by Jacqueline Childress

For anyone who faces that first class, it can be a bit daunting to look out and see expectant faces looking back. They don’t know this is your first time teaching and you don’t want to come across as incompetent. After all, you’ve prepared your study material, you’ve got your lesson plans, and you really did put a lot of time and effort into gearing up for this class.

So, what do you do? You take a deep breath, then another one, you tell yourself positive affirmations–“I can do this. I love teaching!”–and you smile. A smile goes a long way in relaxing you and your students. You don’t come across as so intimidating and it makes you approachable.

Then start. You’re ready for this! Now, use tools at your disposal, get creative! Make your class interactive when you can whether by using computers, the internet, or starting an interesting discussion to get your students interacting with one another. This fosters relationships in the class and you get the opportunity to learn from your students.

Another thing, learn to embrace Murphy’s Law. Inevitably, a computer may crash or a login isn’t going through or you don’t know how to use the AV contraptions at your disposal. Don’t sweat it! There’s always help and don’t worry about your class thinking you don’t have it all together. Make light of it and laugh at yourself. After all, professors are human too.

There’s more I can add, but I’ll leave you to discover the foibles and fun of teaching. Remember, the most important thing is to have fun and to love what you do. Your students will pick up on it and enjoy your class all the more.

Good luck!