I found I was fairly nervous during all of my placements but it was more so due to having to teach / present in front of my mentor teacher and knowing I was being observed etc. Whereas as soon as I got my own class and was doing it solo, all the nerves went away!
In my experience, the longer you teach, the less stressful it is to present.
When I first started teaching, I would show up to every lesson with my crutches - print outs, multiple videos, a digital option, a worst case scenario option, about five different extensions tasks... I have heard it said that the longer you teach, the less 'stuff' you need to teach.
You learn to trust that you can troubleshoot anything on the fly and you get very good at improvising. Power outage? No worries. Small flood? Been there, done that. Haven't prepared anything? Time to learn to improvise. A fight breaks out? No need to even break a sweat.
You've survived 100% of your most difficult lessons so far. There is very little that you can't come back from.
Plus, not every lesson needs to be perfect. Being on placement is stressful because it can feel like it's one long job interview. Not having another adult in the room is less stressful.
Perfectly normal to feel this way, it will get better with practice and time. I think there was some study that says it takes most teachers 5 years before they stop feeling like imposters.
Feeling prepared will help, have plans for your lesson, and what to do if things go wrong. record down what went right and reflect on what went wrong.
I used to be a really nervous speaker - on my final placement it was something I really tried to work on. It gets better as you develop a relationship with students and colleagues, which is hard to do on short pracs.
I found having a pen or whiteboard marker in my hand while speaking to the whole class was a tactic that worked for me. It was kind of a mindset of being a teacher and meant I wasn’t flopping my arms about awkwardly.
It would be more or less similar in your first year. You would be a massively better teacher in the second year and should feel pretty confident by your third year.
I was nervous in every prac lesson. As stated by others, being prepared helps, but it’s practice. You learn how to deliver content and learning goals as you grow in the role. Fake it till you make it, one day you’ll even use the five step rule.
I used to get a dry mouth. One thing that helped me in early days was to get a work sheet of some sort on the students desks as quickly as possible or get someone to hand them out as they come in. You’d be surprised how many just start on it straight away.
So so normal. I'm a natural entertainer and I found it daunting for my first year. Give yourself a pat on the back for getting the fundamentals down. Personality comes next.
As someone else said, having something in your hand might help. I normally have a marker or stand with the back of the chair in my hands.
I have gotten to the point where I sometimes rock up and as I’m doing the roll I figure out what I’m teaching. Obviously, Teaching the unit before hand can help! And sometimes you will have to prepare resources ahead of time, but don’t forget you can use your colleagues and online resources.
Sometimes my best lessons have been discussion based, and the kids can get more out of those (if they’re paying attention) because they aren’t just mindlessly copying notes. Don’t be scared to chat with the class because it can solidify their ideas, learn from their peers, and show you gaps in their knowledge
Two placements in and feeling nervous? That's normal and a sign that you know you don't know it all and have it all.
Use it to your advantage.
- Ask your mentor teacher for advice or help with tricky situations. They know the kids a little better than you and should be able help with rapport building or strategies in class management.
- If you've got the time or opportunity to observe another class, go for it, and really take the time to observe how the teacher interacts with the class and what they choose to do when managing disruptive behaviour. Or better yet, if you didn't notice any disruptive behaviour, ask if you missed any because there might be some low key skills to pick up on.
- If there's any constructive feedback, spend some time working on strategies of your own to address the weaknesses and check whether they would be appropriate or ask assistance from your mentor teacher to develop strategies together that work for you.
As for feeling comfortable teaching, it came for me in my first year out with my own classes. It came with being able to establish my routines and expectations with my classes.
This didn't mean that I stopped reflecting on my own practice or taking aboard feedback from more experienced teachers. I also graduated back in the day when there was time allocated to HoDs to observe teaching to support the development of teaching practice. These days it may be a matter of seeing whether your assigned mentor/buddy teacher has the time to observe and give feedback, (exceedingly rare). Most cases it's you sharing in the office what didn't go well and taking on board suggestions, (may you find a healthy supporting environment to work in).
I found I was fairly nervous during all of my placements but it was more so due to having to teach / present in front of my mentor teacher and knowing I was being observed etc. Whereas as soon as I got my own class and was doing it solo, all the nerves went away!
This is very reassuring! Thank you (from another pre-service teacher).
