25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them (51 page)

11.4. Was your behavior justified? If so, why?

No, because I could have approached him in a different manner
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11.5. Do you regret your action(s)?

Yes
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11.6. Do you ever think about this incident? If yes, approximately how often since the occurrence(s)?

Ten times a year
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11.7. If faced with the same or a similar situation, what would you do?

I would try to do something different to motivate him to do his work
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Commentary

Some teachers embrace the misconception that making someone feel badly about what they are doing will motivate them to stop their behavior. To avoid making the student feel badly, a request to do the work could be in the form of a logical appeal, and explain to the student the benefits of completing assignments or doing homework (Orange, 2005). This appeal to the conscience could possibly work if it were not done in public. In a public forum it becomes humiliation.

Mistake 6: Physiological Discrimination

Teacher # 12

A Scenario of a Teacher’s Worst Treatment of a Student

This treatment happened during my first year of teaching; actually during my first month of teaching. There was this little girl in my class. She was the tallest and biggest in the class. She had a severe attitude with everyone and anyone. One day she came back from lunch and was very disruptive. She kept interrupting and talking back. I had put up with her for a while and finally broke and just made her sit outside of the class in the hall with the door closed. I continued with the lesson and forgot about her. Twenty minutes later, a student reminded me she was outside. She was still waiting, standing up and I had forgotten. I felt really badly
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Motive Probe

12.1. Describe the problem and your specific role in it.

I made a student sit outside the class and I forgot about her
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12.2. Why did you do what you did?

For both of us to have a cooling-off period
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12.3. What emotions or feelings were you experiencing at the time?

I was so upset that I could not even look at her. I just wanted her out
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12.4. Was your behavior justified? If so, why?

Probably not
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12.5. Do you regret your action(s)?

Yes, I could have handled it differently
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12.6. Do you ever think about this incident? If yes, approximately how often since the occurrence(s)?

No, I just remembered it once since it happened, now
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12.7. If faced with the same or a similar situation, what would you do?

Just give the student a referral and have the counselor talk to him or her
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Commentary

Discrimination manifests in a variety of way. In this scenario, it seems that the teacher has a negative bias toward this student because of her size. She points out that the girl is the biggest and the tallest student with a severe attitude, in that order. The order suggests that the girl’s size is more important than her attitude. Actually, size is irrelevant when considering a student’s behavior, unless the student is using his or her size to intimidate others. Comments the teacher made such as not being able to look at the student, suggests further evidence of bias. Teachers can avoid discrimination based on physical attributes by setting personal standards that will not tolerate such bias. They can limit their judgment and subsequent treatment of children to the quality of children’s work, behavior, participation, and productivity in the classroom.

Teacher # 13

A Scenario of a Teacher’s Worst Treatment of a Student

I commented to a young girl about her weight. At that time I was working in a residential treatment center/children’s home
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Motive Probe

13.1. Describe the problem and your specific role in it.

As a counselor-in-training, I hurt a young girl’s feelings
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13.2. Why did you do what you did?

I was not thinking. I usually think before I speak . . . but not this time
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13.3. What emotions or feelings were you experiencing at the time?

Feelings of frustration for other reasons, not because of anything she did. I was frustrated with another situation in the children’s home
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13.4. Was your behavior justified? If so, why?

The behavior was unacceptable
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13.5. Do you regret your action(s)?

Yes, absolutely
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13.6. Do you ever think about this incident? If yes, approximately how often since the occurrence(s)?

One time per year at least
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13.7. If faced with the same or a similar situation, what would you do?

I certainly would not make comments regarding sensitive issues such as weight, height, age, and so on
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Commentary

Childhood obesity is a serious problem that is nearly epidemic in the United States. A side effect of obesity is fat discrimination evidenced by people who apparently believe that fat people are subhuman and thereby are not entitled to the respect and courtesy extended to their slimmer counterparts. These people feel, do, and say whatever they want to an overweight person. To avoid this type of bias, teachers have an obligation to respect student boundaries, particularly those concerning student weight, gender, and ethnicity. Better teachers try to embrace student differences and help them with their challenges.

