54. Teaching Experiences

Today I had the opportunity to teach a class for my professor. He was in Chicago the last few days and wasn't going to be back on time to teach his class today. So, he asked me to fill in.

This was actually the third time I've taught his class. And when I say taught, I mean gave the lecture that he had already prepared. It really didn't take that much effort on my part. Of course, I don't want to make it sound like it was easy. I definitely could have been better prepared and done a better job presenting the material.

Anyway, I am thankful for these experiences for a couple of reasons. One is that it gives me a chance to stand up and practice speaking in front of groups of people. This is something that I'm not the best at. I get really nervous, speak really fast, and stumble over my words. However, it is something that I am going to need to get good at. So, I'm thankful for the practice.

Also, people are always asking me what I plan to do when I graduate with my PhD. I'm never really sure what to say other than the fact that I want to do research. I don't know yet what companies I'm gearing for. It used to be that when I would answer this question, the person talking to me would also ask if I am interested in being a professor some day. My answer to this used to always be "no, I'm sure I don't want to do that." Well, after these opportunities to teach in a real classroom, I'm starting to change my mind. I've really liked the experience. I realize that being a professor takes a lot more than just standing up and rattling off a lecture somebody else prepared for you (for example, YOU must prepare the lecture...plus a lot of other work), but one of the main reasons I was so against it before was that I didn't think I would like the teaching experience. Anyway, these opportunities have opened my eyes to a new world of possibilities. And it is that for which I am thankful.