How do Deal with Insecurities as an Educator

Someone once close to me told me, Jessie, “You are a terrible dancer, and sometimes what you wear does not suit you.” She used to say that she was being extra critical because she cares about me. Whenever I would have social gatherings, she used to comment on how I had two left feet and had no coordination or rhythm. Dancing was always something I saw others do and admired, but because of her comments, it really stopped me from trying to learn. I felt so self-conscious that I eventually stopped going to classes. 

Fast forward a few years, I decided to try dancing again, and found my love for salsa and bachata. I then proceeded to audition for a dance team and ended up performing!  So, what changed? I worked on myself. I learned to love myself and be more confident. I learned to embrace who I was – imperfections and all, and determined to try something that I was not good at. Don’t get me wrong, insecurities still creep up, but I learned how to deal with it. 

This is the same that you need to do when it comes to teaching. In education, we can often have the harshest critics in our students, our peers, and our supervisors, but just because we have a few setbacks, it does not discredit us from being an amazing educator that CARES! We need to learn to fight through all that negative noise and come to peace with where we are at. We need to find our inner voice to motivate us to work towards growth!  

How do we go about doing that? Well, Mei and I have what we call the HAPPY approach to help combat your teaching insecurities. You need to find things that make you feel good, and work towards loving yourself! 

H abit Tracking. Making a commitment towards positive change and overcoming insecurities takes a lot of work. You need to identify your insecurities, why they happen, and when they pop up. Track your habits and negative patterns of behaviour, so you have a clear picture with what you are dealing with. Then, you can find ways to replace them with new habits, beliefs, daily rituals/routines that align with what you want your goals to be. 

A ffirmations. Focus on daily affirmations. Remember if something is repeatedly said and heard, you will start to believe it. Imagine if someone constantly told you that you have a crooked nose when in reality, you do not. You would probably start having insecurities about it, right?. Find something that you can, will, or want to happen for the day and say it out loud to yourself before you start teaching! For instance, my day will be filled with productivity and gratitude! 

P ositivity. Think about your support system. Are there people in your life that are always criticizing you? Do they always find ways to undermine you or even demand your energy and attention without ever considering your needs? Well, good riddance to them! If they are in your workplace, try to distance yourself from them. Find ways to dismiss their comments as if they do not phase you. A lot of the time, it’s more about what they are internally dealing with, and not about you! 

You need to find your people who will be there to hear you out, be non-judgmental, give you sound advice, and cheer you up! You will also be surprised that you are not alone in your insecurities. We all feel them, and by sharing, you might discover some interesting stories! 

Also, if you make a mistake in the class, it is okay! Acknowledge it, but also don’t let one small mistake make you feel insecure about your teaching abilities. Think of all the achievements you’ve made with teaching or with your students no matter how small.  

One more thing, sometimes, it is your own inner demons or painful upbringing that has brought you to these negative thoughts. You can use those experiences to fuel yourself and build strength in your students or others. Or, if it is really negatively impacting you, we suggest finding professional help so that you can feel comfortable letting out all your thoughts. 

P lan and reflect! Taking action to improve yourself personally and professionally doesn’t just happen in a day. You have to make a conscious effort to plan! Make it a weekly or daily habit to plan out steps you can take to improve something. Start small and make sure they are realistic. Also, make time to reflect on your successes, mistakes and ideas for improvements. 

You! Self-care is so important. We cannot emphasize that enough!! Reward yourself! Consider what you can do for yourself so that you are re-energized and ready to tackle your lessons with your students! Remember that when you are teaching, you are already dealing with such a diverse group, and that means having energy to do so. We need a break from teaching. Some examples of what we can do is to make sure we eat well, sleep well, find time to cultivate our hobbies, and spend quality time with loved ones. 

Once again, we remind you to be kind to yourself and accept that it is okay to sometimes feel off! You are AMAZING! 

What has your teaching journey been like? Do you have other strategies that you do to help you be more confident as an educator? We would love to hear about your experiences!