About Marilyn Robb Expertise I am an educational psychologist and counsellor, with more ten years of experience in teaching, parenting, running support groups and workshops, teacher training and counselling. I would like to share my knowledge and expertise in issues particularly related to helping children cope with learning and the school experience.
Question Hi Marilyn, I am in need of your help. I am a second year teacher and many times I feel inadequate. Each morning before work I get very nervous and feel the need to constantly pray that my day goes well. When my principal comes in to observe me she praises me on my classroom management even though I think that it could be better. When the academic coach comes in to observe me she always criticizes everything thing that I do. It is almost like I can do no good. This makes me feel extremely bad because I put all of my time, energy, and heart into my classroom and my students. I know that God has called to be a teacher and has given me this wonderful gift, but sometimes (even now) it feels as though I am doing a disservice to my kids. I feel as though I am not good enough to be doing this job. Any advice?
Answer Dear Jamie
Thank you for your question.
I am sure you are a great teacher- you have the motivation and the passion and that counts for a lot. There is always room for improvement and things will always be different with each new batch of students. A lot of teaching you will learn from experience and practice and you will get better with each passing year.
It sounds like you are doing fine if your principal is pleased. That is a big accomplishment.
Sometimes when people are critical like the academic coach it has nothing to do with you but their own distress that they are carrying around that gets directed at others,especially at someone who appears to be in a less powerful position. You may be the victim of that. Sometimes people think that by being harsh and critical on someone is the way to motivate them. That is not true for most people of course.
You need to interrupt the coach's critical pattern- not easy to do but worth a try. Whenever the pattern starts to run react in a different way. Keep smiling and say something like''oh, sorry you do not agree with my way , is there some suggestion you can offer me as to how to improve it or make it different? or say..."oh, that seems a fine way to do that but maybe you can share some ideas of how you would approach X? Or something like that. Anything to interrupt the criticism, without yourself going into a negative mode. Your positive mode will contradict the critical pattern and weaken it.
And some other time when s/he is not so negative and a little more open ask about what it is like for him/her to be a coach and what they like about it etc. Just listen to them talk about what is going on for them. Something is always going on when someone is so negative. If they have a chance to be listened to without criticism and judgement it helps to clear their mind and allows them to act outside of the pattern.
Finally, try praising him/her regularly. That will also contradict the critical pattern.At first they may react with more negativity, but dont let that stop you. Persist. Eventually the pattern will break down.
And keep believing in your self and remembering all the time that you are a good teacher.
