Working at the elementary level, there seems to be a lot of fear floating around. I’m not sure where it all comes from but it’s there. It lingers in the hallways, in the Dora the Explorer backpacks and Pokemon pencil cases. Sometimes parents instill this fear in their children and often times the children instill it in themselves. I try my best to teach students that fear is a roadblock to success. They need to see that everyone has fears and that they are what make us human, but to face them head on and overcome them is what makes us extraordinary.

I try to let students look at their fears, whether it be writing, spelling, reading, math equations, public speaking, or even making friends, they need to see that it’s okay to feel fear. I think that letting students know that you too have fears as a teacher or when you were a student will help too. Next, it is key to brainstorm ways to overcome that student’s fear. Starting small and finding ways to differentiate a lesson in order to allow the student to face that fear in little ways is helpful. Fear is not something that will be overcome overnight. I think patience is very important here. Students are going to have on and off days and some days their fears may cripple them. The only thing that educators can do to help this is be patient and reliable. Doesn’t this apply to adulthood fears too?