Can you become a teacher if you are not overly confident?

Question

I'm thinking about going int teaching after i graduate but am unsure as to whether i am confident enough.

Answer 1

Unlikely, I'm afraid. The kids will have a field day.

Answer 2

I used to work for a teachers' professional body in the probation department, and this is where we saw the newly qualified teachers who really made it and those who didn't.

Of the secondary teachers, the ones who didn't make it overall were not those who were not confident (as confidence can be worked on and built-up with support, time and experience) but those who either didn't have a sound grasp of their teaching subject, or those who couldn't listen to advice and put it into practice.

If you know your subject thoroughly and have an enthusiasm for it, there's no reason why you shouldn't become a great teacher.

However, as someone who's parents were both secondary teachers for their life-long career, and who saw them go from loving it to really hating it (due to many changes that were brought in by successive governments), I have to warn you that my honest opinion is that you really shouldn't embark on this kind of teaching career unless you feel some kind of vocation. Having seen my parents' experiences, there is no way I would take it up as a career. One of my best friends has, though and she loves it.

If you don't have a calling, then think long and hard before going down this road. Perhaps you should think about being a teaching assistant for a year to give you a flavour of life in the classroom?

Good luck, I'm sure it will all work out!

Answer 3

The best way to decide would be to volunteer at a local school- (primary or secondary depending on your interest) reading with children etc.
Teaching is all about projecting confidence and conveying that to the pupils, if you can do this you will succeed.
Teaching is not for shrinking violets! If pupils- not matter how old they are sense any kind of weakness they will focus on that and do their most to make your life a misery.
I am a qualified teacher and whilst training saw many people fail as they didn't have the confidence to deal with pupils. Don't forget you will also have to talk to parents.
A good acid test is this- if you can talk openly and confidently with people your own age/ peer group give it a go. If you sit in the corner quietly I'm afraid you don't have a chance and you probably won't even get past the selection process to get on the course. hope this helps.

Answer 4

You don't have to be super-confident in order to be a good teacher. What you really need is a good knowledge base of whatever it is you wish to teach and a desire to share that knowledge with others. Now, it is true that you have to be strong enough to stand up and deal with unruly students, but that's what schools have principals and counselors for, so you have a support network. If you want an idea of what teaching would be like, talk to a counselor about becoming a student teacher or instructor. That'll give you a taste of what it's like and you can decide whether it suits you or not. And remember, it'll be more difficult at first, but it gets easier the more you do it and the more you observe others using techniques that you can duplicate in your classroom. You'll never know if you can do it if you don't try, so give it a shot and see what you think. Good luck!

Answer 5

Become a teacher *only* if you love working with young people.
Become a teacher *only* if you really care about trying to make a difference.
Become a teacher *only* if you are in it for the reason that you are greatly rewarded in helping people (pay isn't too good)
Become a teacher *only* if you think that you can share an excitement about what you are teaching.
Become a teacher only if have realistic expectations about the teaching profession.
Become a teacher if *only* you are open to learn from your students just as much as they learn from you.

Confidence? That is something that you will gain as you start to know your job and the students better. As far as first impressions go, fake a confident air until you grow into that mindstate.

Answer 6

WEll, most Teacher's colleges will give you aptitude tests to see.

I teach and I think that perhaps being too confident can be a detriment. You need to not seem aloof and condescending.

You'll either grow into it or not.
I think a far more important thing to know is the subject matter. As long as you are confident in that, then classes tend to go better than if you are thrown by "oddball" questions.

Answer 7

Yes!!! You can gain more confidence along the way. I'm a teacher and the real deal began AFTER I graduated and began working. Intellectually and in theory, the university did its job, but in practice....only being in an actual classroom on your own do you perfect your techniques, strategies, and gain the confidence needed for this particular job. I teach high school English and I LOVE IT!!!!! I was quite shy in the beginning....

Answer 8

It depends where, and the type.

Teaching in a primary/nursary (I have worked in both sectors) is a little more 'gentle' than secondary.

Secondary varies a lot too- private schools, with smaller class sizes, can be easier. Some subjects are options, so you have smaller, more eager classes.

Some teachers choose to be support teachers, working 1-1 with needy kids. This (SEN) area tends to have a lot more quiet, reserved teachers.

Shy people don't suit large, mainstream subjects in mixed secondary schools though- you need a lot of self-confidence and a thick skin, although it is interesting and rewarding.

Answer 9

I would say that to be a successful teacher, you have to have supreme confidence in yourself and a very thick skin. I did a PGCE and taught for several months after graduating - I hated it, as I have neither of the qualities I described above.

The course will equip you with strageties and techniques to cope with things like classroom management and presentation of your subject, and those things will give you the confidence to become a good teacher - if you're heart's in it - I'm afraid mine really wasn't. Good luck with whatever you do.

Answer 10

Don't you worry, you are a graduate, once you started teaching you will be more confident. You can do well. Not all go with confident or even with all the knowledge on the first day.

Answer 11

Depends what teaching you're talking about. I'm a EFL teacher for adults. I'm not confident - I can do the job and I usually enjoy it - but I have to say that I can get quite nervous about the performance element, and sometimes wonder why I ever chose to do something where you have to stand up in front of a group of people.