This is my first year teaching at the college level. It's been a great experience for me so far, and there's honestly nothing I'd rather be doing (ok, maybe except writing poems, but a girl's got bills to pay).
I'm a lowly lecturer and teach beginning composition at a 2 year college. I love my students; they're really fantastic, though unprepared. We get down and dirty with grammar, which I swore I'd never do until I read some of their first essays.
But Duncan's got a good point -- have fun with it. I enjoy going to work everyday and I don't take anything too seriously. I had my kiddos watch The Daily Show in class the other day for a lesson on logical fallacies. We all got a good laugh. I tell lame jokes all the time, and they have to laugh at them because I'm the professor! It's wonderful to have a captive audience.
I love what I do, though, I've still got that new professor smell and enthusiasm to me. My favorite part of the job is working with my students everyday. It's actually really rewarding to see them progress and learn the difference between its and it's! I'm curious to see what others say, because I'm sure you'll get some proper advice from people who know a lot more about the profession than I do. I'm such a newbie... But really -- it's a great profession and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Where else would I mistakenly get called Dr. Hoerth?
Now those are my favorite students...
Good luck!
K.