Yeah, I've noticed there are a lot of teachers who shouldn't be teachers. I guess some of them go into teaching because it's so structured and they'll usually be able to find a job just repeating what they've learned. The problem is they never learned how to think in the first place and therefore don't fully understand the material.
(BTW, Organic Chem was always difficult for me because of the memorization required. That's why I went into Physics rather than, say, med school. Kudos to you.)
Actually, I went into academia because it gave me an opportunity to do my own research on my own terms. That's typically the primary reason for those in my field. Teaching wasn't the primary lure, but one had to enjoy it somewhat. I did. I enjoyed seeing the lightbulbs all of a sudden illuminating. I enjoyed it when my enthusiasm for the topic was contagious.
I also know that no matter what, some just will never like it. And, I know that I did not have the time to try every new teaching approach under the sun to reach all the students. I found methods that would reach the most that I could.
(I left academia, though. Several reasons for it. I am happy I did leave, too.)
And, one of the concepts I tried to instill in my students was that organic was not memorization, despite the rumors to the contrary. There are seven fundamental mechanisms. Learn those inside and out (along with the first principles, of course) and you'll never have to memorize a reaction again. How easy is that? Seriously, it's similar to mathematics - you can derive almost everything.
And, physics is the mother of chemistry in reality, so excellent for you! I bet you would have enjoyed physical chemistry.
