Edssential article from @MsFindlater :
Observations can be one of the most stressful experiences in a teachers job. As an NQT and well into the first couple of years of teaching, observations were the stuff of nightmares for me. Cold sweats and waking up in the middle of the night were not unusual. I would dread them for weeks in advance. My heart rate would increase every time someone talked about them. A serious case of shaky hands would come on as the schedule for the team’s observations arrived on my desk. The nerves were crippling. The thought of getting it all wrong was at the centre of this fear. I had not seen many other teachers teach at the time, and although I had excellent training during my PGCE at The Institute of Education, there was just so much to take in. I felt completely alone – it was daunting.