Why I love to teach

I confess: I love to teach. I'm one of those insufferable people who is actually happy with his job (well, the teaching part of it, anyway). This confession is going to cost me on my next salary review, isn't it?

But this post is on why I love to teach. Is it because I want to make a difference in people's lives, like Robin Williams in Dead Poets' Society or Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Minds (but preferably without any of my students winding up dead)? Well, that's part of it. I'm an incurable idealist, and I do want to make a positive difference in the lives of my students. I would love to show my students the joy of programming or the wonder of an elegant mathematical solution, thereby fueling a passion for learning and creating the next Bill Gates or Steve Jobs.

On the other hand, teaching is by no means the only way you can make a difference. No, I don't mean that I could have been a doctor who saves lives, or a lawyer who upholds justice. More realistically, I could have been an IT professional who writes high-quality applications that help people do their jobs more efficiently every day. Heck, I could have been a bus driver and make a difference by brightening up the days of my passengers by being courteous and helpful. So while being a goody-two-shoes boy scout is part of the reason I love to teach, it's by no means my main reason.

Is it because I love what I teach? I do find joy in programming, in coming up with an elegant way to solve a problem using a computer. The enjoyment is a lot like what I get from playing a game or solving a puzzle. On the other hand, I often get assigned to teach topics that are not my first choice, like business statistics or object oriented analysis and design. Don't get me wrong - although these topics are not where my primary interests lie, I still enjoy teaching them. But if I could cherry-pick my modules, I'd pick programming modules every time.

Maybe I love interacting with students? Sort of, but not in the way you might think. According to my Myers-Briggs profile, I'm quite an introvert. I'm not the sort to enjoy noisy parties or go out to night club for drinks and dancing (and if you've seen me dance, you wouldn't want me along either). My preferred social interaction is to have a couple of close friends play a board game with me and my wife. So while I'm always happy to accept a new Facebook friend request from a student, I'd be just as happy if I could spend more time with the friends I already have.

So what's the real reason? Frankly, it's because I'm a big fat show-off. That's right, I'm one of those people who watches American Idol and thinks, "I'd knock everyone's socks off if I were to try out for that. If only I was American. And 20 years younger. And could sing."

It's just a happy coincidence that making the lessons entertaining is the best way to get the students to listen and learn. Every time I teach, I approach it like a mini-performance, and I get a thrill when my students respond to my teaching; I suspect the feeling I get when my students understand the material and do well in their tests is similar to what actors feel when they hear their audience's applause. And unlike performing in a show, the students aren't allowed to boo me.

Teaching is essentially a big ego trip for me, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. :)