25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them

Mistake
1
Inappropriate Discipline
Strategies
SCENARIO 1.1
Actions Scream Louder Than Words
The worst experience I had with a teacher was in the sixth grade. She wasn’t a bad
teacher but all the kids hated her. I don’t recall her being that mean except when the
kids were tormenting her. I guess that’s why we didn’t like her. She would get so upset
that her face turned red. She would either yell at the top of her lungs or just sit there
and ignore us for the entire day. Her name was Mrs. B. and now that I think back she
was probably a really nice lady.
Well, the worst day was right before Christmas day. We asked her if we could sing
her a song. She said yes. The song went:
Joy to the world, Mrs. B. is dead,
We barbecued her head.
Don’t worry ’bout the body,
We flushed it down the potty,
And round and round it went,
Round and round it went.
The look on her face just killed me.
The two extreme discipline
strategies used by this teacher
invited the tormenting that she
received. She either yelled at the top
of her lungs or ignored the students
for the entire day. Both behaviors signaled
that the students’ misbehaviors
were having a profound effect
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