Can an INTP really teach?

[Zero Angel]

I was originally hired as the webmaster, but have become more of a 'tech mercenary', as nobody else has as much computer skills around here. Updating a website is boring work and I want to move on to a place where I can actually grow more in skills.

However, my community is starting a pilot project where kids who have been expelled from the school actually continue to take classes (i'm not sure if its on a formal or graded basis), but I get to teach 'computer science' to them. I know some of them and I have faith that they can be taught. Right now, i'm developing a curriculum and going to get a full orientation into the program on Monday. Hopefully this will provide enough excitement for me to stick around.

Can an IN really teach though? Its hard to imagine that I would do a good job. Is there any INTPs who teach and what are your experiences?

[Johnny]

I teach at my company and my feedback is often more positive than negative...usually it's for policies and procedures I have edited or written for new processes, along with the software tools that accompany them...but I think now that I'm more of an FP than a TP.

I say go for it if you're inclined to do so. You'll never know if you don't, and you already know that...it's boring...LOL

:sombrero:

[INTrPosr]

I teach at my company and my feedback is often more positive than negative...usually it's for policies and procedures I have edited or written for new processes, along with the software tools that accompany them...but I think now that I'm more of an FP than a TP.
Johnny, what type of work are you in? I ask, because I have been wondering whether INTPs would be good at Employee Relations type work. Part of it would be training, but mostly dealing with policy and procedures issues.

[SheepDog]

I've been told that I am good at explaining technical ideas at a less technical level. I think the trick to being a good teacher is understanding how the student is seeing things. Basically, I think there are some things that INTPs could do well teaching, and other things that might not work so well for them.

[Sackanaka]

Although not confirmed, I have much reason to believe that my animal physiology professor is an INTP - very good at discussing the various systems of the body, a good speaker, eager to explain and clarify, and doesn't claim to know more than he does. The clincher? I asked him if he didn't have problems with motivation, to which he replied, "No, actually that may be my biggest problem."
He's one of my favorite professors, even though his class kills. :D Just give it your best!

[Johnny]

...I have been wondering whether INTPs would be good at Employee Relations type work....I think that one's preferred personality type and an individual's personal talents can be separated by distances great enough to make even Employee Relations type work a successful and rewarding endeavor for INTP'ers.

But you do bring up a good point here. In my company, the numbers show that the majority of people there prefer thinking to feeling. So I think that if you prefer thinking as well, you may want to consider what employee relations type work may be available within companies that (at least stereotypically) would hold thinkers in the majority also, such as science and technology companies, or perhaps well-regarded academic institutions.

I wouldn't let any personality preference prevent me from pursuing a personal goal. If anything, I'd use it to help me get there faster...

[Boneca]

I used to organize training sessions for people at a tech support call centre, and I quite enjoyed that.
I only worked with small groups though, 3-5 people at the time. But I have really tried to improve my presentation skills since then, so I think I may (with some additional training) be able to teach a larger class.

People said I was very good at explaining technical stuff, and most of them liked me as a teacher. The problem I had was with people who were either totally stupid (and I mean totally I-cannot-spell-my-own-name stupid - don't ask me what they were doing in a computer company) or not interested in learning. I got annoyed with them, since I felt they were just wasting my time. Therefore I would not want to pursue a career as a teacher, unless I could be sure that all my students would be really motivated.

[int]

I used to train employees and wrote technical documentation on occaision - and I really enjoyed it. Plus, a lot of customers often want an explanation so I developed a little ability:

Because I'm able to break complex concepts down to basic, understandable principals I can be very effective at teaching when I actually want to. Of course, most people don't really need to know, just think that they do (or are trying to small-talk over the silence that I quite enjoy when I'm problem solving) - so I can speak in tongues to them if I think that's what the situation requires.

I think it's important to feed off of them to get whatever it is that they want to know into their heads - or not into their heads, as the case may be. It really depends on the person.

That's also the best kind of instruction I've ever received - from teachers that understood everybody learns differently. So when it comes to kids, you'll probably want to "analyze their systems" to find out what it is that makes comp sci click for each individual.

[Avengardh]

Yeah...I can teach...I just don't like doing it.

[Vagabond]

Yeah...I can teach...I just don't like doing it. You took the words right out of my mouth.:p

[athman]

I did MBA school teaching for about 5 yrs and corporate training for a large IT firm before that. Like others in this post, I'm good at understanding complex technical or business concepts and explaining it to others.
I really enjoy designing new courses because of the challenge of understanding a specific topic, working out the bits that matter, and then finding the best way to communicate this others. The optimum point for me is running the same course about three times. After five iterations I get very restless and want to redesign the course, not that there's anything wrong with it, but I will get bored with teaching it.
I love running case study discussions, I can repeat those more often. You get to work with mutiple threads of discussion, in real-time in front of a live audience, and connect their thoughts in certain ways to move the discussion forward. I think this type of work is tailor made for INTP's. The last 10 years has seen a big shift from 'chalk and talk' to action based learning, which opens to door for more interesting ways of teaching.
If I had to do just the basics, like sticking to someone else's curriculum, or doing 'business 101' courses I'd go crazy. I have a former business partner who has made a lot of money from running basically the same sales training course over and over again for 10 years. The economics are great (develop once, run many times) and he's refined it to a level I never could. But its my idea of hell.
I agree with earlier posts too, I like people who are basically competent and willing to have a go, but, as I am sometimes remined, I don't suffer fools gladly. So... in a nutshell, teaching is great, INTP's can do it and in some areas they can excell, but choose the context carefully.