25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them (35 page)

Teacher Insensitivity

SCENARIO 16.1
Seeing Red

My English teacher offered to help students with their papers before they handed them in. As a student eager to do well, I went to her for help. She basically destroyed the essay as well as my self-confidence in my writing. I can still vividly see my introduction crossed out in red. I had spent so long working on it that to see it all rejected felt horrible. While she was supposedly trying to help me rewrite it, more of her ideas and words were going down on the paper. I can’t remember her exact words, but I know for years afterwards, I had horrible writer’s block. It took me several years to accept the idea that I might be a good writer. I still can’t put words and sentences down unless I think they are perfect. Additionally, since then, I have never asked a teacher for help with a paper.

Traditionally, red ink was used in accounting procedures to record debits and losses. Perhaps educators borrowed from this practice and used red ink to grade student papers to note deficiencies and mistakes. The practice of using red ink for grading has been so overused and misused that red ink has become symbolic with failure. When students see returned papers covered with red ink, they often see red. After their anger subsides, they are left with diminished self-confidence and fear of failure or of making mistakes. Some teachers, like the one in this scenario, are insensitive to the effect red ink has on students. Although her intent was to help the student, the teacher in this scenario was not sensitive to the student’s reaction to the grading. It seems suspect that so much of the student’s paper was crossed out in red.

Effective teachers know that they need to clearly state the objectives and expectations for the assignment. Brophy (1982) attributed some student failure to a lack of clarity about what they’re supposed to be doing for the assignment.

Good teachers know the importance of balancing criticisms with positives. They praise student effort and hard work as they make suggestions for improvements. Skilled teachers avoid imposing their words and ideas on students. Instead, they encourage students to critically evaluate their own work and edit and revise it as needed. This helps students to appropriately attribute their successes and failures (Weiner, 1979). An alternative is for both the teacher and the student to edit and critique the paper, then compare their edits. If there are any discrepancies in the edits, the student is responsible for using references to look them up and determine which is correct. Finally, a good way to keep students from seeing red is to use other colors to grade papers, such as green or purple.

SCENARIO 16.2
And the “Winner” Is . . .

My worst experience with a teacher came when I was in junior high, and there was an awards ceremony in PE. All the students in three classes were sitting in the bleachers, and the three PE teachers were down on the gym floor. They would call each student receiving an award individually to come down to receive their ribbon, certificate, letter, etc. I was never good at sports, so I knew my name would not be called. I was very surprised when I heard, “. . . and the next award goes to (my name).” The award was for “BIGGEST PHYSICAL RETARD.”

They meant this to be funny. I have no actual physical disabilities. All the students laughed. I tried to take it in good humor, but I felt humiliated. My adult perspective is that it’s a terrible idea to make fun of an adolescent in public. Even if the child knows that it is a joke, no big attention should be made that is derogatory—especially in front of a large group!

Award ceremonies are usually held to recognize students for their accomplishments. At award ceremonies, there is usually an air of goodwill and anticipation, as students wait to see if they have won something. When students win, emotions are high and joy prevails. When students lose, hope often informs the determination to do better next time. When students are ridiculed for their efforts, hope becomes humiliation and pain prevails.

The insensitive coaches had no regard for the student’s well-being. They all had a good, hearty laugh at the student’s expense. Students have a difficult time in school when they are different in any way. In this case, maybe the student had poor coordination or a physical problem. Whatever the reason, it did not warrant the humiliation of a student under the guise of a gag award. To make matters worse, the student felt compelled to laugh with the crowd to conceal the depth of her pain.

Good teachers would only use an award ceremony for that which it was intended . . . to recognize achievement.

They would never use the ceremony as a forum for humiliation and shame. Woolfolk (1998) decries anything that draws attention to a student’s physical differences, which includes physical performance. Instead of looking at a student’s effort as half bad, it is more helpful and productive to view it as half good. An award that recognizes effort is much better than a nonproductive attempt at humor.

SCENARIO 16.3
Name Sweet Name

In third grade I was adopted and my last name changed during the middle of the year from M. C. to M. B. My teacher refused to change my name. I was so excited to be adopted by my stepfather and it deeply upset me that she would not acknowledge it. She insisted on calling me by the wrong last name.

The adoptive process is centered on the welfare of the child—the physical and psychological welfare. Adoption obviously boosted this student’s self-esteem and sense of belonging. Having a new last name was symbolic of the love and acceptance she had been granted. The teacher threw cold water on her happiness by refusing to acknowledge her new name. It’s difficult to determine if the teacher’s inaction was rooted in malice or ignorance. There is no excuse for either.

Insightful teachers would sense the feelings of happiness and pride that being adopted gave this student. They would make a conscious effort to remember the new name. Many teachers would take the opportunity to help the child celebrate the new name by reintroducing her to the class, using her adopted name. Another way to acknowledge the student would be to put the child’s picture on the wall with the new name underneath and the word “congratulations” over the picture. These acknowledgments should only be done with the child’s permission.

SCENARIO 16.4
Exit Front and Center Stage

In first grade I had an accident in class during naptime and the teacher made it obvious. I sat in the back of class. There was a back door out of the room, but she made me first sop up my mess with paper towels, then leave the room out the front with the waste-basket to go to the principal’s office.

The problem in this scenario is that the teacher treated a young child’s accident as if it was a misdemeanor that warranted shame and public exhibition. Having the child clean up the mess, carry the trashcan containing the soggy mess, and, as a finale, take the trashcan out of the front door was a demeaning, covert form of punishment.

The insensitive teacher had no empathy for the child and made a conscious effort to make the situation obvious. Perhaps the motive for this less-than-empathetic response was that the teacher felt she could not let the accident go unnoticed because it may encourage others to do the same.

Empathic teachers would respond to the child’s accident with minimal attention and class interruption. They would send for the janitor to do a quick clean up while they directed their students’ attention to other relevant instructional matters. Students would learn the valuable lesson that accidents happen and maintaining dignity is a better approach to handling an accident than is invoking shame. Children should not be sent to center stage for unintentional acts of behavior that are better known as accidents.

SCENARIO 16.5
Eye to Swollen Eye

My PE teacher completely ignored me when I told her my eye was bitten by an ant and was swollen. By the time I got back to regular class, my eye was swollen shut and I couldn’t see. The main thing I was mad about was that she completely ignored me and didn’t even look at me.

The teacher in this scenario didn’t bother to look at a student who was complaining of an eye injury. This reckless act of indifference could have endangered the injured student. If the teacher had at least made eye contact, she could have readily seen that the student’s eye was swelling rapidly. The student could have had an allergic reaction or serious injury to the eye. Prompt attention to an injury is necessary to protect the well-being of the child. This teacher’s lack of response borders on negligence.

Prudent teachers investigate all student complaints of injury immediately. Although some complaints may be trivial, to ignore them may risk ignoring a serious or life-threatening injury. Sometimes just acknowledging students’ injuries makes them feel better. It’s human nature to want to tell someone where it hurts. Good teachers are willing to listen.