25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them

Teacher Confessions of Worst Treatment of a Child
4.5. Do you regret your action(s)?
Now I do.
4.6. Do you ever think about this incident? If yes, approximately how
often since the occurrence(s)?
Yes, every time a student does something wrong.
4.7. If faced with the same or a similar situation, what would you do?
Probably the same thing; it was a split second reaction.
Commentary
It is apparent that this teacher feels justified, and not responsible for her actions.
She fails to realize that her behavior just exacerbated the problem. She modeled
the aggressive, physical behavior that she was trying to deter. To avoid defaulting
to a physically aggressive response to student behavior, teachers should
react to problem situations with restraint, knowledge, and understanding.
Impulsivity just makes problems worse; teachers must think before reacting.
Teacher # 5
A Scenario of a Teacher’s Worst Treatment of a Student
During my first year of teaching, I had six language arts resource classes, with about
20 kids in each class. I had no assistant. The students were majority male, with abilities
ranging from prekindergarten to fourth grade. Additionally, sixth, seventh, and
eighth were combined in each class, so I had kids ranging in ages from 11–16. Being
that I was a first-year teacher, I thought being nice, I could get the kids to behave and
achieve. Was I ever wrong? On the day of the incident, I had had it. The kids were
being disrespectful, throwing things, fighting, and so on. I finally snapped. From the
front of the class, I hurled an eraser across the room, barely missing 2 students. At
the same time, I screamed for everyone to “shut up.”
Motive Probe
5.1. Describe the problem and your specific role in it.
I had not set up a good discipline program in my class.
5.2. Why did you do what you did?
I was trying to send a message that I was about to snap.
5.3. What emotions or feelings were you experiencing at the time?
Anger, frustration, and a feeling of failure.
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