Managing Your Nerves

New TAs are often concerned about nervousness. Consider using some of the following ideas to help manage your concerns and be proactive in your new role:

• Accept that it is okay and normal to feel nervous. Your students may also be nervous.
• Arrive early for class and chat with the students as they come in.
• Breathe deeply, using your diaphragm, and speak slowly.
• Rehearse your first session by visualizing how it will go or try out your opening introduction on a friend or TA colleague. Identify those parts of your body where you feel tense (neck, jaw, etc.) and try to relax them.
• Make a strong start by preparing thoroughly. Be confident of your competence! Outline the points you need to get through and focus on these main points. Be sure to prepare more material than you think you will need.
• You can’t know everything! Don’t feel that you have to know all the answers. If you don’t know, don’t make up your response; it’s usually obvious when you don’t know what you’re talking about. Admit you are unsure. Tell students you will find out the answer, suggest a reference, refer the question back to the class, or ask a student to find out and report back the next week.
• Focus on your material! Concentrate your attention on the information that you want and need to cover, not on your own nervousness.
• Have a backup plan. Anticipate what may go wrong and have a plan for what you will do to keep going. For example, if your laptop dies, printing out a hard copy may save your day.
• Acknowledge impostor syndrome, which is the feeling that you are not competent, deserving, or capable of succeeding in your chosen position despite your actual abilities, achievements, and qualifications. These feelings may come and go many times throughout your life, and it is important to recognize that it is normal and common to feel this way, especially when transitioning to a new role. If you would like support in navigating and processing these feelings, consider reaching out to the variety of mental health and wellness supports on and off campus.

Now it’s your turn! Check out the complementary activities to brainstorm different tips you want to try to help ensure you feel confident on your first day.

Adapted From:

• Marincovich, M. (1998). Teaching at Stanford: An Introductory Handbook for Faculty, Academic Staff, and Teaching Assistants. Center for Teaching and Learning, Stanford University.