The other day, someone asked me how I stay confident as a teacher. It made me stop and think for a moment because the truth is, I don't always feel confident and the contrary seems to be the dominant feeling more often than not for me.
In fact, I'd go as far as saying that if you gathered a room full of teachers together and asked them if they felt confident all of the time, very few hands would go up.
Teaching is one of those professions where the goalposts are constantly moving. Education is always changing. There is always a new initiative, a new approach, a new piece of research, a new framework, a new expectation. Even moving from one school to another can leave you questioning yourself. One school may swear by a particular approach to behaviour management, while another takes a completely different stance. One school may prioritise explicit instruction, another may place greater emphasis on inquiry-based learning. Some schools are at the beginning of implementing a new initiative while others are years into the process.
As teachers, we are expected to adapt.
And we do.
But that doesn't mean it doesn't affect our confidence along the way.
The reality is that much of our professional development is self-directed. We attend CPD sessions, listen to podcasts on our commute, read books during holidays, follow educational accounts online, observe colleagues and spend hours reflecting on what worked and what didn't work in our own classrooms. While there is training available for some things, a huge amount of teaching is learning as you go.
Think about everything teachers have had to adapt to in recent years. Online learning. New curricula. New assessment systems. Artificial intelligence. Changes to inspection frameworks. Evolving expectations around inclusion and wellbeing.
Most of us weren't formally trained in many of these areas. We learned because we had to, and yet, when we don't immediately feel confident, we can be incredibly hard on ourselves. I think sometimes we forget just how much we carry. We are expected to teach, assess, plan, communicate with parents, attend meetings, update displays, analyse data, support wellbeing, differentiate learning, implement new initiatives (etc., etc.) and somehow still have enough energy left for our own lives outside of school.
It's a lot.
So if your confidence has taken a knock recently, I want to share an Irish phrase that I have always loved:
"Tá muinín orm."
Confidence is on me.
Not in me. On me.
When translated literally, confidence becomes something you wear. Something you put on. Like a coat. Because confidence isn't necessarily who we are. It's not a permanent state that some people possess and others don't. It's something we choose to put on each day. Some mornings it comes easily and other mornings we have to work a little harder to find it.
This doesn't mean that you should stop reflecting. In fact, reflection is one of the greatest strengths a teacher can have. If there is an area where you don't feel confident, acknowledge it, reflect on it, seek support, read about it, observe someone else and ask questions. But choose one thing; one focus or one area to develop. Trying to improve everything at once is the fastest route to feeling overwhelmed and a sure way to damage your confidence.
You cannot do everything.
No teacher can.
And no teacher ever should.
Trust the qualifications you've earned, the experience you've gained, what you've been trained to do and remember that confidence isn't about having all the answers. It's about trusting yourself enough to keep learning when you don't.
So if you're reading this and questioning yourself right now, know that you're not alone. Most of us are figuring things out as we go. Most of us are learning, adapting and reflecting every single day. And most of us are putting our confidence on, even on the days when we don't really feel like it.
