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Dear Maddi,

I am in the final stretch of my degree and I have a massive task on my hands for this upcoming fall semester: an Advanced Teaching Practicum. 

While I am very excited to be working with students again, there is a constant and lingering anxiety hanging over my shoulders. I feel I am lacking in every aspect despite putting in all my energy, effort and care to both help my students succeed and do well in my assessment (I struggled greatly in my intro practicum). Any advice on how to quell this worrying beast?

Signed, Confused yet Curious

Dear Confused yet Curious, 

First, congratulations on making it to the final stretches of your degree! It is truly a reason to be proud. Thank you for your question as I know you are not alone in the anxiety you’re feeling going into practicum. Many faculties have a hands-on component and no matter what field you’re in, it can be a steep learning curve to put theory into practice! 

It’s normal to feel anxious and you’re not expected to be an expert

Acknowledging anxiety as a natural part of the process of doing something new and challenging can help you accept and address it rather than fight it. Feeling anxious is also often a sign of how much you care. So your worry tells us you want to do well at the job at hand!

Remind yourself that your practicum is an opportunity to learn and grow. It looks different from your university classroom setting, but it is still a component of your school work. I’ve also been through the Advanced Teaching Practicum (APT) and the term ‘student teacher’ was my favourite. It reminded me that I was still a student who was learning to be a teacher. 

TIP: Be reflective. Take some time to reflect on your first practicum. Despite your struggles, you made it through! Read your previous evaluations to remind yourself of what went well and identify your strengths. You can also ask yourself how you overcame challenges in the last practicum. Were there days that didn’t go well? What did you learn and how did you adapt?

A bad day doesn’t mean you are bad at the job

One of my favourite things to say is, “try not to make permanent conclusions from temporary situations.” It is so easy to take a bad day or tough first practicum and generalize it into a permanent conclusion about ourselves. Separating your identity or sense of self from the experience can be helpful. It can let you see struggles as an opportunity for growth and learning and not a reflection of who you are. Look at the first practicum as practice and remember what you’ve learned.

TIP: Develop . Self-compassion simply means you provide yourself the same kindness and support you’d give to a friend (or one of your students). Research shows it can be a key skill for managing stress in challenging teaching situations and may help increase job satisfaction and teacher wellbeing (). Self-compassion is easier said than done, but Dr. Kristen Neff has a website full of great resources to help you

Ask for help!

The pressure to be the expert in the room can often make us afraid to ask for help or to admit that we might not know something. Remember that your mentor teacher is there to support you. Admitting something is a challenge is not a sign of weakness or inability, but rather an opportunity to display self-awareness and a willingness to improve.

One study found avoidance of asking for help and a lack of assertiveness were common reasons students failed teaching practicums (). It found that the avoidance prevented students from having clarity on how to proceed. 

TIP: Communicate with your mentor teacher. The authors of that study created the following list of questions to help clarify expectations, roles and responsibilities. Consider asking your mentor teacher the following:

• What are your expectations of me as a [student] teacher?

• What kind of a classroom do you prefer (e.g., active or quiet, group work or individual work, etc.)?

• How can I make this practicum successful?

• How do you prefer to give feedback (e.g., oral, written, after each lesson, at the end of the day, weekly)?

• When is a good time for me to ask questions (e.g., anytime, after the class ends, during preparation)?

• Is there anything else I should know about before I begin this practicum?

Find ways to have fun and be your authentic self

As you step into your practicum, remember to be your authentic self. You probably remember that all your teachers had unique personalities, different strengths and their own ways of connecting with their students. You'll find your own methods as you go, so allow your personality to shine through. Share personal anecdotes, make jokes, and be honest. This will not only help you build connections with those around you but also make the experience a more enjoyable one.

Final thoughts

Don't lose sight of what gets you excited about the profession. It’s easy for the anxiety and stress of a practicum to take over and it can make you lose sight of why you chose this profession in the first place. Remind yourself of your reasons for pursuing this career and why it’s a great fit for you. It can do wonders for your confidence. Take it a step further and write it down and revisit them, especially on the days when self-doubt is at its loudest.

Thank you again for asking such a relevant question. I wish you all the best in your upcoming practicum! 

Sincerely,

Neha

Written by Neha Sharma, Registered Psychologist for Counselling & Clinical Services. Edited by Suman Varghese Counselling & Clinical Services’ Satellite Psychologist for the Faculty of Arts and GPS.

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Resources

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References

Chehayeb, L., Olszynska, K., Bhuvaneshwara, C., & Tsovaltzi, D. (2025). Effects of a Co‑Regulation Model for MR Teacher Training: HRV and Self‑Compassion as Indicators of Emotion Regulation. arXiv preprint.

Danyluk, P. J., Burns, A., Crawford, K., & Hill, S. L. (2020). Preservice teachers’ perspectives of failure during a practicum. Teaching Education, 32(3), 237–250.

Neff, K. (n.d.). Self‑Compassion. Self‑Compassion.