realized that I couldn’t put my way of thinking with that of my students. I slowly embraced the idea of individuality- that each has his own capabilities, his LIMITATIONS. Now, I can laugh with my students, play on to their incompetent response to questions at times and making their FAILURES as nothing to be worried about. I realized that I need to be of a good example to them by showing them and not by telling them what they ought to DO and what they need...