25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them

Teacher Confessions of Worst Treatment of a Child
day, I left the door open to let my students come in for class. When I saw her coming,
I shut the door in her face just before she walked in.
Motive Probe
20.1. Describe the problem and your specific role in it.
I was tired of a student coming to class late and disrupting things.
20.2. Why did you do what you did?
Out of sheer frustration.
20.3. What emotions or feelings were you experiencing at the time?
Anger and frustration.
20.4. Was your behavior justified? If so, why?
Ethically, as a teacher no, but as an individual with feelings, yes.
20.5. Do you regret your action(s)?
No.
20.6. Do you ever think about this incident? If yes, approximately how
often since the occurrence(s)?
(No response.)
20.7. If faced with the same or a similar situation, what would you do?
Have a counselor talk to her.
Commentary
A slammed door in your face sends a very strong message. It says, I am so
angry with you, I am hurt and embarrassed, and I want you to feel the same
way. Many of us, at some point in time, have wanted to send a similar message
by slamming the door in someone’s face. I can remember being pursued
by an angry co-worker who was ranting and raving at me very
publicly. She was following me to my classroom and I locked my door
behind me. As she approached, I pulled the shade down slowly in her face.
Closing doors in someone’s face is a not-so-passive, very-aggressive message
that has a latent humiliation factor. To avoid this problem, this teacher
could have set up rules of etiquette for the classroom and modeled them.
These would include how to enter the classroom when one is late to minimize
disruption of the class. They may have to sit close to the door and wait
if the teacher is busy instructing. Nowhere does the teacher say that she has
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