25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them (57 page)

My class was standing in the hall waiting for an assembly to end and for the students to exit. I reminded them multiple times to follow the hallway procedures and stand quietly. A student whistled very loudly. When I turned around, it appeared that a student nearby had been whistling. I went up one side of him and down the other. I was going to have him sit in the office for the whole assembly. I said let’s go and started walking to the office. Never once did I stop and ask him a question or try to listen to what he had to say. As we rounded the corner toward the office, he told me that he did not do it
.

Motive Probe

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

I jumped to a wrong conclusion
.

41.2. Why did you do what you did?

I had just finished saying to be quiet
.

41.3. What emotions or feelings were you experiencing at the time?

I felt overwhelmed and frustrated. It was the Friday of the first week of school. I was tired and needed a break
.

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

No, I just should have remained calm
.

41.5. Do you regret your action(s)?

Yes
.

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

(No response.)

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

Find out the offender before I speak
.

Commentary

Teachers can avoid a rush to misjudgment by asking the student if he or she committed the offense in question. However, if the teacher did not see who committed the offense and no one confesses, it’s best to drop the matter to avoid punishing an innocent person.

Mistake 24: Inappropriate Reactions

Teacher # 42

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

I punished my class for something that I didn’t have 100% proof that they committed. One student voiced her disagreement subversively to the other students within my range of hearing. My emotions went from stressed to angry to yelling out the phrase, “No ma’am! You will not do that in my classroom,” which instantly took the air out of the cooperative learning atmosphere that I had been creating all year. The looks on the other students’ faces were fearful, shocked, and submissive. I immediately told the student to meet me outside, where the verbal tirade, not discussion, continued. When I discussed this with the child’s guardian, I received a well-deserved verbal lashing and apologized profusely. Every time I have to deal with student discipline now, the experience usually comes to mind, and I think before I act
.

Motive Probe

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

I gave a consequence for the entire class, one student led a revolt, and I openly persecuted her
.

42.2. Why did you do what you did?

At the time, to maintain class control, to prevent a mutiny
.

42.3. What emotions or feelings were you experiencing at the time?

Anger, betrayal, resentment, and regret
.

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

No
.

42.5. Do you regret your action(s)?

Yes
.

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

About three to five times in the past year
.

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

I would remain calm and not display my emotions in that manner. I would have the discussion after class and in private
.

Commentary

The power of a few words is demonstrated in the reaction of the students, in this scenario, to their teacher’s caustic outburst. The class identified with the student that was wrongfully reprimanded, wrongfully reprimanded because the teacher was treating the class unfairly and the student gave voice to the teacher’s error. Teachers can avoid dismantling the trust they have built with their students by being straightforward and owning mistakes, making apologies, and always righting their wrong actions immediately. To do this successfully, it is best to leave ego out of the discipline equation.

Teacher # 43

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

I cursed at a student
.

Motive Probe

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

He was deliberately disrupting the class, engaging in private conversations and had not done any work
.

43.2. Why did you do what you did?

(No response.)

43.3. What emotions or feelings were you experiencing at the time?

Frustration and anger
.

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

Yes, sometimes you have to use shock to get a student’s attention
.

43.5. Do you regret your action(s)?

No, I was successful. His behavior changed. He passed the class
.

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

None
.

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

Depends on the student
.

Commentary

Cursing a student is a vulgar way of expressing an interpersonal emotion of fury that says you make me very, very angry. It is meant to abuse and show irreverence for the person. It harbors the implied threat of further out-of-control action. It’s also an invitation for students to further misbehave by cursing the teacher in return. It’s troubling that the teacher thinks cursing is an acceptable practice because he was satisfied with the resulting behavioral change in the student. I was taught that the use of profanity or four-letter words suggested a limited vocabulary. I think that premise holds true for teachers; using profanity as a discipline method suggests a limited repertoire of discipline strategies. To avoid resorting to profanity, teachers must challenge themselves to expand their knowledge of ways to motivate students to work and cease disrupting the class without such an angry display of emotion.

