25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them

Mistake 12: Inappropriate Classroom Policies
flexible rules that do not count
excused absences against perfect
attendance. If attendance is an
SCENARIO 12.11
Sounding Off
administrative matter, administrators
should consider the approach previously
outlined for teachers.
The fifth-grade teacher would say the meanest things about me. She would make me
leave the classroom to blow my nose—“nobody wants to hear that.” She would give
everybody else stickers just because she “liked” them, not because of their academic
qualifications. No Band-Aids can ever make it right.
The teacher in this scenario
had a natural reaction to an
offensive body sound. She reacted so
intensely that the child was offended
and perceived her comments as
mean-spirited.
Practical teachers know that in a
classroom situation, potentially offensive
body sounds such as blowing
the nose, hacking coughs, passing
gas, belching, or burping are inevit -
able. Experienced teachers ignore
these sounds if possible. For situations
that are impossible to ignore, these
SCENARIO 12.12
“Loser of the Week”: A Real Loser
teachers set up an effective classroom
policy to address these foreseeable
events. They might have a “quick
pass” that students can pick up at any
time that they need to excuse themselves.
The “quick pass” alerts the
teacher that the student has a personal
emergency that requires immediate
attention. Teachers should explain the
rules of using the “quick pass,” such as
the shorter length of time, and so forth.
The goal is to take care of students’
needs without drawing attention to
the student or disturbing the class.
In high school, my math teacher would ask each student to tell the class something that
had happened to them. This tidbit could be something that was stupid, embarrassing,
or silly. Then she would choose what she called “Loser of the Week.” This person had
to stand in the front of the classroom where the entire class would salute him or her
by making a big “r” sign with his or her arms. We had this helmet we had to wear and
a special desk in the front of the room. I was the loser many times.
The first two sentences of this
scenario raise the question of
“What is the point?” The practice of
selecting the loser of the week is
either a sadistic, malicious act, or a
bad joke that has gone too far. Having
students taunt and ridicule the student
who had the dubious honor of
being chosen is reminiscent of the
bygone days of Roman persecution of
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