25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them (59 page)

Behavioral Outcomes

• They may avoid people, places, or events that are reminiscent of the event, or withdraw or have an irrational reaction to a similar event.
  
• Some may elect not to participate in academic tasks that could result in similar maltreatment experienced in the initial episode . . . which may cause the person to appear uncooperative or nonparticipatory.
  
• They may become conditioned to hate school or subjects associated with bad experiences in school. Teachers should be the social glue in the classroom, bonding students with the teacher and with each other. In situations, where teachers misuse their position of authority, it’s impossible for bonding to occur.
  
• Some may become dysfunctional, punitive teachers when they grow up and join the teaching profession. Teachers often teach as they were taught.
  
• They may turn to substance abuse to deal with their problems.
  
• They may lower their level of academic performance because they are unwilling to work hard for the offending student.
  

Cognitive, Thinking, or Perceptual Outcomes

• Many nurture unhealthy memories for many years without intervention.
  
• Their perceptions of their abilities may be affected.
  
• Some may fail to see school as a safe haven of learning and fun.
  
• They may generalize the traumatic experience to other situations.
  
• They may promise themselves that they will not let their children experience what they had to go through.
  

Affective Outcomes or Feelings

• They may experience feelings of fear, shame, depression, sadness, anxiety, frustration, grief, or other socially handicapping emotional disorders.
  
• Some may continue to experience intrusive flashbacks or recollections that may cause them to relive the event or experience over and over again.
  
• Some develop an intense dislike for teachers, school, or others in educational settings.
  
• They may experience feelings of vulnerability and a lack of trust in academic settings.
  
• Some may have feelings of inadequacy or apathy.
  
• They may internalize feelings of shame and have no viable outlet.
  
• A few may get sucked up into the pathology of the event and think it’s ok, that they deserved whatever happened to them.
  
• Some become reactive and revenge seeking toward teachers.
  

Psychosocial Outcomes

• Their performance may be affected in the workplace as an adult, such as not being able to give presentations because of fear of making a mistake.
  
• A few may identify with their oppressor and do what was done to them.
  
• They may be afraid to ask questions or seek help.
  
• Some may be reluctant to participate in school activities.
  
• Many become risk-averse in academic settings.
  
• They may develop a negative self-concept. We define ourselves partly by what is communicated to us by others; some people fixate on the negative comments.
  
• In some cases, they may cause the traumatic experience to become a self-fulfilling prophecy or they could strive to prove the teacher was wrong about them.
  
• They may avoid academic settings years after the event, which may contribute to a lack of parent involvement in their children’s education.
  
• Some of them may experience diminished self-esteem or self-confidence.
  
• They may feel disempowered and through criticism, experience learned helplessness, where they have difficulty learning to be autonomous.
  
• Regrettably, some are moved to aggression or thoughts of aggression, mimicking what was done to them.
  

How to Avoid Making the 25 Biggest Mistakes

The following strategies and policies are suggested ways to avoid making the twenty-five biggest mistakes teachers make that are featured in this book:

Mistake 1: Inappropriate Discipline Strategies
. Stress positive discipline and self-control. Use proven strategies like assertive discipline and behavior modification. Avoid discipline tactics that require inflicting pain or emotional abuse.

Mistake 2: Physical Aggression
. Have a personal hands-off policy when interacting with students. Always use restraint and avoid physical contact with students, particularly aggressive contact. Choose and use your words wisely to resolve conflict.

Mistake 3: Purposeful Alienation
. Refrain from comments or actions that isolate students or turn their peers against them. Befriend the alienated child and protect him or her from the alienation attempts of others.

Mistake 4: Public Ridicule
. Know that soft, private reprimands and public praise are much more effective than ridicule. Disparaging remarks made in a public forum are not motivators. Give freely of meaningful, well-deserved praise.

Mistake 5: Favoritism
. Treat all students the same, no matter how much you like one over the others. Be fair, be consistent . . . no exceptions. Love the unlovable or difficult child.

Mistake 6: Physiological Discrimination
. Never comment on a student’s physical features. Preserve students’ dignity at all times. Cheerfully make accommodations for students with physical challenges when necessary.

