If you decide that you need to make significant improvements in your teaching, the Center for Teaching and Learning can help as well. For some faculty and TAs, it has taken as little as a student small group evaluation to point out minor defects in questioning technique or grading policy. For others, it has required considerable time learning better methods of organization or delivery. The crucial factor in each case has been the teacher's willingness to recognize the need for change and to invest the time necessary to learn new skills. Deciding to change will probably mean getting some distance from yourself as a teacher.
Most people regard their teaching as an intensely personal matter.
While they may be more than willing to allow colleagues to critique their written work, they are unlikely to invite them into their classrooms to observe and make comments. Even teachers who request observation may become defensive when anything negative is mentioned. Getting some distance from yourself, on the other hand, means recognizing that teaching is an acquired skill, one more easily gained if you get feedback on how you are doing at various parts of it. Any steps that you take to improve your teaching are likely to be worthwhile both personally and professionally. When well done, teaching can be a source of enormous personal satisfaction and pleasure.