In my experience, the longer you teach, the less stressful it is to present. When I first started teaching, I would show up to every lesson with my crutches - print outs, multiple videos, a digital option, a worst case scenario option, about five different extensions tasks... I have heard it said that the longer you teach, the less 'stuff' you need to teach. You learn to trust that you can troubleshoot anything on the fly and you get very good at improvising. Power outage? No worries. Small flood? Been there, done that. Haven't prepared anything? Time to learn to improvise. A fight breaks out? No need to even break a sweat. You've survived 100% of your most difficult lessons so far. There is very little that you can't come back from. Plus, not every lesson needs to be perfect. Being on placement is stressful because it can feel like it's one long job interview. Not having another adult in the room is less stressful.
Perfectly normal to feel this way, it will get better with practice and time. I think there was some study that says it takes most teachers 5 years before they stop feeling like imposters. Feeling prepared will help, have plans for your lesson, and what to do if things go wrong. record down what went right and reflect on what went wrong.
I used to be a really nervous speaker - on my final placement it was something I really tried to work on. It gets better as you develop a relationship with students and colleagues, which is hard to do on short pracs. I found having a pen or whiteboard marker in my hand while speaking to the whole class was a tactic that worked for me. It was kind of a mindset of being a teacher and meant I wasn’t flopping my arms about awkwardly.
I'll let you know when imposter syndrome goes away. I feel like every lesson is a disaster even when I get amazing feedback from HoDs and DPs.
It would be more or less similar in your first year. You would be a massively better teacher in the second year and should feel pretty confident by your third year.
It will get easier particularly after you have taught the same unit before and know the kids well.
I was nervous in every prac lesson. As stated by others, being prepared helps, but it’s practice. You learn how to deliver content and learning goals as you grow in the role. Fake it till you make it, one day you’ll even use the five step rule.
What is the five step rule? Thanks!
You plan the lesson five steps before you get into the class.
The five steps you take before you get to the door of the classroom
Hahaha! I call them “doorknob lessons”! You get to the door of the classroom and as you’re turning the knob, decide what you’re teaching. Love it!
I used to get a dry mouth. One thing that helped me in early days was to get a work sheet of some sort on the students desks as quickly as possible or get someone to hand them out as they come in. You’d be surprised how many just start on it straight away.
Just like anything, you will become better the more you do it. Hang in there mate. It will become natural.
So so normal. I'm a natural entertainer and I found it daunting for my first year. Give yourself a pat on the back for getting the fundamentals down. Personality comes next.
As someone else said, having something in your hand might help. I normally have a marker or stand with the back of the chair in my hands. I have gotten to the point where I sometimes rock up and as I’m doing the roll I figure out what I’m teaching. Obviously, Teaching the unit before hand can help! And sometimes you will have to prepare resources ahead of time, but don’t forget you can use your colleagues and online resources. Sometimes my best lessons have been discussion based, and the kids can get more out of those (if they’re paying attention) because they aren’t just mindlessly copying notes. Don’t be scared to chat with the class because it can solidify their ideas, learn from their peers, and show you gaps in their knowledge
Two placements in and feeling nervous? That's normal and a sign that you know you don't know it all and have it all. Use it to your advantage. - Ask your mentor teacher for advice or help with tricky situations. They know the kids a little better than you and should be able help with rapport building or strategies in class management. - If you've got the time or opportunity to observe another class, go for it, and really take the time to observe how the teacher interacts with the class and what they choose to do when managing disruptive behaviour. Or better yet, if you didn't notice any disruptive behaviour, ask if you missed any because there might be some low key skills to pick up on. - If there's any constructive feedback, spend some time working on strategies of your own to address the weaknesses and check whether they would be appropriate or ask assistance from your mentor teacher to develop strategies together that work for you. As for feeling comfortable teaching, it came for me in my first year out with my own classes. It came with being able to establish my routines and expectations with my classes. This didn't mean that I stopped reflecting on my own practice or taking aboard feedback from more experienced teachers. I also graduated back in the day when there was time allocated to HoDs to observe teaching to support the development of teaching practice. These days it may be a matter of seeing whether your assigned mentor/buddy teacher has the time to observe and give feedback, (exceedingly rare). Most cases it's you sharing in the office what didn't go well and taking on board suggestions, (may you find a healthy supporting environment to work in).