From Hesitation to Confidence: My Journey of Teaching R Language

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"The best way to learn is to teach."

This quote truly became real for me during the end of 2024, when I took a step that unknowingly would shape both my skills and confidence — I joined the Quant Society Club.

As soon as I became part of the club, I was amazed by the range of opportunities it offered. The club gave every member the freedom to contribute based on their strengths. One of the options that instantly caught my attention was teaching — especially in the field of programming and data tools. The idea was to teach tools like Python, R language, and Excel. However, for the upcoming semester, the focus was only on R programming — which is useful in subjects like social science, biology, and economics.

At that time, I didn’t know much about R. It was briefly introduced in one of my college courses, but I had never gone in-depth.  But I found it very interesting, so I decided to learn R by myself. I’ve always been passionate about technology and data, and this seemed like a golden opportunity to explore both.

With determination, I picked up the book “R for Data Science” and began learning on my own. I also referred to various other resources. Slowly, I started understanding how data can be processed, analyzed, and visualized to extract meaningful insights. The fact that data helps validate assumptions or highlight patterns was fascinating to me.

Soon after, I was scheduled to take five sessions as an instructor. From introducing R to teaching about the Tidyverse package, plotting, and data visualization, I aimed to make the sessions as practical and interactive as possible.

But the beginning wasn’t easy.

The first session lasted one and a half hours, and I had never spoken for that long in front of many people. I felt nervous, hesitant, and very sure about myself and i feel like whatever i am teaching today no one knows better than m, it encourages me. Teaching isn’t just about talking — it’s about making sure the learner understands. And if they don’t, you have to explain it again, often with real-life examples. That pressure made the first step even more challenging.

But something surprising happened. Students were engaged, asked questions, and appreciated the effort. They liked the session and were interested to learn more. That encouragement became my fuel. This made me happy and motivated and excited for the next sessions. Gradually, I started enjoying the process. I overcame my fear and discovered a new version of myself — someone who could explain concepts clearly, interact confidently, and enjoy the art of teaching. I also learned many new things while preparing the sessions.

The most beautiful part of this journey was not just that I taught others — I learned a lot myself. My own grip on concepts became stronger, and I felt more prepared for future challenges.

As I look ahead, I’m excited to teach Python in the next semester. With this new confidence and passion, I know the journey will be just as rewarding — maybe even more.

"Teaching is not about transferring knowledge, but inspiring change."

This experience changed me. And I can’t wait to see where this path leads next.