Example Of Essay On Oceanography Professor

My Oceanography professor, not a very inspiring and informative individual, has led an interesting and worthwhile life. He appears so sure of what he teaches and is so passionate about his work, one would believe that this was his life’s calling from the moment he was born. However, being an oceanographer was not my professor’s primary goal from the moment he could walk and talk. He was not one of those people who became doctors with a story of how he got a stethoscope for Christmas as a child and, as he played with it, he knew he wanted to grow up and help people. For Christmas one year, my professor did not receive a saltwater fish tank and think, “Wow, this is it for me!” It took him to grow into what he would be.
Having a father in the Navy may be partially why my professor gained an interest in the water, and the ocean. He was born in Chicago, and apart from living there and South Dakota, he moved around a lot due to his father’s job, but always managed to stay near the water. The family lived in Virginia twice (his parents are now located on the Chesapeake Bay), Florida, Rhode Island, San Francisco, California, Vancouver, and Washington. Washington is where my professor graduated, and where he decided he would like to pursue Marine Biology as a career. It was offered as a course in his high school and it interested him right away. In fact, though he did not have a story of being a child who knew he wanted to be an oceanographer, he did discover rather early his love of Marine Biology. He was a mere sophomore in his high school when he decided that would be his course of study in college.
Oceanography came later still, much later. It came in a most unlikely form, as well. When my professor was approaching his thirties, he became interested in surfing. As it turned out, he liked it a lot. Subsequently, his surfing and being out on the ocean all day created an interest in him relating to coastal processes. He was so profoundly dedicated to this interest it led him to graduate school in Oceanography in 2007. He admitted that returning to college after so long was not an easy pursuit. His original plan had been to graduate college the first time, having studied Marine Biology. Satisfied with that, he wanted to find a comfortable job, and start working toward a career that would allow him to do what he loved in a field where he felt comfortable. This resulted in his working as an outdoor guide and field biologist. He also worked in fisheries, as well as in field science education. Though none of these ever felt like his dream job, he gained a wealth of knowledge. Part of gaining this knowledge it also what inspired him to go back to graduate school; he wanted to get back into research. Before that though, he was young and felt as though he had it all figured out, but the ocean had other plans for him as it turned out.
Returning to graduate school was more difficult than he had anticipated and he confessed he would have done things differently if he had the option. He would have begun graduate school 12 years earlier than he did. He believed that waiting so long to do so put him at a slight disadvantage to his classmates. For example, he felt as though he was the “old guy” in the class, working at a constantly faster pace to play catch up. He acknowledged that being out of school for so long, though he had been working in a related field, had left him at a deficit concerning the research, as well as the basics he had forgotten since leaving college. Though he was not a fan of the extra work he had to put in, he had his eyes set on his goal and completed what he needed to in order to become a great professor. He instills dedication such as this, as well as many other ideals in his students now.
While I have no doubt that Marine Biology and Oceanography were my professor’s first loves, it is clear that he has a knack for teaching. When asked if there is something specific about his skill or mindset that helps him with helping students, or just being a teacher overall, he had several answers. For example, he believes in multiple modes of learning. He acknowledges that not everybody learns the same way and tries to be sensitive to that, ensuring that a larger number of students walk away from his class with more information. Few professors cater to this. He also does not overwork himself, he only teaches one class during the quarter, which allows him to focus and be flexible when designing the coursework. Many professors do not have this luxury, but my professor utilizes it fully. He also mentioned that Peninsula College is small which helps him stay motivated; he wants to provide his class with the best experience he can because students truly are their just to take in the information he is giving.
Furthermore, when it comes to being a teacher, he tries to stand out in other ways than just providing different learning material or creating a motivated environment for students to learn in. It is not difficult to do with Oceanography lessons, but he said that in order to stand out when it comes to teaching he primarily attempts to integrate hands-on activities and experiences. He would like them to learn the information, but it is also important to him that they feel what they are learning. True to professor format, when questioned about the goals he asked for his class, he simply says that I must check the syllabus if I am so curious. This answer is very telling of how he helps students accomplish their goals while in his class: he provides guidance, not outright answers. Like any good teacher, he is a set of training wheels and not an automatic steering wheel. However, he is realistic and will answer student’s questions candidly. For example, if somebody did not want to do what he wanted to do, he would openly recommend they get a four-year degree instead of going to graduate school. He is also, of course, always available to provide guidance to students who are inspired by his classes, or who wish to become oceanographers. As far as teachers go, though Oceanography is often overlooked, he makes it a worthwhile class to take.
In sum, I learned many things about teaching, Oceanography, and my professor in general, just from chatting with them about their life. He is so passionate about Marine Biology and Oceanography; he loves both his work in those fields, as well as teaching young minds. It is comforting to hear that he can be so passionate about what he does without having discovered his love of it when he was three. Many of us still do not know what we want to be. Many adults still do not know what they want to be; he took his time and discovered what his true calling was in his own time. He also did not rush school, like so many of us feel the need to do these days. It is a paradigm we all follow, thinking that going immediately from high school to college to graduate school will get the best jobs and the biggest houses. Speaking to my teacher reminded me about what will get me the most satisfying life. He discovered Marine Biology as a sophomore, but what can be said about discovering surfing when he was thirty? Not many working adults have the time to take on such exciting hobbies, but this single fact reminded me it is not all about the job, nor should it be all about a job that I do not like. My professor was inspiring in all aspects. He reminded me that I should find what I love, whenever that should happen. I should go to graduate school if I need to, or I should simply get a four year degree and pursue my life goal’s somewhere else. His classes also make me want to learn more about marine life and the ocean, even if I knew Oceanography is not necessarily my life’s calling. He is not just an a professor of Oceanography, he is a professor of life, constantly riding his own wave and showing us that we should do the same.