25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them (31 page)

SCENARIO 14.15
Reading Reticence: To Read or Not to Read

In the fourth grade I remember my teacher making us read out loud in groups. I had a hard time reading because I had moved due to my father being in the military. So my first four years of school were hectic. This teacher made me read in front of my group, then I was laughed at because I had trouble. This still bothers me today. I have trouble reading, or even talking, in front of my peers.

A student who was reluctant to read in front of the group always sent up a red flag for me. This reading reticence usually signals low self-esteem, poor reading skills, shyness, illness, and so forth. All of these conditions suggest that the student should not be forced to read aloud, but should be allowed to pass until the teacher has had time to investigate and address the problem. An effective teacher would be empathic and encouraging and would admonish the group for laughing at anyone who is trying to read. The teacher could desensitize the student to reading before a group by having the student read one-on-one with the teacher first, then read aloud with a peer, next read aloud in a small group, and then read before the class. The effective teacher could teach the students to be supportive of each other when someone is having trouble. Sprinthall, Sprinthall, and Oja (1994) suggest that teachers are a potent force and by using social approval, they can shape the behavior of their classes.

SCENARIO 14.16
No Make-Up; I’ll Take a Powder

I was a freshman in high school. I had the flu for about a week. When I returned to school, I inquired about taking a make-up test for a history class. The teacher said I could not make it up because he had to go hold a pep rally! I asked if I could make it up the next Monday. He said he would think about it. I told my parents that I probably would get a D or F. I ended up dropping out of school. I did go to another school, and had a good experience.

This teacher was apparently very busy and preoccupied with some duties he had to perform. There was no obvious malicious intent in his actions. His off-handed response of “I’ll think about it” was
either a result of his busy schedule and unwillingness to commit to a time, or his response was deliberately unaccommodating to cause the student some discomfort about missing the test. Whatever his intent, he misjudged the importance of the make-up to the student.

Teachers should establish a test and assignment make-up policy at the beginning of the school year clearly delineating if and when a make-up test is allowed. These make-up test guidelines should acknowledge extenuating circumstances such as illness, death in the family, and so on. The goal of the make-up policy should be to maximize student participation in class assignments. If a student has a tiny flicker of responsibility about a missed assignment, teachers have an obligation to fan that flicker into flames by helping the student make up the assignment. This teacher could have fanned this student’s flicker by simply designating a better time to discuss the test and possible make-up. This simple act could have avoided the student’s panic about getting a poor grade and subsequent dropping out of school.

SCENARIO 14.17
Can’t You See That I Can’t See?

I guess it had to do with first grade. The homework was always written in the corner of the blackboard. Because I was seated in the farthest row I could never see it or copy it before Sister M. A. erased it. So I repeatedly received hand slappings with a ruler because I did not have my homework completed. It was later discovered that I had a vision problem but the teacher still did not place me closer to the homework board or give me the assignments when I asked.

Apparently, the child was not the only one who had visual problems. The teacher obviously missed the signs that the child was having difficulty seeing the board. Children with visual problems often squint, strain their necks, use their hands to slant their eyes, or use other behaviors to improve their vision. An effective teacher would suspect that maybe the child was unable to see the board from the back of the room at an angle. A major clue that something was amiss was the incomplete homework assignments. How sad that the environment in this classroom was so unresponsive to the needs of the students. The student was obviously afraid and ashamed to say that she couldn’t see.

To avoid this problem, teachers should be aware of students who show signs of having difficulty seeing the board. If there is any doubt, ask students if they are having trouble seeing and encourage those students to move closer to the board. Once it is a known fact that the child has a problem, change the seating arrangement immediately. To knowingly ignore a child’s cry for help under these circumstances is malpractice. The teacher has an obligation to create a class environment that is conducive to learning and the child’s well-being.

SCENARIO 14.18
Small but Mighty

My worst experience with a teacher occurred when I was in second grade. There wasn’t one particular incident that happened; she was just a horrible teacher. She used to give the class an outrageous assignment like rewriting the Constitution, and then walk around the class clicking and tapping her fingernails on everyone’s desk. She tormented us! She never let us get up from our desks unless we were leaving the classroom for some reason. I think she did this because she was only four feet tall and we not only outnumbered her, but we were taller than she was!

This case reminds me of a teacher who worked as a permanent substitute for our school. She had a similar stature, about four feet tall, and a nice smile and long red fingernails. She was an enigma because the children were terrified of her. Many of the children towered over her, yet
they
feared her. They begged us not to have her come back. When I asked her what she did to the children, she just smiled with no answer. She always had control of her classes. I think these teachers must have felt the need to use extreme measures to control their children because of their short stature. These extreme measures would guarantee that the children would respect and obey them. Their tactics may control their classes but they also can stifle a child’s sense of industry at this age.

Second graders need some autonomy and mobility to promote what Erikson (1963) refers to as a sense of industry. The development of a sense of industry demands that a child be allowed to make and do things and experience some success, as well as be encouraged to persist at a task. When children are not allowed to do this, they may experience a sense of inferiority. Woolfolk (1998) suggests that children should be given an opportunity to pursue realistic goals and should be encouraged to work responsibly.

Every aspect of this teacher’s instruction counters these suggestions. She gave her students an unrealistic assignment. Good teachers have realistic expectations of student performance and try to give their students developmentally appropriate instruction.

SCENARIO 14.19
Anything Worth Doing Is Not Worth Doing Well

Mrs. C., third grade, looming over my desk (front row), ripping up the little yellow paper that was my math homework, yelling that it was a disgrace and asking what was wrong with me that I couldn’t produce homework that was neat or correct. I had spent two hours the night before, working with my mom on that homework. We were only allowed one half sheet of paper. My writing was poor and there were quite a few erasures. Mrs. C. threw up her hands in dismay and gave up on me. This happened on a regular basis. I was frightened and came to associate that with math class.

A person is not his or her performance. This seemingly novice teacher assumes that they are one in the same. She asks the child what was wrong with her that she could not produce neat homework. This statement absolves the teacher of any responsibility in the child’s poor performance. The teacher’s explosive outburst illuminates her frustration with dealing with the student’s problem. She seems convinced that the child owns the problem.

Perceptive, responsible teachers assess their share of the problem and take action. They would begin by finding ways to improve instruction and by ascertaining alternate approaches to helping students. Effective teachers would focus their efforts on helping students improve their performance, which would eliminate the need for disparaging remarks and angry outbursts (Sabers, Cushing, & Berliner, 1991). Shaping (Skinner, 1987) is a behavioral strategy that effective teachers use often. Using shaping, teachers reinforce successive approximations or small steps of progress toward a specific behavioral outcome and offer praise and encouragement at each step. For example, they could praise the fact that the student brought in the homework, next praise the neatness of some of the letters, next note that the paper does not have erasures, and so on. The child is most likely to try harder to get some praise and approval and less likely to try harder for hurtful remarks.