I think that sounds awful. I substituted for awhile when I first left college. It was actually at a private high school in the Middle East. It was also hell, but for different reasons. The kids were spoiled and had no respect for me, especially the boys. I did get some good advice from one of the other teachers. He said don't be their friend and don't smile for a month. It definitely helped.

You have to muster some measure of authority and adultness that will separate you from them, which is really hard when you're not that much older. Be stern and bitchy if you have to.

So did you go to school to become a teacher, or did you get a degree in something else? Either way, I would keep looking for something better, even a substitute gig in another district. One positive thing about this is that every other job will seem like a breeze after this one!

In the meantime, take good care of yourself. When you come home from work, take a hot bath, do yoga, or watch funny shows or movies. Focus on the good things in your life. I think that will help with the anxiety.

Hang in there!

Oh I am so sorry. Teaching is very difficult. I am also a teacher, and had a horrible 4 year experience with the administration of the district. Not the kids though. I loved the kids, they were what kept me going. But even that experience made me question my career choice.

You need to look into classroom management. I didn't have a lot of issues with that, but I took a ton of professional development on it before I started teaching that first year. You really need to get control quickly. Seek out the counselor, teachers, and principal for advice. Most of the time these people want you to do well. If the principal wants the school to succeed then the teachers have to be successful.

I used a lot of positive incentives. (Yes, I also taught high school. It is kind of funny what high schoolers will do.) If it doesn't get any better and the school is not supporting you through this then getting out is not a horrible thing. It is a sub position. Look for other jobs in the meantime.

What Judy said is good advice. Take really good care of yourself through this. Don't feel pressured to stay if you try your best and things do not improve (no principal support, more threatening situations, etc.) Give it a little time using your advice and the classroom management skills. Within one semester, you should know if it is getting better. How long is this position? Is it a long term sub or just daily substituting in different classes?

There are a lot better schools out there. Do not let this one school ruin teaching for you. Good luck.

Substitute teaching is hell, even for people without anxiety issues. Also, though I wish this were not true, research shows that students are more likely to take advantage of a woman teacher. I am so sorry that you feel nauseous and shaky and fear blacking out.

When I first started teaching someone more experienced told me that if you super-scold the class one time it often changes things. I don't know what disciplinary actions you've tried, but one time, for example, I couldn't get a student to stop listening to her iPod, and finally I just yelled, "Turn off the damn iPod!" and it worked. I didn't do it again; one time was all it took. You might also try being honest with them. Turn the tables. Tell them, "Thanks a lot for making me feel so bad and making my life a living hell. You must feel very proud of yourselves." Ask if any of them plan to be teachers someday, and if so, how would they like it if students acted like this? On some level, they are testing you, and testing the limits of their own boundaries.

You may also consider continuing to look for a different job while you have this one. It may help you maintain help.

I started a group, Job Anxiety, in case you are interested.

No, you absolutely do NOT need to just accept this as a new reality. AND you are NOT a failure. You're starting out in your career and sorting out what you want to do, where you want to do it and who you want to work with. That's okay - and it's standard.

It sounds like you had just an awful experience with no back up from administration. That is NOT cool. It's good to ask about when you interview and get to the negotiation stage - "Can you tell me more about how the administration backs up teachers when there are disciplinary issues?"

As a teacher, there are a ton of other options open to you. You can apply to a charter school or private school. You can work at a tutoring center like Sylvan or a myriad of other tutoring places.

You can also offer private tutoring to the schools and that way you can pick and choose who you're willing to work with.

You can get a bit more training and teach at a college. Right now, you can provide tutoring to college students who are training to be teachers. Or if there are other subjects you're particularly good with, you can tutor college students in that.

Do you want to refine your education further? For example, do you want to specialize and become an art teacher or music teacher or some other subject? Do you want to use your teaching studies to launch a career as a corporate trainer? A family therapist? A parenting educator?

You have a LOT of different options open to you. Consider what you might be interested in, speak with people working in those fields, shadow a few of them for a week or so to be as sure as you can be that it will be a fit for you and then give it a go. If it's a fit, great. If not, refine some more.

I would also suggest the book "Love and Logic for the Classroom." They have great ideas for discipline but you really do need the back up of the administration.