Unsure, Stumbling, and Finding Joy in Teaching: Building Confidence as an Early Career Instructor

In this chapter, I reflect on my experiences as an Early Career Instructor (ECI), including how feelings of uncertainty, imposter syndrome, but also joy manifest in my teaching thus far. Structured through a series of vignettes that offer glimpses into cringeworthy, humbling, and rewarding experiences teaching International Relations to undergraduate students, I reflect on the structures of support, words of wisdom, and teachable moments that have built my confidence as an ECI. The stories I share in this chapter reveal the uncomfortable and challenging side of teaching, but they also show the joy, connection, and confidence that grows from these encounters.