Journal Question #5

I guess one of the most difficult moments of experiencing nervousness took place in my first job as a teacher. I was just 19 years old when one of my high school teachers asked me to work part-time in her private school. I told her that I had no idea on how to work with kinder garden students, but she was optimistic in teaching me basic things to manage a class. I started my job and I clearly remember I was so nervous that I couldn’t even speak properly in front of 4 years- old kids! One day, the principle (my high school teacher) asked me to call the attendance. My hands were shaking and I was stuttering! Obviously, I was not prepared for that job so, I felt very insecure. Now, I have experience in teaching and I do not have those kind of troubles while talking in front of people no matter their age.

I am not an expert in improvising things and when nervousness attack me, I usually sweat and shake a lot! ;). For that reason, I have to always be prepared in order to avoid mistakes. Moreover, I am always nervous when I have to face new things, but I am always encouraging myself (in my mind) to keep the calm. However, I have been in circumstances in which my feelings do not help at all. This is something that I need to work out to avoid bad impressions of myself.

What should you do to express yourself without hesitation?? I have read that when you keep you self confidence, your message or what you want to express is very well transmitted. Once, I read that when you are very nervous, you need to “forget about” your audience. If that strategy does not work, it is useful to just watch people’s foreheads. These are just some of the most common strategies to avoid nervousness, but I know for sure that maybe my strategies are not going to be helpful for someone else. So, I guess it is important to identify what makes you feel nervous and find alternatives to contra rest that undesired feeling. Fortunately, now I have more confident and I do not feel terribly shy to make mistakes in front of people. In the end, human beings are not perfect and it is nice to constantly have feedbacks to control our nervousness, and as a result, never give up.