Am I a POSER or just sweating?

Teacher's meetings started this week at my new school. We've started each day with breakfast (there is ALWAYS food at teacher's meetings!) and devotions, then began training. We watched videos on effective teachers, classroom management, and the like. We've learned the grading system, been introduced to student handbooks and told our "tentative" schedules. We've spent hours hanging bulletin boards, haggling over elementary classes and searching every last inch of the building for any semblance of teacher guides/lesson plans we can find.

And at the end of the day, all I can think is: I FEEL LIKE SUCH A POSER.

I know I'm not. I know I have the education and the training to begin what I am about to do. But I can't help having these overwhelming feeling that "who am I to teach these students?" Honestly, I'm scared to death. I'm filled with questions and anxieties. I wonder if I can do it.

I know this is normal. The veteran teachers at my school look just as frazzled as I do. In fact, I've seen two lifers have break-downs this week. So, it's not only this newbie that is feeling the stress.

As a kid, I remember going to the first day of school with more then a few butterflies. My teachers, on the other hand, always seemed so confident. They could face anything and were totally prepared.

Now I know the truth. Teachers are just as freakin' scared as the students - they just know how to cover it better. So, I put on my brave face and remember words of the wise:

NEVER LET 'EM SEE YA SWEAT.