25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them

Mistake
11
Humiliation
SCENARIO 11.1
Chalkboard Etiquette
While I was in high school, I had a lot of problems understanding geometry and algebra.
I remember the first day I was shown higher algebraic problems and was terrified.
Mr. B. was also very intimidating to me. He taught very fast and harshly. One day in
class, we were doing problems on the board and he called me up to work a problem.
Being that I was shy, I was struck with fear. I went up to the board and attempted to
work the problem not knowing what I was doing. Mr. B. said harshly, “What are you
doing? Don’t you know you can’t do that? What is this?” He totally humiliated me in
front of the class and made me feel like an idiot, and I still have a fear of talking to teachers
about things I don’t understand because I don’t want to feel like an idiot. I fear math
to this day.
Some teachers seem to think
that calling students to the
chalkboard grants them a license to
humiliate. Chalkboards have frequently
been the settings for exercises
in humiliation and degradation.
Teachers can call students to the
board at will. Students usually don’t
have a choice; they must go or suffer
the consequences of insubordination.
Once students are at the board,
they’re at the mercy of their teachers.
The students are psychologically
naked, exposed, and at risk of looking
stupid in front of the class.
Many teachers erroneously believe
that they can shame students into
performing well. They readily chastise
or berate a student in front of an
audience believing that this rather
noxious form of humiliation will get
better results. In some cases, it may
change student behavior. Students
may study and pay attention to the
lesson to avoid being embarrassed in
front of the class.
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