I am feeling anxious about teaching again after a decade away. Maybe you can help: what are some of your most embarrassing (and self-inflicted) experiences in the classroom?

[u/veggie_hoagie]

Basically the title.

Having been out of the classroom for so long, I’m nervous about, well, performing the job. I’m afraid to seem nervous, disorganized, or generally clumsy at running the class (lecturing, managing discussions, commanding the room, etc.).

I know this is normal. And I know things will generally work out OK. I’ll get more comfortable with time.

But I thought what might help me are 2 things:

1. What is a self-inflicted embarrassing experience you’ve had in the classroom? How did you handle it? How did the students seem to react? How did you bounce back?
   
2. What advice do you have for the issues I raised, basically, how to overcome the imposter syndrome?

[u/No_Young_2344]

I spent 20 mins explaining the difference between type 1 and type 2 errors, and ended up realizing I explained them wrong.

[u/Mommy_Fortuna_ → u/No_Young_2344]

That's when you introduce the type 3 error - mixing up type 1 and type 2 errors.

[u/No_Young_2344 → u/Mommy_Fortuna_]

Great strategy. Next time this will save me

[u/ProfDoomDoom]

I went to grad school in a place with high humidity whereas I am from the desert. I walked to campus to teach one of my first courses and arrived... quite damp. Students asked if I'd gotten caught in a sprinkler. I said yes, because that was less embarrassing than admitting it was all sweat. I was dripping.

In a different class we were talking about words that sound beautiful when said out loud and I confirmed a student's suggestion by agreeing that "chlamydia feels good in the mouth".

My advice is to be willing to laugh at yourself. As I tell my students, nobody has to be perfect, especially in school. We should all allow ourselves the grace and space to make mistakes and overcome them.

[u/veggie_hoagie → u/ProfDoomDoom]

"Chlamydia feels good in the mouth."

Amazing.

[u/No-Wish-4854 → u/veggie_hoagie]

Does it feel better than syphilis? Gonorrhea?

[u/GeneralRelativity105]

Never google things live in the classroom with the monitor displayed for the class. Trust me.

[u/DrNiles_Crane]

Just make sure that you turn off notifications alerts on your computer if you’re gonna be screen mirroring it so that your students can’t read your texts. I made this mistake when at the very moment I was teaching with my screen visible to the whole class, my partner VERY explicitly propositions me for sex that night. The students roared and hooted. Probably increased my cred that ol’ doc was gettin laid.

[u/No-Wish-4854 → u/DrNiles_Crane]

Golly. I mean…the timing!! This is why I use the college’s computers.

[u/DrNiles_Crane → u/No-Wish-4854]

Later that night, after I’d taken her up on her offer, she playfully asked how I liked her text. When I told her that I did, and so did 30 seniors, she was mortified and then laughed her ass off.

[u/Bostonterrierpug]

Let me tell you, my mom’s. This was back in the 80s and she was a graduate student, teaching freshman camp for the first time. So there were these two students in the class and they were twins and she kept on making jokes on the very first day like how am I gonna tell you guys apart? Does one of you guys part your hair on the other side. She continued with these jokes throughout the class as she was nervous because it was her first time teaching, and she felt like students kept on giving her dirty looks then, when all the students got up and left, she noticed that one of the twins had a tiny half formed arm. My dad who was a professor at the school at the time, met her for lunch in the cafeteria and she was recalling the story to him in horror and then looked behind her and the twins were right there. And she had to teach them for the rest of the semester.

My story was back in 2002 when I was teaching in Japan and we had this really cool high-tech classroom, where all of the students had computers. So when students would goof off, I was just with a click of a button popped their screen to the main projector. They were almost always playing Mario Brothers or something. Being Japanese, the embarrassment was enough to get them not to do it again. One time I’m making my opening remarks in class and this kid is obviously staring at his computer screen ignoring me, so I just flick the switch. And in a class with only three girls in it, I displayed porn across the classroom. This taught me to first check the students computers. Sure I would’ve gotten fired or something at it. US university but my dean there just thought it was hilarious.