Mistake 25: Sexual Harassment

Teacher # 44

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

I was working with girls in a residential treatment unit who had previously been abused and neglected by their families or legal guardians. One girl was upset and I put my arms around her to comfort her and she got even more upset
.

Motive Probe

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

The problem was there was a child/student that was upset and I tried giving comfort with a hug
.

44.2. Why did you do what you did?

I was comfortable with hugs, touches, etc., and I assumed that the other individual was too
.

44.3. What emotions or feelings were you experiencing at the time?

I felt angry with myself for being too touchy feely with a population that had been abused physically and sexually
.

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

No
.

44.5. Do you regret your action(s)?

Yes
.

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

No
.

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

I would wait for a child/student to ask me for a hug rather than giving one without asking
.

Commentary

The teacher may have had good intentions, but she could have avoided this situation by making it a practice to first ask anyone that she is not close to for permission to give them a hug. Most teachers avoid making any unnecessary physical contact with student, to avoid giving others the wrong impression, possibly embarrassing the child and possibly endangering their teaching careers. “Hands off” is an appropriate mantra for teachers.

Underlying Causes and Reasons
That Some Teachers Mistreat Students

An analysis of the 44 teacher responses of why they did what they did revealed commonalities in the content of their responses that give ear to a collective voice of frustration that is very obvious. Most of the teachers reported that they did what they did because they were angry and/or frustrated. In their efforts to discipline and control their students, some teachers do and say things that traumatize students, creating acute anxiety or stress . . . in effect, they cause what I refer to as academic trauma. I define academic trauma as a construct or concept that represents the effect of a student’s reaction to aversive academic experiences such as extreme or harsh discipline, negative teacher–pupil interactions, unfair treatment, poor instruction, physical or psychological injury, or any other occurrence that may manifest as a significant emotional event. These aversive experiences typically involve victimization by a teacher or an administrator. Academic trauma may have long-term consequences that can have detrimental effects from childhood on into adulthood. Victims of academic trauma may be psychologically scarred, meaning, they never seem to forget what happened to them when they were young students. Academic trauma appears to be a legacy of early educational practices rooted in Puritan and Colonial tradition, the antiquated, abusive discipline strategies and ineffective practices that were characteristic of the early twentieth century.

Further analysis of the motive probes provided an enlightening revelation; namely, that the teachers’ offensive acts were most often an outcome of “emotional snapping.” I believe this “snapping” is one of the main reasons that teachers did what they did in their worst treatment of a student. I think the genesis of emotional snapping lies in the teachers’ perceptions of themselves and what Woolfolk (2007) refers to as their teacher efficacy or their perception of their ability, particularly in the context of dealing with student misbehavior.

After further examination of their responses, I conclude that the participating teachers were very troubled when their students exhibited strong opposition, particularly any of the behaviors that I’ll call the 5 D’s of discipline problems; disrespect, defiance, disruption, disdain, and disorder. Fueled by ingrained beliefs of ultimate teacher power and authority, many teachers become frustrated when they are unable to penetrate the wall of opposition that is often perceived by the teacher when a student or students engage in any of the 5 D’s of misbehavior. The apparent wall of opposition often strains the teacher’s emotional resources. The resistance or student misbehavior generates an unbearable level of frustration and the teacher “snaps” under the pressure. Unfortunately, as a result of their anger, many teachers step out of character and impulsively seek relief from their emotional snap through vengeful, offensive acts.

In
Figure 7.1
, I have created a detailed, social interaction model that depicts the dynamics of teachers’ confessions of their worst treatment of
students and the possible long-term effects of such treatment that often causes academic trauma. A graphic depiction of the dynamics between frustrated teachers and misbehaving students offers a comprehensive, enlightening approach to understanding this interaction.