It wasn’t that long ago that I was a student teacher. I remember how anxious I felt and how intimidating even the smallest of kids were, I almost wanted to run for the hills and look for a job where I hid behind a computer all day. I am very glad I didn’t however. I put my big girl pants on, held my head high and “student-teachered” away!

If you are currently studying a teacher’s degree and about to embark on some student teacher training yourself, please allow me to make your experience more pleasant. I would like to give you some of my learned advice on how to reduce anxiety as you start your career towards becoming a qualified educator. I have also included some coping mechanisms and ideas that can make your entry into the world of education a positive and enjoyable experience – as it should be!

Studying while “adulting” in the working world comes with plenty worries and stresses, especially for those who have recently left high school and are starting to make their mark by doing something they are passionate about. Choosing teaching as a career has a lot of advantages, but it’s not easy, especially when you are a “newbie”. 

Photo Credit - DON'T BE A STRESS BALL!

5 Tips For New Student Teachers

Number 1

There’s no such thing as a silly question.

Maybe you are a more of an extrovert than I am and asking questions or voicing your opinion comes easily to you, if so, that’s awesome! But if you are more timid like I am, it’s a tad more stressful to put yourself in the line of “question asking”. But trust me, it’s important to build on to this confidence and ask about the things you are inquisitive about or need to know.

Ask questions about class room routines, marking tips, working schedules, where things you might need are kept and so on. Knowing these things beforehand will make you feel a little more in control of your situation. 

Number 2

Make Friends With Other Student Teachers.

It really helps when you know someone who is in the same boat. Befriend a fellow student teacher at your school or look for an online community where you can chat to fellow student teachers. You will feel comforted knowing that what you are doing is a norm and that it is okay to feel anxious, clueless and overwhelmed at times.

Having a teacher friend will also give you the opportunity to ask the questions you might feel are too silly to ask your host teacher or schooling department (this happens). You can also bounce ideas off of each other, complain to one another (we all have complaints) and simply help each other to “take a load off”.

Number 3

Clean Up Your Online Presence.

This is addressed to everyone who wants to be taken seriously in their careers actually. You have a reputation to uphold and incriminating photos and posts on Social media accounts could come back to haunt you. Clean your accounts until they sparkle. In this day in age, chances are that fellow teachers, students and parents will look you up online, make a good impression and perhaps refrain from posting about conflicting topics. 

Number 4

Network.

Building a career has a lot to do with networking, on top of studying theory and practical work. This is how you find your niche and a working environment that you are happy with.

Cult Of Pedagogy has this advice regarding networking:

Schools are much more likely to hire someone whose work they are familiar with, so make sure people get to know you during your student teaching semester. This means going to the social events, introducing yourself to people you don’t know, eating lunch in the staff room (at least sometimes) and putting your hand up when volunteers are needed to sell tickets at the basketball game. Every person you meet is a potential connection for later employment, so make lots of connections now. - https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/student-teaching/

Number 5

One step at a time.

Remember that your job at this stage is to be a student yourself, it’s your job to learn and practice. Don’t put unrealistic expectations on yourself; you cannot learn everything in a day and automatically become a professional. You are allowed to make mistakes so cut yourself some slack and let your studies and host teachers guide you: baby steps! We are often overwhelmed simply because we overwhelm ourselves. 

Photo Credit - YOU'VE GOT THIS!!

Enjoy your beautiful and adventurous journey into teacherhood! Becoming and educator can be a tough and challenging task, there is so much theory to continuously learn and then there is the daunting task of putting it into practice for the first time. Take a deep breathe, allow yourself room to make mistakes and learn from them, without being too hard on yourself. Make friends, enjoy the kids, share your ideas and grow!

With thanks from @mamameimei

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