ABSTRACT
I came to IUPUI in the Fall of 1995. That semester I taught a recitation section of Physics 152, the introductory calculus-based mechanics class. I came in full of enthusiasm, with a desire to see my students learn the material and share my excitement about physics. In fact, I accomplished none of this; by the end of the semester I was thoroughly depressed about my teaching ability. Then the student evaluations came and showed that it had been even worse than I thought. Not only had my students “failed to learn,” they were deeply offended by my “arrogant” attitude and my efforts to “prove how smart I am.” They “could not imagine” how I could be permitted to teach.
