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3 Easy Ways To Overcome The Anxiety Of Your Planned Teacher Observation Session

3 March 2018 by Samuel Byrd

In order to ensure that teachers are doing a good job in the classroom, most school systems arrange teacher observation sessions in which a professional comes and sits in on a class. In some states, teacher observation sessions are even a requirement by the Board of Education. While these assessments are a necessary part of being in the profession, it doesn't change the fact that the whole situation can leave you feeling a little uneasy. Any time there is an outsider watching every move you make with your students and judging your performance it can be intimidating. However, there are a handful of ways you can overcome the anxiety of the situation so it does not affect your usual performance. 

Introduce yourself to the assessor before class. 

It can make you feel a little better about the assessment if you have introduced yourself to the person observing the class before the observation actually begins. In some cases, this may not be possible, but most of the time, a brief interaction is plausible. During this introduction, don't be afraid to ask for personal feedback on certain issues you feel you may struggle with. For example, if you feel you are having a difficult time communicating certain points of instruction, let the observer know in advance that you would like to know their thoughts on this specific thing. 

Plan a simple lesson plan for the day. 

A lot of teachers make the mistake of planning some intricate lesson plan on the day of the assessment just to try and make a good impression, but this only fuels the fire where the anxiety of the situation is concerned. Not only will you be under pressure to do something with the students that may be out of the ordinary, you will be under observance the entire time.

Don't expect that you will be perfect during the assessment. 

Not one teacher is flawless and not in need of some form of constructive feedback after an observation. Therefore, you should not be overtly concerned with doing everything completely perfectly during the assessment. For the most part, you should be your usual self; teaching and connecting with students in the ways you normally would. Trying to put on a show for the assessor can be nerve-wracking, but it can also defeat the purpose of the assessment, which is to make sure you are doing well. If there is something in your usual routine that should not be, it is important that you know about it.  

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