Specialist Dental Group has launched an on-going series of blog posts by our individual dental specialists. All views provided are the dentist’s own opinions and are posted on this blog as part of our on-going efforts to educate the public about dental issues and other matters of interest relating to dentistry and healthcare.
I always love teaching.
I had two outstanding physics teachers in my high school. Both of them never came to class with a textbook – they just showed up, wrote on the blackboard and did their teaching straight from their heads! Being their student was a powerful experience. I remember that I was preparing to take my O-levels examination and I thought to myself – it would be wonderful one day to be a great teacher like my physics mentors because so many lives could be changed all at the same time.
Another vivid memory of exceptional teacher was in the first year of my dental school at the University of Hong Kong. My anatomy professor, Professor KMB Chan, knew everything from head to toe, literally. He used to come into our lecture hall empty-handed but he could finish putting tons of information on the board before any of my classmate managed to gasp a second breath! Even though he might seem empty-handed, I am sure a lot of midnight oil was burned to reach that stage of competency/excellence.
Currently, I have 7 post-graduate students in my specialty area of prosthodontics at the National University of Singapore. It has been many years since I taught undergraduate dental students but I do run a few Prosthodontic seminars with the graduating class in the university. As those are seminars, I expect those sessions to be interactive rather than having a monologue/lecture. With some encouragement, a quiet classroom can easily be turned into a lively forum on professional topics. Personally I think that is the best way to learn for young graduating dental clinicians.
Seeing the students getting excited to discuss professional issues is very gratifying. As I enjoy teaching so much, I was tempted, in a moment of weakness, to consider offering to pay the school to let me teach there, instead of being paid by the university to teach!!
Luckily for me, that moment went away in a heartbeat …
Dr. Ansgar C. Cheng is a Dental Specialist in Prosthodontics with Specialist Dental Group™. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor with the National University of Singapore. He has a special interest in dental implants, cosmetic dentistry and treatment of medically compromised patients, including cancer patients. For more information about Dr. Cheng, click here
