25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them

12 Discipline
student another chance. He could
have offered free time for conversations,
telling the students to hold
SCENARIO 1.4
Sticky Business
their talk until that time. A more conventional,
positive approach was
desirable here.
In the fourth grade my teacher, who was fresh out of college, put tape on my mouth
because I was talking. She had asked us to stop all talking while working on our worksheets.
I did not understand something and asked another student what the teacher
had said. She called me up to her desk and put a huge, wide piece of tape on my mouth.
I have never been more humiliated in my entire life. I hated her. All the students made
fun of me after school.
New teachers who are recent
graduates may become very
frustrated when faced with the realities
of classroom discipline. Some times
they resort to whatever comes to
mind to solve a discipline problem.
This is a dangerous practice. Putting
tape over a student’s mouth sounds
relatively harmless, but such an act
could incur a number of risks. The
student may be allergic to the adhesive
or the teacher may risk injuring
the student’s skin when she pulls the
tape off. The most obvious risk is to
the child’s self-esteem. In this case,
the student was humiliated to the
SCENARIO 1.5
Nosing Around in the Corner
point that it evoked a very strong
emotional reaction . . . hatred. The
instructional strategy is flawed
because the teacher demanded that
students stop all talking while working
on worksheets.
Experienced teachers would recognize
a more collaborative approach
that encourages talking and inte r -
action to be more effective. These
teachers would not put tape over a
student’s mouth for talking. They
would know the importance of students’
private speech for organizing
their thoughts and ideas (Vygotsky,
1993).
The worst experience of my entire life was with my first-grade teacher Mrs. S.
The woman hit me on the arm or slapped me across the face at least twice a
week. I received six “licks” that year as well. I was never allowed to go to recess
and play. My nose was completely raw because the teacher would make me stand
against a wall. She was removed from service after my mother and a few other
moms went to school and complained loudly. The lady did not belong in the teaching
profession.