Becoming a teacher was not the future I dreamt about. Standing on dais with dignity, speaking in front of the crowd with authority, and gathering focus from a hundred pairs of curious eyes was a reverie too far ahead for me to catch up with. Fortunately, in my sophomore year of college, I was privileged to become a physics lab TA, which turned my age-long reverie into a reality.

Honestly, instead of being interested in teaching, I was more motivated by fame, reputation, and authority. On a psychological level, my feelings were fair and reasonable. By maintaining excellent academic credits, I was forced to give up most of my social activities. To me the formula for academic excellence and social activities are inversely related. I was more anxious to become a man of prestige instead of a man of books.

The night before the first class, I was...