Teaching Feedback

I'm beginning to think that maybe teaching social psych is a better idea than teaching child & adolescent development. At least I understand the social psych concepts easily. I can't teach Piaget to these students if I don't understand Piaget.

So as you can see, I got some feedback from one faculty member who observed my class a couple weeks ago. Apparently, I made a bunch of content errors. As in, I was teaching them incorrect information. Yup...that sucks.

You know, some people with depression/anxiety tend to have an external locus of control in which they assume that outside forces dictate whatever happens to them. They don't feel like they have the ability to control what happens. That's me right about now.

I have very fatalistic thinking. When I get such negative feedback (yes...there was more than that little tidbit), I tend to assume it's because I'm not good enough and there's nothing I can do to change that. Then I dwell...and dwell...and not make any progress towards improving. Because, why try improving when this negative feedback is a reflection of internal ability that is not subject to change? Woe is me.

So, even though I understand this about myself and I know the above is not true (of course teaching skill is changeable and subject to improvement), I still struggle. Then I pose questions to myself: Why do I want to become a professor? Do I really think I have what it takes? Am I lacking in requisite knowledge?

Then, if you are fatalistic like I am, you assume you aren't good enough and won't become good enough by the time you have to graduate. Yep, it sucks to be me.