"Bueller."  "Bueller."  You've probably seen the clip I've referenced here.  A teacher in monotone calls roll, teaches class, and dismisses students without ever looking up.  Test time comes and they are virtually word-for-word from the lecture notes (where at least half of the class was asleep).  The problem isn't that the teacher doesn't know his/her stuff, it's that they offer no personality or life to their classroom.

I had a prof like this one in college for European History. He was extremely knowledgeable.  Some days I wondered if he had actually lived through Charlemagne's rule.  Some of the things he talked about were fascinating but I couldn't get passed the monotone, no-personality, lecture and listen style approach.  I fell asleep nearly every day.  Needless to say, I didn't do so well in that class.

I'll take some of the blame for that, but not all of it.  This prof was severely lacking in a vital area.  Personality.  He either had none or decided not to share it with his students.  That is a fatal mistake.  Students are looking for you to inject a little bit of life into what might be and otherwise boring topic.  Discussing the finer points of the subjunctive mood?  Great!  Be excited, use your hands to talk, tell jokes about how you learned, and in general, have fun with what you are teaching.