Reddit reviews Teaching What You Don’t Know

It is awkward for me to recommend yet another book to you, but this book is short, and a huge therapeutic effect of it kicks in almost immediately, so you don't even have to finish it; you only need to start it. It's Teaching what you don't know by Therese Huston.

It is an extremely empowering book for first-time teachers, as well as for seasoned teachers who for the first time in their lives teach outside of their comfort zone. The tldr message is that as a person outside of the field you have some weaknesses, but you also have a tremendous strength, as you are ALSO learning this material for the first time (at least to some extent). So the trick is in harnessing this opportunity and in using it to your advantage. In a way, if you just relax, embrace the fact that you are learning with your students, and build your classes smartly, you can reach much higher teaching goals than even some seasoned teachers, while getting lots of fun and joy in the process.

Try it. It's my favorite book ever, and I always recommend it to young faculty. There are lots of "deep" and overwhelming books about teaching out there, but this one is so well-written and so immediately useful.

Couple tips I've learned:

Eventually, with enough practice, exuding authority will make you feel good. It is a part of your job. Consider it this way: if a student is misbehaving in class then they aren't your main priority, the other students are. Those other students are also probably hoping that you'll chastise or kick out the misbehaving students and when you do so, it will greatly improve their opinion of you and your relationship with them. It is really a win/win situation.

In terms of not knowing material well, I would imagine almost every teacher has experienced this feeling, I know that I have. I'm only a few years into my career, but I view such classes as an exciting challenge, not a ticking time bomb. I get to learn more material, which I love to do, and I find that since the content is fresh in my mind I'm a better teacher.

For more on the latter topic I highly recommend the book Teaching What You Don't Know by Therese Huston.