Hi Jo. Thanks for your reply and your honesty. I'm very glad that have decided to continue with the course. Let me tell you that most trainees and, dare I say it, many native speakers can and do have problems with English grammar. The publishing world knows this only too well judging by the number of books available. Just remember that this is only part of the course, albeit an important part.

Your students, I would guess, are a mixed abilty group varying from beginner through pre-intermediate to intermediate. Although the trainers will have assessed each student's level and tried to group them appropriately, it is not always possible to get a homogeneous group. This means that you will be teaching to the middle of the ability range on most occasions - which is the case in the real world of ESL/EFL. And if the students are in jobs, some may not turn-up for all of the lessons. Use every opportunity when outside the classroom, coffe-breaks etc to talk and listen to your students and build rapport.

You might want to look at two books I would recommend for new teachers. (Some homework over the Christmas period).

RIDDELL, David. Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Hodder and Staughton (in the UK) or McGraw Hill (in the US). 2003. There is a new edition.

SWAN, Michael and WALTER, Catherine. How English works: a grammar practice book with answers. Oxford University Press. reprinted 2008.

Visit your pharmacist. Explain about the your course and your anxiety, and ask for a herbal remedy to make you more relaxed. As for writing on the board, once you can control your nerves with a little help from the 'chemical friend', this will become easier. It's not a permanent solution but may just help you. All teachers, whether they choose to admit it or not, can have a lesson that does not go according to plan.

Good luck.