This year I've been handballed a small teaching gig at the university where i'm doing my PhD. It's a weekly 2nd year cognitive psychology tutorial/lab. I've taught 3 classes so far, and so far so good.
What I find interesting is how radically the teaching role transforms my personality for the duration of the 2 hour class. It seems to have two effects:
1) I turn into a temporary extravert. Whereas I'm usually a bit socially inhibited and/or anti-social in the company of strangers, as a teacher I'm Captain Social (tm), introducing myself to students before the class, spraying good-cheer on all in my path. And as I bounce around the class, flashing my pedagogical grin, I'm thinking "What's happening to me? Who is this guy?" I suspect that it's my competitive drive to do better in the end of semester student evaluations than the real academics that is dominating over my shyness/introversion/anti-socialness.
2) I start channeling Carl Sagan, with the slow talking and drammmmmmmm-atic emphasis of key words. What's that about?
I'm not sure what to make of this bizzare phenomenon. In its involuntariness, it's a transformation more akin to a werewolf's than a superhero's. But then unlike a werewolf, I don't bite...so perhaps more of a pedagogical werepuppy than anything else.
6 comments:
Mark, you're not alone. I found the same thing happening to me when I was on rounds, there was this guy who seemed always over-excited about teaching drama. I was known around the school as the 'crazy drama guy'. I should clearly not be a teacher with that review.
Ah good. I'm glad i'm not the only one. Thanks Elliot!
Sounds to me like the sweet foamy residue left from a good mug of podcast.
Methinks Sir gained some useful skills over the past two years.
Ah, possibly. And that would possibly explain why I can't start without a theme song.
I dare you!
I know that feeling. There are a few different types of Erk out there. I know that I can be different depending on my surroundings and environment.
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