Job Discussion Forums

[C76]

Excellent point, Dyak!

The best (or most interesting) classes are the ones that teach themselves.

I notice that students appreciate being involved in the learning process. Or, as I tend to say, being "responsible for their own education".

[denise]

Schminken--

There are already so many good replies to your question that maybe mine is irrelevant, but here goes. I, too, am introverted, shy, nervous, etc. Or at least, I was before I started teaching--now I tell people that I am really shy and they don't believe me. (Watch me at a party and you'll see!) Before I started teaching, I joined Toastmasters (www.toastmasters.org) to get some practice speaking in public. You've been teaching for a while already, but they could probably still help you. They'd be able to give you tips on how to prepare, how to deal with your nerves, etc. Granted, their strategies are all geared towards giving speeches and presentations, but I've found that they translate well into teaching situations. They have clubs all over the world, so there may even be one near you.

d

[guest of Japan]

I think nearly everyone I've ever met considers themselves to be shy. The ones who haven't should have been.

When I was in university I knew I was going to be a teacher, but I was pretty much petrified of being the focus of attention for large groups. So I did what any thoughtful insane person might do. I went to the campus coffeehouse every few weeks and read poetry I'd written or sang songs I'd written in front of about 40 or 50 people. I'm a bad poet and an even worse singer, but I've found learning to face that embarassment to be very helpful when I stand in front of class now.

Also you sound like a very good thoughtful teacher, so try not to worry so much. Give yourself about 5 minutes before every class to do something else.

[dyak]

[tjpnz2000]

Schminken,

Seems to me you have one of the most important traits of a good teacher, you actually care.

Imagine if you felt like this:
`I am totally relaxed in my classes because if the class is not good thats not my problem, I speak English anyway`.

Personally, when I am in the classroom I am not me. I become my incredibly confident alter-ego `Senseiman`. In social situations I am the most shy person you would ever meet, sometimes I'm too shy to talk to myself. But in the classroom it's not me. It's this other person who is very confident and extroverted. Sadly, my powers do not seem to last outside the classroom.

T

[Dr.J]

Au revoir!

I too have an alternate person that comes out in the classroom.
When I find it hard to 'wolf out', I use a few different techniques.

1) Do an activity that is so fun that everyone relaxes. *Do it even if there is minimal English taught. Spending 10 minutes relaxing the class can save your ass when you get to the hard stuff.

2) Pre-class self pep talk. I was surprised that this worked for me, but once before a tough class I heard a James Brown song on the radio and he was going "yeah! uh! I'm super bad! uh!" and that just made me laugh...so I go and do that for a little while before a class and...well it works OK?.

3) Somedays, I screw up. There will always be days when I screw up. I have learned to accept my own human weakness and so I've lost most of my fear of faliure. Se la vie!

That was good, I've never thought about it before!

Bonjour!

[Roger]

I seldom experience anxiety BEFORE the class - but often, I do feel some after it. Bad conscience? Hardly!
Perhaps student feedback is given too prominent a place in the evaluation of teachers. I understand that this is a democratic means that helps optimise teacher performance, and personally, I am willing to accept it. However, teaching in a foreign country puts too much onus on us. We have to perform according to expectations which may be alien to us. I am talking about teaching English in China.
I said, I feel completely at ease before class begins, and this is no vain boast. First time around many years back it was different - I had a kind of stage fright. Literally - you do stand on a raised dais just like a stage and you must be careful not to fall off stage and break your ankle! The first time, however, my school had made a blunder, sending two teachers to the same class. In the end, it was my class, and the other expat had to be deployed somewhere else.
This helped me understand that I need not take things too seriously. I prepared my lessons to the last five minutes, but recurrent organisational blunders committed by the school put spanners in my planning, and my students were so inured to chaos that I stopped planning so well. They were, in point of fact, totally unused to working independently and self-responsibly. Homework? Never done on their own - always as a concerted class action. Can you study Hamlet with other classmates in a noisy classroom in the evening? Of course not! In other woreds: Western-style learning is unheard of here, and not practised. What you need is the ability to improvise and fill time with meaningful activities. I feel I am on top of things because I almost always find a solution to an unexpected problem that crops up with new classes or students.
What does give me anxiety after the lessons is the often unfair feedback. I am not afraid of comments from serious students - have had them even in China. If they are interested in going abroad and accept that they have to pass an objective, impartial exam such as TOEFL or IELTS, then I have nothing to fear.
I do fear those students who take "advanced oral English class" out of boredom and because they want to conform with some social/national ideal (like "we Chinese are busy all the time, we even study English in our spare time").
These students are neither motivated enough nor capable of adapting to western teaching and learning styles. Typically, you have 20 adults in a class in the evening from 7 to 9 p.m., most are tired, have an appointment right after the lesson with their partner, and they have never had a western teacher in their lives.
Their levels are so wildly different there is absolutely no common denominator. If you go too fast the slow members will complain "I can't understand HIM!". If you go too slow, the advanced ones will inform your boss that "he is not teaching advanced level... my CHinese English teacher did that when I was in middle school!"
And, your boss will only listen to his 'customers' - yes, they are HIS customers, and they have a vote, you have none because you are not a customer.
The feedback from Chinese adults can be extremely puerile and self-centred - it will always fall on your boss' ears! What you think of your students and their needs - who cares?

