One of the characteristics of being an expert in any field is the ability to self-monitor successfully. When you do this, you are constantly scanning what you are doing and looking for mistakes as they happen. You correct them before they get too far along and so avoid creating bigger problems. This is something that you will get better at as you get more experience teaching. As you encounter difficulties and challenges and make attempts at solving them, you will be building your own mental bank of experience. This is all leading you toward becoming an expert teacher yourself. Mistakes teach us much more about a situation than having everything go perfectly. It's great when everything goes absolutely right. But it is often more difficult to be positive about why that was the case. When something goes wrong, you have the opportunity to think about it and learn why it happened, then correct it the next time. Reflection and self-assessment are important parts of teaching at any stage, but especially when you are new. Take the time each day to consider what happened that day, your reactions, triumphs, and what you might have done better. In the early stages of teaching, it can be very helpful to keep a journal to record your experiences, even if only a few short lines a day, or once a week. Journaling serves several purposes. First, it forces you to reflect on your teaching. Second, it leaves you with a record to refer to. Writing and reflecting both lead to analysis and stronger retention of what you are learning and experiencing. Try it for just one month and see what you think! Click here to see a sample Weekly Reflection Journal.