That extra butterfly

Picture this. You're teaching two sections of the same course, both scheduled on the same day, back to back. They cover the same subjects and follow the same lesson plans in the same order. A friend of yours would like to attend one of those sections. Which one do you recommend?

My first instinct would be to recommend the later class because it would probably be the more polished one. I would have just finished giving the exact lesson only a short while ago, so the points would tend to still be clear in my mind, the chain of ideas well-linked, the flow of the lesson more rehearsed, and my feelings more confident.

In the earlier class, the lesson and all that comes with it would as yet be unperformed. In this class, if a student asks a question, it's a little more thought-provoking, a little less expected. I might notice a mistake in my slides. I might realize that the activity I'm conducting should have been 20, and not 15 minutes long.

However, that earlier class does have an edge in at least one area (as a few recent lessons have made me realize): spontaneity. Based on my experience, asides in my lecture seem to come more easily in classes such as these. I can joke, improvise, stray from the script. I also think my performance is slightly more surprised, more authentic, and less robotic.

Actors often talk about butterflies in the stomach as a good thing. They don’t wish the feeling away. That’s because too little fear would make them jaded. They know that extra emotion and pressure can bring out a more powerful performance.

So, to go back, which section would I finally recommend? I’ll have to think about it :P But for now, having the best of both worlds would be nice. Some rehearsal in my teaching is essential, and consecutive classes/semesters produce that. But spontaneity is also useful. And being "under-prepared" can provide that impetus, that spontaneity, that extra butterfly.