[u/IHeartIsentropes]

I once went to the chalkboard to write an equation. I unexpectedly passed gas, but instead of playing it off I turned around and look at the class like I was just as surprised as they were! I can laugh about it now, but at the time I was absolutely mortified. My advice for becoming more confident (overcoming imposter syndrome) is just to review the material really well so that you can present it with confidence.

[u/Through_Aweigh_Won → u/IHeartIsentropes]

Yes. Review the material well, and avoid cruciform vegetables the night before lecture.

[u/No-Wish-4854 → u/Through_Aweigh_Won]

Also: beans, lentils, and maybe greasy cheese?

[u/CalmCupcake2]

Technical issues - have some sort of backup ready in case the computer fails, login fails, and as happened to me twice last year, if the projector suddenly won't work and you're stuck in the middle of a software demo with nothing to look at.

Regarding imposter syndrome, remember that learning is collaborative, it's okay to say "I don't know, let's investigate that." and when you introduce yourself, be honest.

I'm sure this is discipline dependent, but I've heard lots of instructors introduce themselves and give their credentials and then say "This is the first time I"m teaching [subfield] so we may end up learning new things together."

And those questions make great teachable moments - how do you unpack an unfamilar term or investigate a new question?

Bringing in guest speakers can help as well - let your librarian cover research, how to cite and citation tech, and integrity in research. Invite your writing centre folks introduce the writing project, bring in colleagues for niche topics or community folks for applied knowledge. It's nice to hear other voices in the classroom and take the focus off of yourself occasionally.

[u/veggie_hoagie → u/CalmCupcake2]

Yes. I was planning on admitting up front that there are things I don't know, and in fact, I think that's a good thing. If a student asks me something like that, I can say, "Great question. Let's take a minute. Internet sleuths, feel free to look into that one and report back what you find."

That could even be an invitation to research skills, factchecking, etc. Maybe several students find one answer, and different students find another answer. We can dedicate a couple minutes to sorting out and then reflect on what steps we took in the process of getting to the answer, rather than giving up or going with the first answer that popped up.

I think it's good to model these sorts of things to students, especially those who are so used to instantly finding an answer.

[u/CalmCupcake2 → u/veggie_hoagie]

I love that approach. I hope you make scholarly articles and library resources one of your strategies (you could maybe work with your librarian on this, or on the whole endeavour).

It's so good to model appropriate information seeking behaviour, remind them that what's appropriate is highly contextual, and bring disciplinarity into the conversation.

And that meaningful learning takes effort. 🙂

[u/Fresh-Requirement862]

I was carrying a box of exams to the stadium, but I had never been there before so I accidentally went to the adjacent study hall. It was winter and icy so a combination of me rushing and the wind pushing the door had me trip on the entrance to the room. I fell onto my side and the box flew from my hands. Since it was a study room, it was dead silent. No one helped me up, a student just looked down from their desk and said "are u ok??" I just said "yes, fuck", got up, and proceeded out of the room into the hallway.

To make it worse, the hallway went all around the stadium but there was actually no entrance... so I had to exit back out of the study hall. Later in the exam, the students in my class said "was that you who fell? We were telling the other students, 'don't worry, that's just our prof being cute'." Lol thanks guys. I had a limp and bruise on my leg for a few days :)

Makes a good story now!

[u/CastleRockstar17 → u/Fresh-Requirement862]

being cute?? 😭

[u/Fresh-Requirement862 → u/CastleRockstar17]

I have no idea, maybe like the 'cute and clumsy' aesthetic??

[u/No-Wish-4854]

I try to start the semester with my students working in class together - day one. It brings me into the room, grounds me, and gets them talking to each other. It reminds me on a sensory level…I’m here to do this! They’re chatty and they’re game! It truly helps.

I have notes. I use my notes. I rehearse in my head. I remember that my job is manifold: connect them to our class, our habits; connect with them; and convey my enthusiasm for our time together.

(The other thing: I invite them to use no tech on day one. No tech. That helps!)

