The Science Teacher
by Oliver Carlos
Very few people knew that I was into the hard sciences. Most people know me as a historian, an athlete, or somebody into communication and media. But the fact is, I actually have two degrees that are allied to the hard sciences. Once upon a time in my career, I was also a science teacher. My highest degree attained so far is a master’s degree. My minor was Environmental Science. I got it from UPLB in 2001. But before that, I was a BS Human Ecology graduate in 1992, also from the same university. My undergraduate program was quite heavy with earth science and biology.
I started my teaching career in 1994 as a Science teacher. My educational background led me to teach Environmental Science at the Colegio de Los Banos, and later at the Christian School International (CSI) High School Department. Actually, I never taught History at CSI, and so all of my former students from that school knew me as a Science teacher, a Bible teacher and a basketball coach.
I guess science runs in my blood. My maternal grandfather Dr. Francisco Tamolang was known nationwide for his contributions in forest products research in the 1960s and 1970s. Meanwhile my parents are both PhDs in the field of Forestry. My mother is an inventor, she developed the mycorrhiza biofertilizer.
I love science. When I was a little boy, my Mom bought me a children’s encyclopedia called Childcraft. Those were my favorite reading materials. It had 14 volumes, and around 4 of them deals with science. One is about plants, another about animals, one book is about earth and space science, and another about human biology. In elementary school, my interest in science continued to grow. Two of my favorite teachers were Mrs. Imelda de Castro, our Biology teacher; and Mr. Mario Miranda, who teaches Agriculture.
I get mesmerized thinking about the planets and the stars, the vastness of the universe, and the equally wonderful sights one would see under the microscope. It’s so fascinating too to think about how each part of the human body function with perfect coordination with all the other organs. Every time I look at the shape of Mt. Makiling, or any other mountain or mountain range, I get so awestruck just thinking about how these natural structures came to be.
But do you know what is the most mind-blowing fact I realized in my musings? That the God of the universe is actually living in me! The One who created everything we can see around us, everything we can see in the space telescope and in the atomic microscope, the One who designed the human body the One who maintains order in all these, the One who shaped the mountains and ocean floor, the One who controls the mighty waves of the ocean and the strongest of storms, the One who was existing in eternity past and in eternity future, that God is dwelling inside my heart! Isn’t that mind-blowing?
When you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, he takes over your heart and your life. When you open your heart to Jesus, repenting and surrendering to him your old sinful self, he enters in. He starts making your heart his home. We read Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:17–19 (NLT):
“Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him…..And may you have the power to understand…. how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is…. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”
As God’s dwelling place, we must grasp the idea that we have so much energy, we are bursting with it. We have so much of God’s love and power welling from deep inside. We have the power to overcome all our struggles, the power to defeat temptations, and the power to trample over anxiety and worry, and the power to be joyful in all circumstances. Imagine, the ultimate owner of all the power in the universe is right there dwelling in your heart?
So how could you go around living in sadness and feeling defeated? Cheer up! Rise up! Remember that who is in you is greater than anything or anyone in the whole wide universe.
