As anyone who has been a classroom teacher knows, we get the jitters too!  And like Mrs. Hartwell in TEACHER JITTERS, we need to be good about letting our students know when we get nervous, so they are more likely to share and know how to handle their own nerves. Below you will find some lesson suggestions to help.

Learning Objectives:

Through reading, discussing the book, and engaging in follow-up activities, students will:

• begin to understand that everyone gets nervous sometimes.
• begin to recognize and examine what kinds of situations give them the jitters.
• learn and practice calming strategies that they can call on to help them cope with a case of the jitters.
• have a chance to ask the adults in their lives what makes them nervous and how they cope.
• as a class, make a list of common situations that make students nervous and a list of strategies that they could use to help them cope with their nerves.

Before Reading:

Give an overview of the book. Discuss the fact that everyone gets nervous sometimes.  Let students share what makes them nervous and what they do about it?

After Reading Discussion Questions:

• Why was Mrs. Hartwell nervous?
• Do you think it helped Mrs. Hartwell to share with her students what she was nervous about?  Why?
• Do you ever share with friends or family when you are nervous?  Why or why not?
• How do you know you are nervous or have a case of the jitters? What does it feel like for you?
• What strategies did the students share with Mrs. Hartwell?  Have you ever tried any of those strategies yourself?  Did they help? 
• What do you do when you get nervous?

AFTER READING ACTIVITY IDEAS:

Practice Makes Perfect:

As a class, come up with common classroom situations where students might feel nervous.  (ex: before a test, before a performance, when there is a substitute teacher, when they are called on to answer a question etc.)  Then, come up with a positive self-talk that they could use when feeling those nerves.  For instance, if a student is called on to read in front of the class he or she might first say to the class or in their head, “I’m a little bit nervous that I might mess up, but I’ll do my best.”

After you’ve created a chart of the various situations and positive self-talk, have kids, just for fun, practice being in the various situations and using that self-talk. They don’t have to take this too seriously, but acting it out, both the nervous part and the calming part, might help make it a little more real for them, and therefore more likely to use it when they need to.

Replace the Negative with the Positive:

Discuss why negative thoughts might lead to a case of the jitters. Then produce a list of negative thoughts, (ex: I’m dumb., I can’t do this…etc.) and replace them with positive statements.

What Do Grown-ups Do? (activity for students 4^th grade and above):

Students will have a conversation with two or three important people in their life, asking them the following questions and recording their answers. Then, in small groups or as a class, have them share their findings.

• What are 2 or 3 situations where you have felt nervous?  What do the jitters feel like for you?
• What do you do when you get nervous?