Job Discussion Forums

[elainenatal]

It can be disconcerting for an inexperienced teacher going into a new situation. However, I was wondering if any of the experienced teachers out there ever have similar feelings. Has anyone had any bad classsroom experiences that has caused anxiety.If so, what do you do to overcome these feelings?

[johnslat]

Dear elainenatal,
Anxiety? You want to talk anxiety? Way back in the Dark Ages, when I was doing my internship, I was so anxious before my first " real class " that I had to visit the mens room beforhand and - yes - upchuck. I'm afraid, though, that perhaps the only " cure " is time and experience ( well, drugs might work - just kidding ). Even these days, when I first enter a new class, I have a " mild frisson ", a tingle, of anticipation. But I thnk that's probably not such a bad thing; it keeps you on your toes. As for bad experiences that happen DURING a class, well, all you can do is try to learn from them, I'd say.
Regards
John

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Hello Elainenatal:

It can be disconcerting for an experienced teacher as well. Feelings of anxiety before class are normal. It's a sign that you're taking your job seriously, and that's a good thing.

My most angst-filled experiences have always been with kids; in particular at the Korean 'hagwon' I worked for a few years back. At this school, 14 kids were cramped together into a rather small room, and there was no co-teacher present in the room ... so you can imagine what that was like.

With adults, it's not quite so bad. They rarely fight, kick, spit or throw silverware at each other.

One tip: It's a good idea to have your lesson-plans prepared well in advance of class. Being prepared helps to 'take the edge off'. It's also a good idea to always have a "Plan-B" in mind, in case your well-laid lesson plans go down the drain.

Regards,
keNT

[Celeste]

I like to always have a few quiet worksheets available for students to do if things go totally wrong. That way they have something to do for 5 minutes while I re-group and decide how to fix the lesson that has de-railed. (I have these ready for all ages of students, right from elementary school to adults).

I also think that it is very important to have your classroom procedures established and written down for yourself. That way, you have something to adhere to if you start to freak out.

I would recommend that you read some of the articles by a columnist on the teachers.net gazette. Actually, it is a couple by the name of Harry and Rosemary Wong. They have a lot of really good advice for starting teachers that I think applies to all teachers.

http://teachers.net/gazette/AUG02/wong.html

[scot47]

The educational equivalent of stagefright stays with us. 35 years on I still get it, but maybe not so acutely.

I am a great believer in always having a white rabbit to pull out of the black hat. Always have something extra, something surprising, something striking to do or say, that will grab their attention and make me feel better. What your own personal white rabbit is you will have to work on for yourself.

[Roger]

When I was a student myself, I could never pluck the courage to recite a poem in front of the class. The flaws of the person standing in front of everybody seem to get magnifiked beyond their actual significance.
Strangely enough, being the lone man in the classroom, usually standing on a raised platform - making you even more isolated from your audience - rarely gives me what approximates stage fright.
I experienced some angst several years ago when I taught English Literature to Chinese college students. This was not in my first two or three lessons, but rather after I discovered that I had planned my lessons down to the smallest details -all in vain!
Here I was in a room filled with 60 youngsters dissecting an excerpt from I forgot whether it was Elizabeth Gaskell or Emily Bronte (I was, perhaps, temporarily focusing on female authors), and it dawned on me rather painfully that two thirds of my audience were reading in comic strip magazines or conducting their private conversations. A participative dialogue involving students as equal partners in a discussion was obviously too fanciful a flight of fancy. Did they realise how far women liberation has travelled in Western countries in 150 years? They did not even realise that the stories we were discussing were set in a period Chinese refer to as Qing dynasty. My students' own grand-grand-mothers
had their feet bound as young girls, never being permitted to learn to run or walk without pain, and these young girls being my students - my classes were 90% female! - who were strictly forbidden from dating any males on the campus would launch into a lecture on how Chairman Mao himself had liberated Chinese women from the feudal yoke, yet most of them would, no doubt, want to be married by a man who could afford to have a wife that does not work and earn towards the common household.
Later, I was told that my students found my lessons "too difficult. COuld I make them easier? They only needed to know who was the 'best author of the 17th century' (obviously it had to be Shakespeare!), who was the 'best' author of the 18th century, and so on down to the twentieth century!
I have learnt one thing from this epiosode: I don't need to plan my lessons down to the smallest detail any more. It is counterproductive.
I give them more spontaneously, always having something to fall back on if my first option falls flat (which it seldom does).
Scripted lessons are out. I just follow a general lesson plan that defines an objective but leaves a lot of freedom to how I tackle it. There isn't much to be feared anymore!

[lagger]

I'm amazed when people think teaching is a really easy job. It's not.
I too felt sick when I had to teach my first class alone. I remember sitting there alone in the classroom thinking "Oh my God, I can't do this, I can't do this" but I did it. I have to admit, I never get anxious about standing in front of a group anymore except maybe the first day I meet a class. I guess the lack of anxiety is because I've done it so often now, it's routine.

However, sometimes situations can make me a little anxious, especially when I feel I won't be able to handle something. I had a very belligerent student once and I used to dread going to class to face him. I also had a sexual harrassment situation once that made me anxious. I get a bit nervous when I am observed by too many people (once I had two practicum students and my boss watching). Also, sometimes if something goes wrong with the lesson, I have a brief moment of panic. Luckily, I have a 'bag of tricks' (i.e games & activities) and I just explain what happened (i.e the photocopier is out of order) and move on.

[itslatedoors]

Anxiety is a feeling that all teachers have from time to time and to different degrees and it's a fact that people don't all adapt to changing situations in the same wayDon't worry about anxiety it's a positive response from your body. Coming from a nation of island warriors and being a descendant of those whom Dowding referred to as 'the few' has thankfully instilled in me a very British stiff upper lip which doesn't quiver even when faced with a class full of desk drumming,christian hating,not very energetic,belligerent,hooker shagging,bin Laden loving bedu.............even when hungover.Talk about looking fear in the face.

[bulgogiboy]

Some tips to reduce anxiety prior to entering the classroom with a new class:


1. Prepare thoroughly.

2. If possible, go for a long swim/jog/workout before your class starts, to relax you.

3. Go into the classroom a bit earlier than you usually would, write your stuff up on the board, get your CD player/handou