Teaching and Anxiety
Hi guys,
I'm not quite sure how to go about this...
So, I recently started teaching the adult dance class at my dance school. The problem is that, although I love teaching, my social anxiety always gets in the way. More than anything, I want this class to go well, but judging by the first class, I'm not quite sure how it'll go over. I feel so awkward when I'm teaching, even though I love it to pieces. I want more than anything to be a confident, fun teacher instead of an awkward, bumbling college student trying to be something she's not. I've been teaching the younger kids for a while now and have been hoping that this would improve, but so far, it hasn't. Even though I had a lesson plan, I blanked a lot. I tried to make it fun, but no one seemed to be having fun and my jokes were always nervous. I made a ton of mistakes, which I always seem to do. Do you guys have any tips for dealing with social anxiety while teaching? Sorry for the rant. I just really needed to get it off of my chest.
I'd say take it slowly. You can't expect yourself to be a natural in the first few classes, especially with anxiety. But don't let that discourage you! Keep going with the classes, and don't be afraid of it being awkward - if it is awkward, that's OKAY! But if you keep going through those awkward classes, eventually it'll feel more and more natural to you and I bet you'll be the kind of teacher you want to be in time :) at least, this is how I have to combat my social anxiety. If I give myself enough exposure to the social situations that make me nervous, eventually I become more comfortable with them. Good luck!
@Seraphical Thanks. That means a lot. I just feel like I'm wasting my students' time if I'm not an effective teacher :-/
@KellyBee it's natural to feel that way, but I think you should give yourself the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure you're making a much more positive impact on them than you think. We're always harder on ourselves than other people are. If you're really 100% convinced that you're not effective at all (which I very much doubt is true), try to focus on this as a learning experience, and think of how much better it'll allow you to teach in the future.
Hi Kelly. I agree with what Seraphical has said. Teaching others whilst suffering from anxiety is definitely a tough position and learning to do so with confidence and comfort will take time. It's like the students in your class, they can't expect to be the best dancer that ever lived within a few days of practicing, it will take time. Same goes for you, you can't expect to become the perfect teacher you want to be yet, it will take time and practice, and you will have awkward moments. You will make mistakes. But that's okay. We all do. I'm positive you'll do great.
