Ten Years of Teaching: A Reflection

Few months after finishing my undergraduate degree from Mogadishu University, and while teaching the school, I was asked to teach ‘Introduction to Political Science’ and ‘Introduction to Sociology’ courses at Imam University. This was my first experience teaching at a university. The Imam University teaching was challenging, but also interesting and fun. I was full of energy. When I prepared the presentation, I used to rehearse it in my home. I used to prepare myself and the room for the class, and to deliver it as if the students are listening, explaining in English to English. This helped me a lot. While in class, I was doing well, explaining the concepts in English and then summarizing in Somali.

In late January 2014, while in Hargeisa for a training of a study I was part of, Mogadishu University decided to assign a subject to teach at the faculty I graduated from. My classmate, Aweis Ahmed, was also asked to teach at the university. I returned from Hargeisa on Friday, 24 January 2014. In the evening, the Faculty of Economics and Management Science dean called my phone and asked me to go to the HR office as I will teach at the university. This was a rare opportunity. Teaching at Mogadishu University was a privilege.

February 02, 2014, was the date I started teaching at the university. During my university study, I also did a diploma in law. Therefore, I was asked to teach a law course. I taught the ‘Principles of Law’ course to a third-year Public Administration class. I was still young, and class management was again one of the challenges I faced. It was a rare occurrence (or it was the first time, I am not sure) that undergraduate students who completed the university a semester earlier teach Mogadishu University. I wrote a reflection blog after that first semester.

After one year of teaching the Mogadishu University, I took a break from teaching and immersed myself in the field of research as I joined the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies as a full-time researcher. While at HIPS, although I was not teaching classes, I was training researchers and enumerators for data collection and analysis.

I also started studying for a Master of Public Administration at the University of Roehampton in September 2015. In February 2018, when I submitted my MPA thesis, I restarted teaching Mogadishu University again, one course in every semester. I also train researchers and bloggers at Somali Public Agenda.

Teaching is a passion for me. I teach to inspire students and influence them in doing well and becoming better people. It also gives me the space to share my personal experience with students. Jay Shetty said in his recent ‘Think Like A Monk’ book: “Your passion is for you, Your purpose is for others. Your passion becomes a purpose when you use it to serve others.”

If you attended a course I taught or a lecture I presented, tell me in the comment box below. Thank you!