25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them

Mistake 1: Inappropriate Discipline Strategies
Any reasonable human being
would stop to apologize and say
“excuse me.” If a teacher is too
angry to do that, she may be put -
ting too much of herself into controlling
student behavior. Such
anger can push a teacher across
SCENARIOS 1.21 and 1.22
No Explanations, Please
that reasonable, litigious line separating
appropriate and inappro -
priate discipline. The professional
teacher with integrity would admit
her mistake, and thereby eliminate
any need to lie to parents to cover
it up.
In the second grade I received a paddling for pinching a classmate. The classmate and I
had made a bet to see who could pinch each other the hardest. I took my pinch. When
I pinched her, she started crying and I got in trouble. I thought we both should have
gotten in trouble because she pinched me too, but I didn’t cry.
It was kindergarten, my first day, and boy was I in trouble. I was all tomboy and very
used to being in charge. I punched a boy who was continuously picking on me and my
friends. Well, I hit him so hard he fell over and began screaming. Here comes Mrs. M.
“Who did this?” “I did, but he . . .” “That’s enough. We are going to have to call your
mother.” So I sat in a chair in the corner scared to death until my mom came. From
that day forward I remembered the “look” that my teacher had given me. Did I do it
again? Well not in kindergarten—not until first grade. Even now twenty years later
when I see her, she still gives me that “look.”
In both of these worst experience
scenarios, the teachers
did not bother to ask for explanations
or to hear both sides of the
story. In these cases, justice was
blinded by a lack of explanation and
no consideration of circumstances.
Such an authoritarian approach to
discipline leaves no room for clarification,
explanation, or illumination.
SCENARIO 1.23
Whodunit?
Diplomatic professionals, who
exercise sensitivity in dealing with
all children, would listen to both
sides of each story without hesitation.
If they still felt that punishment
was necessary, they would
make sure that it was meted out
fairly. This may mean that both children
will be disciplined, rather than
just one.
In kindergarten, the teacher paddled me for sitting at a table where one of the girls
called the other girl fatso. However, the teacher didn’t even ask if we had, she just took
the girl’s word and paddled all of us because we were at the table.
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