Teachers are usually excited about their first opportunity to teach. As they think of becoming teachers, they dream rosy thoughts about their classrooms and wonder what it will be like when they one day have a classroom of their own. Unfortunately, for many of them, dark clouds of self-doubt dot the horizon and obscure the sunrise of their new teaching careers. What is self-doubt, and why is it...

Dear Tisha,

After deep reflection, I’ve decided that being spotlessly neat can be an asset in the classroom.

Carolyn Orange is a professor of educational psychology at the University of Texas, San Antonio, and is the author of 25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them in addition to a number of other books and articles. She is included in Who’s Who in the World, has received the Yellow Rose of Texas Award in...