Mistake 7: Personal Attacks
. Avoid making negative comments about a student’s person, keep comments factual and focused on academics and classroom behavior. Make no disparaging references to a student’s family or personal life. Make positive comments frequently.

Mistake 8: Inappropriate Teacher–Student Relations
. Have professional boundaries that you never cross and respect student’s personal boundaries. Don’t make students your confidants and share personal problems and stories with them. Your relationships with your students should be professional and above reproach. Be friendly, not a friend.

Mistake 9: Deliberate Mistreatment
. Never allow yourself to plot a cruel or intentionally harmful act against a student. Child abuse is illegal. Take advantage of every opportunity to treat students well.

Mistake 10: Racial and Cultural Discrimination
. Embrace cultural differences and encourage your class to do the same. Help students to focus on each other’s commonalities rather than differences. Love and respect mean the same, regardless of the language.

Mistake 11: Humiliation
. Never make disparaging remarks that diminish the self. Treat students’ fragile egos and precious psyches as you would fine china. Elevate, don’t humiliate your students.

Mistake 12: Inappropriate Classroom Policies
. Establish policies that promote the well-being and academic achievement of all students.

Mistake 13: Inappropriate Toileting Practices
. Never deny students permission to use the restroom or employ ridiculous contingencies such as carrying a toilet seat pass or holding up one or two fingers to indicate what they have to do in the restroom. Don’t assume that you can tell if someone really has to go or if they just want to play. Take the risk that they might play if they pretend that they have to go; it’s much better than causing someone to have an unforgettable accident.

Mistake 14: Inappropriate Educational Strategies
. Strive to create meaningful instruction that is engaging, that fosters retention and facilitates transfer of knowledge. Collect effective strategies to increase your repertoire of teaching skills.

Mistake 15: Inappropriate Assessment
. Use grades for feedback only. Don’t use grades as punishment. Be a fair grader; grades should mirror the success of your teaching.

Mistake 16: Teacher Insensitivity
. Be aware of words and deeds that assault a student’s ego and self-esteem. Harsh words, once spoken, are difficult to recall. Be sensitive to the needs and tender feelings of children. Treat them the way you would want someone to treat your child.

Mistake 17: Academic Shortcomings
. Assess your strengths and weaknesses as a teacher. Take additional courses or participate in professional development opportunities to minimize your weaknesses. Always give your students the benefits of your strengths.

Mistake 18: Poor Administration
. Strengthen your organization skills. Keep track of student records and papers. Return papers in a timely manner and keep your classroom functioning like a well-oiled machine.

Mistake 19: Reputation
. A reputation should read like an epitaph, do and say what you would want others to say about you after you are gone. Do the right things; people are watching. Earn the reputation of being a caring effective teacher.

Mistake 20: Teacher Misjudgment
. Entertain the idea that no matter how right you think you are, you can be wrong. Get all of the facts before you make a judgment. If you don’t have the facts, don’t make a judgment. Assume innocence until proven guilty.

Mistake 21: Teacher Bias or Expectations
. Have high expectations for all students; it will become a prophecy. Seek help with getting rid of personal bias or prejudice; it has no place in the repertoire of a caring teacher.

Mistake 22: Unethical Behavior
. Educate yourself on what is considered unethical. Follow all laws of society and observe school policy. Be professional at all times; put the needs of your students first.

Mistake 23: False Accusations
. Don’t lie to, on, or about students. When you point a finger at someone falsely, three fingers point back at you. Model the behavior that you expect from your students; tell the truth.

Mistake 24: Inappropriate Reactions
. Good teaching requires focus and attention. To act impulsively is usually an inappropriate reaction. Teachers should try to gather as much information as possible and try to understand the situation before acting on it.

Mistake 25: Sexual Harassment
. Make yourself aware of current sexual harassment regulations. You and the school can be liable for inappropriate behavior. To be on the safe side, keep your hands off students, don’t entertain any inappropriate thoughts, stay out of student’s personal space, watch your mouth, don’t ask inappropriate questions, minimize or avoid alone time with students. Make every effort to see them in appropriate places, preferably in the presence of other adults. Leave no doubt about your professionalism by always acting appropriately.

Further Thoughts on Avoiding Mistakes

When teachers make mistakes in spite of their efforts to avoid them, their actions may cause academic trauma in their students that can have long-term effects. Some form of intervention may be necessary to counter the effects on the students.

