Student Teaching
I start my student teaching on January 3rd. I'm going to be a secondary teacher for Language Arts. I'm extrodinarily nervous about this experience. I often become tongue tied, stuttering, when talking to strangers, and even close friends, and I can't imagine how dreadful of an impact this will have when I'm in a classroom, faced with 20+ students who are hanging on my every word. I've had classroom experience before and I received positive feedback. However, I know the supervising teacher probably took pity on me because I was inexperienced.
My main point, I guess, is that I feel I have trouble communicating and I'm afraid my students won't understand me. I feel like a missed a step on the staircase or going over the big drop on a rollercoaster when I'm in front of a group of people and I'm terrified of what those feelings will cost me in the classroom. I've never been more passionate about anything in my life than I am about teaching. I don't want to let butterflies and stutters ruin my dream. Can anyone offer any advice to help calm these symptoms? I would be eternally grateful. Thank you for the time you took to read this. I truly appreciate it.