Tomorrow is the first day of class. I shall have to go into rooms full of people who will look at me expectantly. I shall have to talk in front of rooms full of people. Who are looking at me.

Sometimes I stand in front of the door that leads to the classroom from the stockroom for a long time. I'll wait to the last possible moment to minimize the amount of time that I'll have to be in front of the students. Occasionally it is difficult to leave my office to go to the classroom.

And the spring semester is actually easier than fall. In the spring, I have alot of students taking a second astro course with me. I do look forward to seeing them. I just don't look forward to them seeing me. You see?

In case it isn't clear, I do love teaching. And if I may say so, I'm quite good at it. Shyness, however, is a personal demon. And it rears its ugly head on the first day of class.