25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them

34
Mistake
3
Purposeful Alienation
SCENARIO 3.1
Scapegoat Scandal
I was supposed to bring markers to class for a group project and I forgot them. When
my teacher asked me where they were, I told her I had forgotten them at home. She
immediately went to the front of the class and got everyone’s attention and said, “OK,
class, S. forgot something so little as markers, therefore, since she forgot the markers,
we can’t do our fun project—Now we know we can’t depend on S. anymore to
remember anything of importance!” The whole class was mad at me for forgetting the
markers, and the teacher seemed to encourage them to alienate me.
To expect a child to provide
the materials necessary for a
lesson is a heavy burden of responsibility
to place on a child. Children
have a shorter attention span than
adults and may, understandably,
forget something important. The
teacher bears the ultimate responsibility
for the smooth execution of a
lesson. An important part of teacher
preparation is to anticipate the unexpected
and have alternate plans and
necessary materials included in the
lesson planning. The teacher further
exacerbated the problem with a
public reprimand, which usually
invites hostility or encourages withdrawal.
Effective teachers know that
soft, private reprimands are usually
more effective. The teacher could
have minimized the child’s agony by
privately suggesting a second chance
and by providing some helpful hints
on how to remember to bring the
markers next time. Sensitive teachers
would have produced the needed
markers and told the class that
S. accidentally forgot the markers but
has promised to bring them the next
time.