This past Monday I had the pleasure of being part of some of my classmates presentations. Everyone who presented was confident, excited, engaging, and overall did a really great job. I enjoyed partaking in the fun activities, learning new information about education, grit, scientists, personalities, politics, and french, and even eating sweets. I just really loved being part of lessons taught by my classmates; they all seemed like natural teachers and are going to be wonderful at educating their future students! Although I loved all of this about last Monday, my favorite part is that I didn’t have to present.
Often times I can be an overly anxious and worrisome individual. I think this really showed when I took a personality test during one of the presentations last Monday. I know these tests aren’t completely accurate, but I got 93% turbulent… so that has to be saying something. This is the reason why I picked the second day to present, and I ALWAYS pick the second day if I have the chance. I have all my information ready for my presentation on Monday, except for one important aspect. My confidence. I never feel prepared for stuff like this. My anxiety and my insecurities make it very difficult for me to feel ready and confident for this presentation along with many other things.
I believe this is why my topic that I am presenting on Monday is so important. I won’t get too into the details, but I am going to be talking about emotions and mental health. Just because I struggle with major anxiety and insecurity issues doesn’t mean I am any less of a person than people who don’t. It doesn’t mean I will do worse on this presentation, and it definitely doesn’t mean I will be any less of a teacher than other people who are pursuing this career. It just means I need to work harder to get through moments that are tough for me and overcome them. This is the problem with our society today when it comes to mental health. People are looked down upon when they have mental health issues because they are classified as “different” or “abnormal”. A major part of my presentation will be focused on the awful stigma and discrimination towards those who suffer from mental health issues. This needs to stop! This stigma only makes people sicker!
I’ll save the rest of my ranting for Monday, but I just really want people to know the importance of this issue. So I may be nervous beyond belief on Monday, but that won’t stop me from trying my best to confidently present information about a topic I care very much about. Similar to when I become a teacher one day. People have tried to tell me that I won’t be successful as a teacher due to my anxiety issues when speaking in front of groups and being in stressful situations. I know that I will prove these people wrong. The REASON I am becoming a teacher is to challenge myself and overcome my anxiety, along with teaching my students about a subject that I am very passionate about. I will love my job even if I struggle at times. I hope to not only be a math teacher, but to help students who are like me to overcome the challenges they face in everyday life and be the most confident person they can be.