Hector Freire

Earlier this month, I got an email telling me that I had been nominated for a teaching excellence award. I am not, in any way, shape, or form, a popular TA ( I am an unapologetically hard grader ), so I was understandably confused and, for a moment, even though of asking for my nomination to be taken away, but still ended up going to the ceremony, half relying on this being just a nomination and the possibility of me not actually getting anything.
I ended up being wrong, but before calling me to get my trophy, they read a testimony, the reason why I had been nominated, and it was... a bit simpler than I had imagined: dedication and love for teaching. Due to my disability, I always felt like I couldn't quite connect to the students, and trying to do so in your second language is not exactly easier, but one thing I can pride myself in is the fact that I love teaching. I love being the first person to tell them the fun physics facts that our professors were so excited to talk about during the undergrad, to get asked some absolutely bonkers questions that make me rethink everything I know. This is the joy of being an instructor, and I am grateful to my students for sharing these moments with me.