Traditional education systems are not designed to offer students a voice and a means to address concerns regarding their education and their participation in the educational process. In fact, traditional classrooms are very behaviorist and teacher-centered, a concept that has hindered effective education of students for decades. Constructivism, an approach to educating students that advocates helping students to create meaning and to make sense of their world (Schunk, 2004), is gaining in popularity. A constructivist approach, such as helping students make sense of what has happened to them, may minimize the effects of the academic trauma that some students
may have experienced due to teacher mistakes. Not all children experience academic trauma, but for those that do, the following strategies based on Sprague (1995) offer help to children that have been exposed to extreme stress or trauma to minimize the effects of that trauma.

1. Help students to put the event into perspective, knowing that bad things may happen to good students, but that the majority of teachers are hardworking and caring. They should understand that sometimes teachers make mistakes and most of them are sorry for the bad things that they do.
   
2. Listening to children and validating their experiences are critical factors in intervention.
   
3. Offer a variety of ongoing opportunities for children to express their feelings such as small support groups, art therapy, biblio-therapy, role play, one-on-one conversation with a caring empathic adult.
   

Writing and talking about aversive academic experiences is an important step toward helping to heal the wounds of academic trauma. Retelling the event may have a cathartic or purge effect that will help students to move on with their lives. For those students who may have internalized the behavior, it may help them to make connections between the aversive academic experiences in their past and any present-day symptoms and behaviors. Having an adult help to interpret and evaluate the problem and its effects may validate a student who had internalized the problem and felt like it was his or her fault.

Expect to help students who are having trouble, but encourage them to try to help themselves first, to avoid dependency and learned helplessness. Wood, Bruner, and Ross (1976) advocate scaffolding or assisting students with tasks that they may have difficulty completing independently. Have high expectations for all of your students. Believe they are capable and convince them that they are capable. Have students keep a journal; it helps to know what they’re thinking, feeling, wanting, and experiencing. Respond to their entries frequently; it is an opportunity to console, encourage, motivate, and build rapport.

Use written, physical, and verbal cues, to make students aware of the behavior that you expect. For example

1. Post reminders to help students stay focused and on task.
   
2. Write your penalty system on the chalkboard. For example
   
   • Offense #1 Warning to quiet down
     
   • Offense #2 Loss of privilege
     
   • Offense #3 Loss of recess or something
     
3. Use a peace sign made with your fingers to signal quiet time.
   
4. Never leave students unsupervised; have a system in place for emergencies, such as a student messenger or preferably an adult to substitute for you.
   
5. Avoid personal liability; know the laws and insurance rules that affect what you can and cannot do.
   
6. Develop a good professional relationship with administrators. Prepare well for evaluation instead of worrying.
   
7. Find ways that you can help improve yourself and your school.
   
8. Use a variety of strategies to encourage family involvement.
   
9. Have parents take turns bringing packaged snacks every day if allowable, or come in to talk about their occupations and so on.
   
10. Keep in contact with parents through e-mail, send parents helpful links on parenting or homework tips.
    
11. Learn to gauge the time necessary to complete a lesson or task.
    
12. Start on schedule, allow for interruptions, stay on task, allow adequate time, maximize student engagement, and always try to end the lesson on time.
    
13. Clearly communicate expectations often.
    
    • Expect them to learn “all” of the material; this may be difficult but aspire to it.
      
    • Expect them to seek help.
      
    • Expect them to complete assignments.
      
    • Expect them to proof assignments.
      
    • Expect their best work.
      
    • Expect them to turn in all assignments.
      
    • Expect them to be there every day.
      
    • Expect them to participate.
      
    • Expect them to be courteous.
      
    • Expect them to be self-regulatory.
      
    • Expect good behavior.
      
14. Model the positive, productive behavior that you expect from your students. For example, make sure you’re self-regulated so that you can model the behavior for your students (Orange, 2002).
    
15. Be accommodating; try to say yes to students’ requests, whenever possible.
    
16. Keep an open mind about including students with disabilities; it’s the law.
    
17. Be open to teaching students of various cultures; teach your students to respect and celebrate each other's differences