Hey so I’m having some major anxiety about college and my future career because of the pandemic, so I could use some advice please...

So I have three semesters left of college before I graduate with my Master’s in Education as well as my Bachelor’s in Geography. So I’ll be teaching science when I graduate and I’m super excited!

But I’m terrified.

Because this semester, this lovely pandemic took away my opportunity to observe middle school classes (my licensure is 6-12th grade).

And if everything hits again in the fall and schools “shut down” or do not reopen for this 2020-2021 academic school year, I will also miss my practicum semester (intense observations as well as helping make lesson plans and conducting some lessons).

I know the content, so I’m not worried about that. But I am terrified that I will graduate not knowing how to teach when schools are able to safely reopen (hopeful wishing here).

I honestly have no idea what I will do if I end up doing practicum and student teaching (student teaching fall 2021) all online over Zoom or google meets. I don’t think I will feel qualified to teach students if this happens.

This is my future career and what I’ve been working towards for three years so far, and now I feel like I’ve never been farther away from it. I don’t know what to do or who to talk to about this. I am sure I will be able to gain important skills from doing practicum and student teaching online (if it gets to that), but when it comes time to be on my own in an actual classroom with students, I just don’t think I’ll be prepared in the slightest since online courses are so much different. I won’t have experience, and the first year of teaching is already difficult enough.

I’m just so worried. I don’t know what to do. I’m scared that if everything falls apart and I’m unable to do my observations and student teach in person, I’ll have to just do something else with my degree. Because honestly it’s not fair to the students to have a teacher not know what they’re doing. But I don’t have a Plan B. But now I feel like I need one.

I could really use some advice, especially if there are any teachers on here. :(