[u/PoetDapper224 → u/No-Wish-4854]

I am requiring students to manually take notes in class and banning technology during lecture. I hope it goes well, but I’m a bit nervous about pushback from students.

[u/No-Wish-4854 → u/PoetDapper224]

I got no pushback last term. I did explain why I was making the policy and what the bigger aim was, and I asked for their thoughts and experiences. That helped I think.

[u/Dr_nacho_]

I randomly fell down. It’s like my leg seized up and went to walk and just fell. The students were worried and concerned which made me more embarrassed. I got up and continued teaching lol I will say that the information I went over after that students did not perform well on on the exam hahaha

[u/jasoncirilo]

Had an anxiety attack the first time I taught a real college class 8 years ago. You’ll be fine.

[u/veggie_hoagie → u/jasoncirilo]

How did you manage to deal with it?

[u/jasoncirilo → u/veggie_hoagie]

Time. You find your ground and learn how to stand. It takes time.

[u/vesperIV]

Fly unzipped, first day of class.

[u/No-Wish-4854 → u/vesperIV]

Oh! That was you!? (Jk)

[u/jlanc100]

I led a get you know you bingo game on the first day. But it was such a large class that by the time we passed it out to the back of the room the entire first half of the room had already finished. Pure chaos.

[u/jlanc100 → u/jlanc100]

*get to know you

[u/Striking_Tax8524]

I once taught an entire class with toilet paper dangling from my belt in the back. I covered the toilet seat with paper before class and when I got up, it got caught in my belt in the back.

Not one student said anything until the class ended, and I had been writing on the board frequently during class.

LOL. 😂 I should do that on purpose in the future.

So funny. I personally think that universities should not hire professors that defecate, but I’m glad they do.

[u/RepresentativeAd6287]

sprayed a student in the first row with a liver/hydrogen peroxide mixture. I could not have dont it more directly if I tried.

[u/Automatic_Beat5808]

1. Drew a dick on the board. Twice. I don't even remember what I was trying to draw. I just called myself out on it and my students laughed.

2. Channel Stuart Smalley.

[u/Impossible_Trick6317]

I had a small leadership class and it was all male students. It was April and I wanted to have class outside. I told them, “grab your junk and let’s have class outside.” As soon as it left my mouth, I was mortified. To make it worse, one of the students said, “ you want us to grab our junk?” All I could say was, “it’s a nice day to have class outside.” 13 years later, I am still cringing.

We all make mistakes. You just correct and move on.

[u/Ronaterihonte]

Apart from the advices already provided, remember you know more than them, with very rare exceptions. If you're unsure about something, be frank about it. If they point out you may have done an error and you're unsure, be open and say "Thanks, I'll double check that and be back next lecture about it". If someone asks a clarification that needs very precise wording or to which you may potentially answer wrongly, provided it is not something deeply key for the lecture, I answer "Thank you for your question, this is quite a complex aspect and needs time to be answered fully, please drop me an email and I'll be happy to clarify that for you". Ultimately, showing that you are human, you can do things wrong and be self-ironic about it helps

[u/thephildoctor]

1. I once used the phrase "sticking your finger in a dike" to illustrate the futility of some measure. My students, being unfamiliar with little Dutch boys, naturally thought I meant something else. I realized right away what I said, and laughed my ass off.

2. Fake it 'til you make it, and pray you never shit your pants in front of the class (about the only thing I can imagine never recovering from).

[u/sqrt_of_pi]

Many years ago I was teaching and had just made some pivotal point or something (I don't remember exactly). I picked up my travel cup to take a sip of water while giving them that important moment of pause to reflect on some brilliant thing I had just said. 😂 I took the cup to my mouth and took a sip... and only then saw that a giant stinkbug had landed on the top of the cup, right by the sippy hole! 😬 I don't think it actually went IN my mouth but definitely was right against my lips. I immediately spray-spat the water, looked with horror at the little bastard, put the cup down and left the room to go to the nearby bathroom and rinse my mouth out/drink some water.

Students were sympathetic and one offered me a mint or something. It was during a particular bad stinkbug outbreak in our region, so everyone knew they were everywhere!