Hi Kerstin, You make a number of good points about enthusiasm. Without enthusiasm it is hard to ramp up students and get them excited about they are learning. By being the "leader of the band" you can keep everyone moving in the right direction. When you may not being feeling the most up about the class I would suggest that you do group learning or activities. I have found that these sessions general good discussion and before I know it I am excited about what we are discussing. This way I'm not slogging through a lecture that is boring the students and dragging on. Gary