[dmb]

Roger, you touched on a very interesting point. at the end of the day alot of us work in an environment that is looking to make a profit. And as teachers we will be not be given the time of day by the people who are in education to make money. Of course this is not always the case. I have in the past worked at a school that put education ahead of making money. Is this unusual?

[Nauczyciel]

In half an hour I am going to enter a classroom and start giving my first lesson at a new school. As I feel uneasy, I have excavated this thread from oblivion. The thing is, I am almost sure the lesson will be fine and I will be angry with myself for worrying so much, but still subconsciously I am scared s#itless. If there are any other teachers wondering anxiously how their lessons will go, I hope this can help, just as it helps me.

[struelle]

All along, I figured this was a new thread until I saw the last post. Interestingly, the dates coincide with one of the most difficult periods of my life. The Iraq War and SARS had just taken place - after recovering from that stress, I took on a CELTA course in Bangkok, only to find out my grandfather passed away shortly after.

That whole month of July was frantic, and I took a big break from Dave's (so I don't remember the thread)

But the topic itself is a very intersting one. I get nervous at the beginning of new classes frequently, but the 'cure' for this is very simple: build a rapport with the students. Even now as I'm doing my Education practicum in Canada, I was very scared at first. But a week later, the students and I are getting to know each other, so that really takes the edge off.

Find ways to get to know your students, and vice versa. That's the only way to teach.

Steve

[Lynn]

I am also an introvert. I could relate to many things in your post.
I, too also experienced
-butterflies that wouldn't go away
-being unable to "turn off" when the day is done
-worrying about lessons and students' reactions

No one could even tell I was nervous. And of course students couldn't beleive I was an introvert. Last year I left the teaching biz and started something completed different. I felt such a tremendous burden off my shoulders. At my current job I have to deal with irrate customers. My blodd pressure skyrockets, but it usually only lasts 5 minutes and then I'm onto the next customer. I never think about work at home. I admit, my life is much less stressful in that sense.

However, recently, I've come to realize that while this job might be less stressful because I dont' have to deal with the issues I had as a teacher, in the end it is much less rewarding. I miss the interaction I had with students. I am seriously reconsidering my life, and may go back to teaching.

I've relized I've just been avoiding my demons instead of trying to deal with them. I give you credit for not only recongnizing your issues but trying to find ways to deal with them.

[mandu]

i to also feel the same way before every class.i always worry about how Im doing and i do prepare well for classes.I hate being in the spot light or when other teachers watch your class.

if we have had along holiday,going back to work i find very difficult because i lose my confidence.
I worry about what other people (parents teachers principle) think about my lessons.
i do care way way to much about my job and i know i shouldnt because it doesnt get me anywhere

[moonraven]

The key to being a successful teacher is to put your attention on your students--on how they feel and what they think--not on yourself.

If you follow this approach, you won't be nervous anymore. After all, it's not about you!

[sigmoid]

A lot of people face anxiety and insecurity. Including me.

I would suggest you check out some confidence building fields like psycho-cybernetics, transactional analysis, meta-programming and neuro-linguistic programming. They can help you find the roots of your anxieties and train yourself to act and react in new ways. Studying and putting some of these ideas into practice helped me become a more positive, less nervous person.

[struelle]