Classroom Tools.. and imposter syndrome.

I'm going to be completely honest.. having not spent any time as a formal classroom teacher, the tools this week were a little bit harder for me to get into and I didn't feel like I had much to add to the conversations about using tools in the classroom. This was definitely one of those weeks where imposter syndrome started to creep in... If you don't know what imposter syndrome is, it's "a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a 'fraud'", according to Wikipedia. It's not a new feeling, but it can be a challenging one to overcome when it seems like everyone knows what they're talking about and you have little experience in the subject matter! Before this, I was a professional dancer/aerialist doing some freelance graphic design on the side (without any real formal training), and taught aerial classes at a local studio - aka, definitely not super related to classroom teaching. I know that I am smart and capable and I am here learning to become an instructional designer/don't have to know everything right now...time to buckle down and be confident in what I can do!

Have you ever felt imposter syndrome? Did you do anything specific to overcome it, or did you just push through and believe in yourself? 

Comments

  1. Emily K.June 29, 2021 at 9:38 AM

    Hi Abby, I've never taught in a K-12 setting so a lot of the tools were knew to me as well! Actually, almost all of the tools we've been learning about have been new which is fun but also gives me some of those imposter syndrome feels. In my other class last week we have to turn in video presentations and while I think my skills are fairly decent with all this instructional design stuff, I couldn't help but look at my classmate's videos and feel like I have so much more to learn! I think that is okay though; we all have to start somewhere. We are all here for the formal training right? I always tell that to my new counselors who are terrified to say the wrong thing or think they are supposed to already have the answers...there would be no need for formal education and training if we were all experts! I've enjoyed following your blog and social media interactions, and have definitely been learning from you :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Abby FlowersJuly 1, 2021 at 6:59 PM

      Hey Emily,
      Thank you for your words of encouragement! It is helpful to know that I'm not the only one without the K-12 experience. You made such a great point, we are here to learn and get that formal training! That is an important perspective to keep in mind throughout this journey. I am glad to be doing this with classmates that are open to sharing and discussion (of course this class facilitates that environment), I love that we are able to cheer one another on!

      Delete
  2. KelvynJuly 3, 2021 at 2:03 PM

    I can totally relate to you, Abby! In my background, I mainly deal with military training so suddenly having to learn how to be an Instructional Designer, I can understand the steep learning curve you often find yourself on. My approach is to "fake it till I make it".... and also, I do search the library to find articles to read through whenever I have problems understanding a concept. This helps me to think more critically about the topic I am studying! All the best, you are not alone!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Miro Concept Map

Image
 I decided to mess around with the Miro Concept Map tool and created a simple map of my current responsibilities! I'm not sure how often I'll use something like this, but it was fun to lay it out this way. 
Read more

Education and Policy around Digital Citizenship

After reading through Digital citizenship education handbook: Being online, well-being online, and rights online,  and considering my own experiences, education, recent current events, and recent conversations, I am left wondering where the US is on addressing digital citizenship. Here are the things floating around in my head this evening... I know that there was recently a Supreme Court case passed about free speech about a cheerleader that used some very explicit language on her Snapchat in regards to her school and cheerleading coach after not making the varsity team and was then suspended and kicked off the JV squad. SCOTUS passed in favor of her ability to speak freely on a social media platform about the school without ramifications.  In a Zoom call earlier today for EME5601, we were talking about whether or not kids had classes in school that were related to privacy and internet safety. Right now the consensus seems to be that there are special assemblies or lectures on this t
Read more

Final week + life update

We officially closed on our house about a week and a half ago and I've been living down in Galveston at my parent's beach house since then! It would be an awesome vacation, except it's just me, the kids, and our animals most of the time. So while I've tried to make it fun for the kiddos, I'm also just exhausted from solo parenting + school work during the week while my husband is working his new job in our new city! (Kudos to all of you single moms out there!!!)  I am really grateful to be finishing up the semester this week though so next week can be a relaxing and fun beach week! :) I'm sure everyone is ready for a little break. Anyone else have plans for their break between semesters? What classes are y'all planning to take in the fall semester? I am signed up for EME 5608 (Trends and Issues in Instructional Design) and EME 6357 (Evaluation of Training in HPT). It would be lovely to see some familiar names on the discussion boards! 
Read more