September 4th, 2019 

Dear Teachers with Anxiety,
How are you all? I trust this beginning of September has started well for all of you! Right now, it’s a rainy, rainy day – as many Autumn days are, and this kind of weather just adds on to the gloomy feeling I have, just building up and building up since the last time I had class (back in July).

What a weird introduction to get through

Let me explain the context, though…

Today is my first day of class, and I am so scared. I guess I’m writing this to my future-self, to maybe help myself feel better right now, and also maybe it can help my future-self remember that I’ve been through the first days of classes before, that I’ve already survived and that I can survive again.

This semester is the beginning of semesters filled with internships in the field of teaching, and just writing this down makes my gut clench.

My experience with internships in schools has not been a very good one – most of it due to my lack of maturity and my lack of experience. Hopefully, after more years in the field and more years with practice, I really hope that I can actually make it. I’m trying to just… breathe. There are many things to do and I need to stay as organized as possible.

Internships may be my personal demons, but think about it, these are what you need…

• Organization
  • Update from October 11th, 2019 My CT told me to get a proper agenda (like a teacher’s planner), as it really helps out. When I went to the bookstores, there were no teacher’s planners anymore. They are only available when schools are starting, in August/September. Please plan accordingly.
• Patience with yourself and with the children (but especially with yourself)
• Sleep (you need some!)
• A really good group of friends that will help you pull through (it’s important, because my first few internships were so lonely…).

I hope this was somewhat helpful.
I really hope that this time next year, I will be properly equipped and somehow I will have acquired more confidence for my other internships…
You. Can. Do. This! We can do it!
PV