Tomorrow I begin teaching my summer class. I'm freaking out. It's not that I don't like teaching - I do, and I'm actually very proud of what I do in the classroom - but in the six years I've been teaching college courses, I've never been able to begin a semester without turning into a nervous wreck.
The anxiety lasts about a week and then dissipates, but for the first week I can't sleep, I obsess over details, I prep and prep and prep to the point of exhaustion, I cry, and I DREAD going to class each day. I lie awake and worry that my students are going to hate me.
By the end of the term, I grow attached to my students. I like them, and they like me. But the first week is **** on my nerves.
Any advice for dealing with this kind of anxiety?