If you’re a teacher struggling with self-doubt or inadequacy, you may suffer from imposter syndrome.
Employment
What is imposter syndrome for teachers?
If you’re a teacher struggling with self-doubt or inadequacy, you may suffer from imposter syndrome.
In this article, we explore imposter syndrome, including signs of imposter syndrome and how to overcome it.
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What is imposter syndrome?
Imposter syndrome, also perceived fraudulence, occurs when an individual doubts their capabilities and worth despite their accomplishments, experience, and education. Audrey Ervin, psychologist and academic director at Delaware Valley University, describes imposter syndrome as “chronic feelings of inadequacy, incompetence, and fraudulence despite objective success…It’s hard to internalize success and genuinely believe you’re competent.” For example, a teacher suffering from imposter syndrome may believe that they shouldn’t have authority in their classroom and they aren’t able to have a successful career as a teacher.
Imposter syndrome can have a significant effect on a teacher’s mental health. It may cause them to work harder, or set unrealistically high standards for themselves, causing them to experience burnout.
It is important to note that imposter syndrome is not a sign of weakness, and teachers should not feel guilty or shameful if they are experiencing imposter syndrome. Many successful, high-profile individuals, including Michelle Obama, have confessed to experiencing imposter syndrome. When discussing how she overcame imposter syndrome, she said, “my advice to young women is to start by getting those demons out of your head. The questions I ask myself – ‘am I good enough?’ – that haunt us…”
What are the signs of imposter syndrome?
If you constantly find yourself having thoughts such as, “I’m probably going to get fired today.”, “I don’t deserve this job.”, “My classroom is poorly managed, my colleagues are much better than me.” Or similar, you may be suffering from imposter syndrome. It is important to note that there is no official diagnosis of imposter syndrome, but other signs of imposter syndrome may include:
- Feeling constant anxiety about teaching
- Thinking critical and negative thoughts about yourself
- Experiencing extreme feelings of inadequacy
- Dwelling on past mistakes regularly
- Feeling like you are going to get caught out for being a fraud
- Seeking validation constantly
- Minimizing all success to be an accident
What is the cause of imposter syndrome?
There is no specific reason why a teacher may experience imposter syndrome, which usually occurs due to many factors. For example, suppose a teacher has been socialized in an extremely critical environment or feels pressure from friends and family to be a perfectionist. In that case, this may contribute to imposter syndrome.
Some research also suggests that individuals with a non-supportive family background may be more likely to experience imposter syndrome. In this case, imposter syndrome may develop because the teacher feels unwanted in other areas of their life or is struggling because they don’t have a strong support system.
In addition to personal reasons, a teacher may experience imposter syndrome due to the culture of their school’s local area or state. For example, parents and governing bodies often pressure teachers to get the best grades possible from students, which can put extreme pressure on teachers and make them feel like an imposter. A recent study revealed that 60% of teachers in the US feel stressed out, with many considering leaving the teaching profession because of this.
How to deal with an imposter syndrome
If you are a teacher struggling with imposter syndrome, the following tips may help you to cope with and overcome imposter syndrome…
Use positive affirmations
It can be challenging to silence or ignore negative and intrusive thoughts in our heads. If you feel yourself falling into a negative thought spiral, try to take deep breaths to calm yourself and repeat a positive affirmation. Examples of positive affirmations include:
- I am enough
- I am growing and learning every day
- All I need, I have
- I am unstoppable and strong
- How others act is their path, how I react is mine
Once you find an affirmation that resonates with you, try starting your day by repeating the affirmation whilst looking in the mirror. You may also wish to teach your class affirmations, so you can repeat them together and create a positive classroom culture.
Communicate your feelings
Imposter syndrome can be very isolating to deal with. Although it may be difficult, try to talk to a friend, family member, or colleague about how you are feeling. Often, talking about our emotions and thoughts can help us understand them. If you don’t want to share your concerns with colleagues, use social media and forums to connect with other teachers in the US or worldwide.
It is important to remember that you are not alone, and talking to other teachers or individuals experiencing imposter syndrome can help you to build a strong support system. Imposter syndrome is not exclusive to teachers, and many individuals in your life may struggle with feelings associated with it without you realizing it.
Check your wellbeing
Teachers often work extended hours and use their ‘free time’ to plan lessons and organize class supplies. Due to this, many teachers ignore their well-being and become physically and mentally drained. When the mental health of a teacher is suffering, they are more likely to think negative thoughts about themselves which may lead to imposter syndrome.
When experiencing signs of imposter syndrome, conduct a well-being check. Ask yourself, have I eaten today? Have I had enough sleep? When was the last time I practiced self-care? The answer to these questions may explain why you are feeling imposter syndrome. As a teacher, it is important to prioritize your well-being and ensure you are looking after your physical and mental needs.
Turn interrogations into reflections
If you’ve taught a class or topic that didn’t go as expected, imposter syndrome may cause you to interrogate yourself and ask internal questions such as, ‘why aren’t you good enough?’ ‘Why couldn’t you have worked harder?” These interrogating questions are unproductive and not useful to your teaching career.
Rather than allow negative thoughts, reflect on the lesson by creating a mind map. Create a section of the mind map called ‘What went well’ and list the positive things you and your class did in the lesson. Create another section called ‘Even better if’ and note down a few things that could be improved for your next lesson. This ensures all reflection on your teaching is productive and useful.
Accept perfection isn’t possible
As a teacher, you will no doubt be able to easily recognize and appreciate how every one of your students is an individual with their personality. It is also beneficial to recognize that your colleagues and your student’s parents are all individuals, and it is impossible to please everyone.
Embracing that some students or their parents may not prefer your teaching style will help you relieve some of the pressure you may be putting on yourself. Many people struggle with the idea of not being perfect or not being liked, but accepting that it’s impossible to be perfect at all times in your teaching career will help you to avoid feeling like an imposter.
Celebrate small successes
Building a strong sense of self-worth can help you eliminate and avoid feelings related to imposter syndrome. One simple way to do this is to celebrate your successes, no matter how small they may be. For example, at the end of each day, write something you want to celebrate in a journal. This could be something small like ‘X student said they enjoyed my class’ or something more significant such as ‘My students all achieved their target grades on a test’.
It is important to find something to celebrate every day, no matter how small it may seem. Celebrating and recognizing your success daily will help to build up your self-belief and help you to thrive in your career.
You can beat imposter syndrome
It is useful to remember that if you are concerned about how good of a teacher you are, your concern proves that you care about your students, which is one of the top qualities of a teacher. You shouldn’t, however, let imposter syndrome harm your mental well-being or career. Using the above tips may help you to manage, avoid or eliminate imposter syndrome. Still, if you continue to struggle with imposter syndrome, it may be beneficial to reach out to a medical professional. Overcoming imposter syndrome may not happen overnight, but small steps taken daily can have a big impact overall.
