Teaching

So, as most of you know, I'm teaching a freshman composition class. To say the least, I've mostly been winging it since the beginning, which was about three weeks ago. It's weird, but even though I'm definitely more confident in class, not feeling the need to throw up every time I look a student in the eye or spew out a sentence, I still don't feel like a teacher. I'm not sure if I'm actually helping anyone learn anything.
But then I have a random moment or two where I think, "Ok, maybe something is going on under the surface." For instance, today I just introduced our second paper for the semester: a profile. This is basically where each student finds something interesting about a person, place, or event, and writes a 3-page profile on it. I passed out the paper's guidelines and a few people had questions on format and page length, but soon I moved on to the dreary task of talking for the rest of class. After class, two students came up to ask what I thought about possible topics for their profile. I don't know, it wasn't big or anything, no bright light from heaven saying, "Here's your affirmation," but there was something in the way these two girls talked about their topics that made me feel as if this assignment actually meant something. Maybe not much, but at least something.
I just wish I had more to go on then brief moments like that. Not like I expected a Dead Poet's Society to be formed (even though that would be sweet), but maybe just some sense of purpose behind this whole class.