On September 6, I was standing in front of 24 brand new students, ready to give my first tutorial ever. About 7 years ago, I was the fresh student walking into the university building to attend my first lecture – and now here I was, feeling a bit uneasy to be the one standing in front of the classroom. As most of you probably recognize, I was excited but above all nervous. In the ideal situation, we all want to possess the essential qualities and skills a good teacher needs: enthusiasm, engagement, adaptability, patience, confidence, a sense of humor, approachableness, and the list goes on and on. However, in the battle of Ideal vs Reality, reality usually wins. So what does teaching look li