“Knowledge reduces fears K.R.F.”.

He gradated from the University of Asmara in 2006, back then he was a young 21 years old young man that had had just finally met his own life time expectation: being a recognized graduate in biology. But that is not exactly how Mr. Samsom Kifle-Tsion gained his fame among many students of different colleges around the country. Now one of the youngest and most respected teachers has always been loved for the study methods he offered to his students.

-How does your scholar background generally look like?

I would never know why but my mother had me studying my ABCs in kindergarten ever since I was so very young. Though I think it paid off by letting me graduate earlier that the guys of my age, it was quite hard when I got to junior school. I think some times the pressure of being the youngest of the class was taking the best of me. I had always my eyes, heart and soul wide open when it comes to biology; I was good at it and it helped me to get my average higher in addition to this my teachers where phenomenal teachers, they caught my attention and drowned me in loving the subject, matter of fact I graduated from the department of biology.

-How did you become a teacher?

That was out of my mother’s expectation what so ever, she wanted me to be some sort of a successful doctor or something like it; but I believe I was born to be a teacher.

-How so?

Even though many of my neighbors jokingly looked dawn on me thinking of me as a little smart pants kid; I remember how I would jump in joy when they would ask for my help. I was and still am good when it comes to explaining my thoughts.

-Is teaching all about explaining?

Not all about explaining, but explaining alone has a great importance when it comes to teaching. One can be as smart as one can possibly be but what would his knowledge be if he doesn’t know how to deliver his knowledge to the students? … That is what matters the most: being able to deliver.

-Does your age influence your position as a teacher?

Well, you are right. Many college students happen to be not young, and now days one doesn’t need to blow many candles to be “old”, seems to be that children are being born with such wisdom! So when I get in class I don’t happen to face many problems because the students are smart and mature enough to know their task as students and they are indeed eager to learn so they follow me with such of a great passion. Some times if some communication problems accrue between my students and I. I usually tend to be in their shoes and talking to them gets to be a lot more easier because we have only few years of difference. But unfortunately am getting old and it won’t be always this way will it? At first I was the one intimidated by the fact that I was very young, I felt like maybe I was out of place… but I over came that now because I am now much older that when I first started out as a teacher.

-K.F.R. what does it mean?

Is the key word I had always on my copybooks as a student and now-a-days is the word I write on the board of every class I attend, it is the short for KNOWLEDGE REDUCES FEAR: I believe so. The more one gains knowledge the more confident he gets: confident in his self, in his carrier, in his life and even his future. My motto trough all of my life was the phrase right here. I know it for my self so I love it when I get to share it with my students.

-Knowledge does certainly reduce ones fears and self-doubts. But I heard that a lot of students rush to you to get some recipes on easy and dynamic studying methods.

That is true, I believe that it’s hard to set one method and tell all of the students to follow the same pattern. We human beings function so differently so I don’t see why we should give fixed means. What I try to do is spend some time with each student and see one’s strongest and weakest points and based on so together we discuss ways trough which the student can find success and for what’s worth better marks.

-What about the books you wrote?

I wrote and published two books so far hoping that they could be used to ease up the study of science and specifically biology. Because let’s face the truth not many students are big fans of biology. They are entitled “Check Up Biology” and “How To Teach Science”. I know in the second one I generally present my teaching manners of science, but I figured if students could feel as is teaching themselves rather than following a teacher’s orders would be physiologically easier for them. And as I expected many of my students liked the second one.

-Any future plans teacher?

There is another book for my students on the way, but it may take some time so I don’t want to rush and talk about it hastily.

–Well good luck and thanks for your time.

Pleasure is all mine!