25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them

136 Personality and Professionalism
The new green twig on the
branch of a tree is full of life,
supple and yielding as it bends to
withstand the winds of change. In
contrast, the dead, dry twig is hard,
unyielding, unbending, often cracking
under the forces of change and
nonconformity. In many ways, the
teacher in this scenario is like the
dead, dry twig. He is hard and calloused
in his attempt to punish a sick
child. When the sick student breaks
the rules by abruptly attempting to
leave the classroom, the teacher
turns a deaf ear to the student’s
explanation. The teacher finally
cracks and starts yelling and chasing
the student. His cracked, irrational
behavior shatters the peace of the
classroom. His punitive action has
SCENARIO 16.8
The Bereaved Must Leave
embarrassed the student, created an
inaccurate attendance record that
could cost the school some dollars,
and encouraged truancy.
Like the green twig, reasonable
teachers easily bend and sway with
change. If there is a change in routine
or a disruption in class because
a student is ill, these teachers skillfully
handle the emergency without
losing momentum. They would keep
the disruption to a minimum by giving
some gesture of approval to
assure the student that leaving is
permissible. Caring teachers would
follow up to make sure the student
was feeling better or to provide further
assistance. They are flexible
and willing to relax the rules in
times of crisis.
When I was in fourth grade, my grandmother had just passed away. Since we were very
close, that was a difficult time for me. I would cry in class sometimes when I began to
think about her. One day I was crying, and Ms. H. sent me out into the hall.
Bereavement is a state of loss
of a loved one. Grief is the
overwhelming feeling of anguish or
sorrow that accompanies bereavement.
Crying is a natural expression
of that grief. Children and adults cry
over the loss of loved ones. Crying
is therapeutic for some people. If
crying is so natural, healthy, and
therapeutic, why is the teacher so
bothered by it? The teacher’s discomfort
with the child’s display of grief
may be attributed to the conventions
of our society. A public display of
grief, outside of funerals, is viewed
as disconcerting and sometimes
inappropriate. As a society we are
uncomfortable with tears. We are
quick to offer a tissue to sop them
and stop them. Sending the child to
the hall for crying was an insensitive
act that may give a child the impression
that she had done something
wrong.
Compassionate teachers are tolerant
of tears. If a child is crying,
these teachers feel compelled to
investigate the cause of the crying
and to offer comfort if necessary.
Gelman (1983) contends that people
should be allowed to work through
their grief. Understandably, teachers