The Trouble with Teaching.

During my time preparing for my upcoming classes, I have stumbled upon an area of weakness in myself.  The content is no problem--I either already know what I am teaching or can work it out easily enough.  I've been in university long enough to know how to learn quickly.  No, the weakness I have discovered in myself (although one that I had known before, but now it becomes all the more important) regards presenting the material.  If I could simply lecture my students with them taking notes, that would be great.  But I have to present the material to them in a way that is not only understandable, but also interesting, and at the same time motivating.  I need to get them involved in the subject, not just working on the subject.

Some teachers, I think, have an easier time with this.  I've seen some great stuff in classrooms.  I, on the other hand, do not have such a talent (perhaps due to my own love of studies in which I never really needed to be externally motivated).  So now I will have to work out things for students to do which will be interesting to them, not only interesting to me...