25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them

Teacher Confessions of Worst Treatment of a Child
32.5. Do you regret your action(s)?
No.
32.6. Do you ever think about this incident? If yes, approximately how
often since the occurrence(s)?
About two–four times in the past year.
32.7. If faced with the same or a similar situation, what would you do?
I would try not to scream shut up.
Commentary
Reverse psychology has its place in classroom management. To avoid having
to constantly say sit down and stop talking, the teacher could give the student
what he wants. She could have stopped her lesson and yielded the floor to the
student for 5 minutes to allow him to say whatever he needed to say. All eyes
would be on him. The class would be quiet and wait until he has finished.
Usually, students will find it somewhat unnerving to have undivided attention
focused on them. They may talk briefly, but most will decline the rest of the 5
minutes and will quiet down to avoid a redirect of focused attention.
Mistake 20: Teacher Misjudgment
Teacher # 33
A Scenario of a Teacher’s Worst Treatment of a Student
I judged a student wrongfully before he ever came to my class. He had an incident
with another teacher and this is why they moved him to my class. I had already
judged him as a troublemaker and “kept my eye” on him. He had a horseplay incident
with another student and I read him the riot act. The next couple of days he got
in trouble with illegal drugs and was sent to live with his grandparents.
Motive Probe
33.1. Describe the problem and your specific role in it.
I judged him without knowing him.
33.2. Why did you do what you did?
Ignorance.
33.3. What emotions or feelings were you experiencing at the time?
Angry that he had upset this class that I had, humming right along with
his actions and behavior.
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