A Journey from Fear to Confidence
“চিত্ত যেথা ভয়শূন্য, উচ্চ যেথা শির”
(Where the mind is free from fear and people can stand with dignity.)
This line is the opening of a famous poem from Gitanjali by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Once Lovely heard this line somewhere, but she didn’t realize its meaning until it became applicable in her life.
Lovely Das, a second-year D.El.Ed student of DIET, Kamalpur in Dhalai District, Tripura, is a positive, happy, and polite girl who always carries a smiling face, justifying her name not only through her appearance but also through the happiness she feels in choosing one of the most noble occupations as her career.
Not only her appearance, but her actions also show how dedicated and serious she is about her choice. Day by day, she keeps improving herself to move a little closer to her goal. Over the past one and a half years, with her improving performance, her mentors have developed high expectations of her.
But as we know, every story has another side of the coin.
This other side began to carry tension fear of not meeting expectations, lack of confidence, self-doubt, and the pressure of competition many things happening at the same time.
With these high expectations and pressure, Lovely slowly started feeling a sense of dissatisfaction. The smiling face that once reflected confidence slowly began to show signs of pressure.
And making the situation even more challenging, her school internship started knocking at her door. She had been confident during practice teaching in college, but when she started imagining the real classroom full of school students, she began to feel nervous and started doubting herself.
So, until now, what do you think, dear readers?
Will this be the same story as many others first full of challenges and then suddenly everything becomes smooth and perfect? Let’s see.
The first few weeks of the internship were just as Lovely had expected. She started seeing her fears slowly turning into reality. At that moment, she felt that the rest of her journey might continue in the same way.
However, one thing she already knew was that every phase has its maximum point, just like the graphs we study in mathematics and physics. But what she didn’t know was that, unlike mathematical graphs, the graph of life works a little differently.
In life, there are some things we cannot control, but there are also some things we can.
Lovely decided to focus on those things she could control. She began improving her lesson plans with clear objectives instead of only worrying about completing the syllabus. She started focusing more on students’ needs and on building rapport with them.
As Lovely decided to work on the things she could improve, she started making small changes in her class. She added simple activities that made learning fun. Students played games, worked in groups, and helped each other. Slowly, they became happier and more confident. Seeing their smiling faces gave Lovely the courage to keep trying.
Her college mentor and the team from Sterlite EdIndia Foundation supported her. As part of the Teacher Education Program, by Sterlite EdIndia Foundation, the team works closely with DIETs and teacher education institutions to strengthen classroom practices and support student-teachers during their internships.
They observed her classes and gave simple advice. They showed her how to arrange the seating, speak clearly, use good body language, plan activities, and involve all students in learning. The team also held regular meetings where intern students shared their learning and challenges together. These small tips helped Lovely become a better teacher step by step.
Soon, the classroom began to change. Students who were once quiet started raising their hands and sharing their ideas. For Lovely, the happiest moment was seeing shy students speak in class. While helping them become confident, she also found her own confidence as a teacher.
So, readers, what do you think? It’s the same story, right?
Yes, obviously it may sound like the same story. But the message is different. Were you able to reflect on it? If not, let me tell you.
Yes, like many others, Lovely has fears and struggles. Like many others, she is improving step by step. And people who are watching from the outside may think that her change happened suddenly, just like in many other stories.
But the real thing is different.
Now she knows that fear will come again in many different forms in the future. And the one thing she needs to do is to keep going to keep focusing on the things she can improve and keep moving forward.
The change did not happen suddenly. It happened because she started focusing on what she could control rather than what she feared.
So, reader, do you still think it is the same story?
Now, the answer is up to you.
Learn more about EdIndia program, an exceptional teacher education and training initiative designed for both pre-service and in-service educators.
