ISU Teaching Debut

Technically I'd taught math at ISU when I was an undergraduate, leading a lab a couple of days a week.

That was basically high-school level algebra.

Yesterday was my first time teaching actuarial science. It was also a two-hour class.

I'd anticipated that parking would be a challenge, so (correctly) assumed that the parking passes I was given would be for lots that were already full.

Arrived at campus 45 minutes prior to class starting, to help with any surprise delays (there were none).

I'd done a trial run the previous Thursday and actually watched the teacher lead the class to get a sense of what they were used to.

With notes in hand, I launched into the lecture. I slipped a couple times, but nothing too serious as to be confusing. The topic was pretty straightforward.

I got through the notes in one hour, even though I thought I did a pretty thorough job of explaining why the formulas made sense, and paused often for student questions or to get their input.

With an hour left, I offered to stick around for anyone who wanted to rap with me about my experiences as an actuary. Five students took me up on it. Three of those asked about my offer to set up a job shadow with someone from State Farm.

On the whole, not too bad. It was encouraging that the department head caught me in the hallway and asked if I'd be willing to sub again sometime. Glad to do it!