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Graduate TA Handbook and Resources

A Handbook for Teaching Assistants and Teaching Fellows in Arts & Sciences

Easing Anxiety

Leading a class for the first time can be stressful! It’s common to experience teaching anxiety before your first day, or even throughout the semester. Here are some resources to help you manage teaching anxiety:

Focus on acting instead of reacting in the classroom as one strategy to help manage teaching anxiety: “In the First Year of Teaching, Acting More, Reacting Less, Can Reduce Anxiety” at NeaToday.

Unsure about teaching in general? Check out “Help, I’m a TA and I Hate Teaching."

On coping with stage fright in the classroom, see “9 Tips for Overcoming Classroom Stage Fright” at Edutopia.

If you’d like to talk to someone about your teaching anxiety, try communicating with your supervising instructor. There are also resources you can access at William & Mary, including the Counseling Center.