Teachers...do you find it hard to write a lecture every day?

Question

I'm considering teaching for a liberal arts college. I LOVE teaching people and I really love undergraduates. I'll have a PhD in a year. However, I'm really terrible at lecturing in graduate school, both to my peers and my committee. It may just be because I don't enjoy what I'm doing, but I just find it to be dull. And it's really hard for me to write a lecture. Is it different when you're teaching? I taught a lab and a study section one time and I didn't seem to have any problems. I'd hate to get into a career and then realize it's not for me. Teachers from any grade level are welcome to give opinions.

Answer 1

I've gone the research route, but suspect you don't need any postdoctoral research in order to get a teaching position.  Glancing at the ads in the back of Science may give you a clue there.

As for lectures, they've grown on me.  I prefer research, but there's something very refreshing about all those fresh young faces who are still excited about learning new things.  If you don't like public speaking, which  you presumably have done a bunch of in presenting your doctoral research, you might have a problem.  Otherwise...

If I'm teaching an upper-level course in my field of expertise, it's not that hard to put lectures together.  I know I put together good ones.  If I'm assigned to teach something I'm not such an expert on, it takes me a good few months of reading, preparing lectures, and revising them.  Basically, the first time you teach any course, you are going to put MANY MANY hours into preparing every lecture hour.  Your students will complain about how much they have to study sometimes, but you will be putting a lot more work into the course than they have to.  Sometimes it may help, if you're coming into a new position and replacing someone else, to use their old lectures as a template first time around, and to develop your own course from scratch after you're more settled in.

The second time you teach the course, you may also put in many hours revising your lectures to improve on the first year.  You may notice what worked well, what didn't, and what you just aren't ever going to ask exam questions about.  After that, you aren't going to spend much time preparing lectures or PowerPoint presentations.  You'll review what you did last year.  You'll make minor revisions to reflect new discoveries made in the past year.  But for courses I've taught for years, I can basically run through the lecture the day before I give it again and do fine.  If it's an hour lecture, that may take me an hour or two.

I don't know what you plan to teach, but I'm teaching graduate and medical students.

Edit: And Judy is absolutely right - we know that the lecture format isn't a good way to teach, and are moving away from it.  My school just still uses it a lot, despite years of committee meetings on how to change the system.  Small interactive groups, interdisciplinary learning, and student research are all much more effective ways to learn, and maybe you won't have to be the "sage on the stage". :)

Answer 2

Its not hard to prepare "a" lecture; unfortunately nowadays teaching involves preparing multiple lecturers as well as keeping up with a tonne of paperwork, marking, attending meetings and so on and so on.

If you're really not sure try and get some work experience first.  Contact a local college and explain your situation and see what they can do.  Tell them you want to try preparing your own lessons etc and when you're there talk to the other teaching staff to see what they think about it.

I teach in a college, and am finding it really hard and it doesn't seem to get any easier.  But I don't want to put you off.  The adavantage is you do get to meet some amazing people and try to make a difference to peoples lives!

Answer 3

Why would you lecture everyday?  All a teacher is for is passing information?  What's the book for?  Research?

As a teacher, I want to be the facilitator, the "guide on the side," not the "sage on the stage."

Answer 4

eweee teachers are meen >:P. they just lecture and scream >:P.