Mistake 7: Personal Attacks

Teacher # 14

A Scenario of a Teacher’s Worst Treatment of a Student

While tutoring, I told a student he was being a smart mouth and if he was really smart, he would be quiet and do his work instead of being lazy
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Motive Probe

14.1. Describe the problem and your specific role in it.

I would tutor this child Tuesday and Thursday
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14.2. Why did you do what you did?

Because after meeting with his parents two times a week, the student did not change his attitude or become motivated regardless of how much I talked to him or how many varieties of instructional methods I used
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14.3. What emotions or feelings were you experiencing at the time?

Anger
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14.4. Was your behavior justified? If so, why?

No, anger is never justified. You should keep calm and try one more strategy or look for a solution
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14.5. Do you regret your action(s)?

Yes
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14.6. Do you ever think about this incident? If yes, approximately how often since the occurrence(s)?

(No response.)

14.7. If faced with the same or a similar situation, what would you do?

Think things through and remain calm
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Commentary

When the teacher makes the attack on a student personal, it suggests that the teacher feels threatened in some way and sees the student as a source of threat. This teacher obviously felt inadequate because she had run out of options for changing the student’s behavior. She resorted to failure-breeding tactics such as name-calling, labeling, and criticism of students for talking. The teacher is obviously misinformed as evidenced by her apparent belief that being quiet is being smart. That’s not necessarily true. Vygotsky (1993) proposes that children’s private speech helps them to organize their thoughts when they are working. Being quiet would rob them of the opportunity to engage in this process. Perhaps she could have avoided the problem if she asked the student to tell her what he thought would be helpful to his learning in the tutoring session.

Teacher # 15

A Scenario of a Teacher’s Worst Treatment of a Student

My son was in his room and I was upset to find that he was making faces as I asked him to read a book that his teacher sent home for homework. He continued to roll his eyes, to sigh, and fiddle as he attempted to read. I became increasingly frustrated because he seemed to be giving up and not trying after doing just a few school assignments, reading, and sports/extracurricular activities. He continued to stumble on words and act out and I became tense and increasingly upset. After many prompts, I exploded and told him he was lazy and not a hard worker
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Motive Probe

15.1. Describe the problem and your specific role in it.

See above
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15.2. Why did you do what you did?

I was frustrated and I felt guilty
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15.3. What emotions or feelings were you experiencing at the time?

I felt upset that he was giving up and seemed to not be trying. I also felt guilty because I may not have been encouraging enough in the past to instill a better work ethic in him
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15.4. Was your behavior justified? If so, why?

No, I don’t believe yelling at a child and calling him lazy is any kind of motivation to develop a better work ethic, especially for a 5-year-old
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15.5. Do you regret your action(s)?

Yes
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15.6. Do you ever think about this incident? If yes, approximately how often since the occurrence(s)?

About ten times a year for about 2 years
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15.7. If faced with the same or a similar situation, what would you do?

Take a breath, walk away to collect my thoughts first
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Commentary

It’s ironic that the mother was upset and angry because she felt the child was not trying hard enough and that he was giving up too soon, when in fact, that
is exactly what she did. She gave up on her 5-year-old. A reluctance to read suggests that the child may have a reading problem or a developing learning disability. This mother is a teacher, but she forgot to use her teacher skills at home and give her son the same consideration that she would give a reluctant reader. As a parent, she felt more fearful and anxious about the possible outcome, namely that her son would always be a poor reader. Her frustration was a direct result of her feelings that she was powerless over that possibility. To avoid repeating this behavior, the mother should allow herself to be teacher at home when necessary and work patiently with her child. Patience and kindness will remove the need for the child to make faces and act out; instead, he will be more likely to work with his mom-teacher to remediate his reading deficiencies.

Teacher # 16

A Scenario of a Teacher’s Worst Treatment of a Student

I don’t recall the specific details of this incident. I was speaking to a boy out in the hall after I sent him there because of his perpetual, persistent misbehavior. I had tried many times before to be kind and reasonable with him. But this day, I had it with him. I ended up calling him a loser and told him to quit dragging everyone else down with him because that was one thing I wouldn’t tolerate
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Motive Probe