25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them

Mistake
23
False Accusations
SCENARIO 23.1
Do Send a Girl to Do a Man’s Work
My vocational drafting teacher accused me of not doing my own work because years
prior to my being in his class, two of my brothers had him as their teacher. He thought
all of my projects had been done by them.
Current research suggests that
schools shortchange girls in
many ways (AAUW, 1992). The male
teacher in this scenario provided evidence
of one of those ways. He
refused to give his female student
credit for her work. His obvious
gender bias prevented an objective
appraisal of his student’s work. He
thought that her work had been done
by her brothers. It seems that he was
acting under the influence of gender
stereotypes rather than accusing her
of cheating. Whatever his motive, his
behavior was clearly a strike against
the equal treatment of males and
females. It is less probable that he
would tell a young male that a female
did his work for him. Failure to give
female students credit where credit is
due diminishes the self-esteem and
motivation of female students.
Progressive male teachers are
aware of the negative effects of gender
bias. They seek to promote the
accomplishments of both male and
female students. They try not to promote
sexual stereotyping. Instead,
they encourage students to assume
nontraditional roles and expect them
to do well in those roles. These teachers
would not go so far as to accuse
a student of having someone else
do her work simply because the
tea cher’s views are firmly entrenched
in gender stereotypes.
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