Clad in a gray long sleeves and a black pants, with two books in my hand, I walked steadily while at the same time trying to calm down using the “take-a-deep-breath” technique. Just before I entered the class I could see my juniors waving hospitably at me at the corridor just outside the room.

Guess what happened when I was in the class? Did I smile or did I let out a word first? Okay, I smiled at them. Those familiar faces smiled back, while some expressed shockness when they saw me coming in. What came next was I did a little bit of introduction about myself and why I was in their class so as to clear those puzzled minds.

I was expecting to go through the two examples solved using stiffness method which I had prepared for this two-long-hour class. But it ended up that we finished everything 30 minutes earlier. Wow! I guess I must have been as fast as a bullet train.

Being a student I know that students always love it when their lecturers provide SIMPLE and CLEAR procedure or steps to solve analytical examples. So I laid the foundation of solving stiffness matrix for them. I listed the five steps which I used when I was an undergraduate. I told them that the first step is to identify the members and joints, fixed the origin, determining the known and unknown parameters, assembling all the member stiffness matrices into the structure stiffness matrix and lastly SOLVE it! Tada!

Since I had extra time, I showed them in order to solve the matrix one can use several methods but the one I preferred most is the Gaussian elimination method. This method is so powerful! When I asked if anyone of them still remember this method, most of them said yes but have totally forgotten the procedure. Well, it’s true. University students tends to put the old stuffs away and they only dig them back when they need them. To demonstrate my “keh kiang ness” I solved a 3×3 matrix in front of the class.

I gave them a 10 minutes break which according to some of them is the longest break they ever had. You see, according to the time table which I got I was supposed to be inside the class from 1000 to 1050, then continue teaching from 1100 to 1150. During the ten minutes break I asked for feedback from some of them because I am ever conscious.

Goodness Lord that they told me they understood what I was babbling in front for the first fifty minutes. They said they love the way I laid out the steps, just as I thought. Understanding the theory is important, solving problems using simple steps is equally important.

After the break, I furthered with another example. This time I wanted them to construct the 12×12 matrix which I will demonstrate how to solve this blardy huge matrix using Excel tomorrow.

Teaching is fun! I admit I had butterflies in my stomach last night. Everything went well today, thank God. One funny thing is, one of them addressed me as “Sir”. I just told him to call me Daniel or anything but “Sir” as I am not fit to be addressed as one, not at the moment.

There were questions from the floor but I managed to answer all of them, it was peanuts. Hehe.

Here you go, my first teaching experience. What about you? Do you have one?

PS: I am not a lecturer. The chance to teach in a class came because my supervisor is in the States attending conference.