10
Worst Things a Teacher Can Do
Here
is a list of items that you should avoid as a new or veteran teacher.
As I am involved in this career, I have only included serious items
in my list and have left off such obvious offenses as having affairs
with students. However, any of these can create problems for you as a
teacher and if you combine two or more, then just expect to really
have a hard time gaining respect from students and finding your
profession enjoyable.
1. Avoid
smilling and being friendly with your students.
While you
should start each year with a tough stance and the idea that it is
easier to let up than to get harder, this does not mean that you
shouldn’t have students believe that you aren’t happy to be
there.
2. Becoming
friends with students while they are in class.
You should be
friendly but not become friends. Friendship implies give and take.
This can put you in a tough situation with all the students in the
class. Teaching is not a popularity contest and you are not just one
of the guys or girls. Always remember that.
3. Stop your
lessons and confront students for minor infractions in class.
When you
confront students over minor infractions in class, there is no
possible way to create a win-win situation. The offending student
will have no way out and this can lead to even greater problems. It
is much better to pull them aside and talk to them one-on-one.
4. Humiliate
students to try and get them to behave.
Humiliation is
a terrible technique to use as a teacher. Students will either be so
cowed that they will never feel confident in your classroom, so hurt
that they will not trust you ever again, or so upset that they can
turn to disruptive methods of retaliation.
5. Yell.
Once you’ve
yell you’ve lost the battle. This doesn’t mean you won’t have
to raise your voice every once in a while but teachers who yell all
the time are often those with the worst classes.
6. Give your
control over to the students.
Any decisions
that are made in class should be made by you for good reasons. Just
because students are trying to get out of a quiz or test does not
mean that you should allow that to happen unless there is a good and
viable reason. You can easily become a doormat if you give in to all
demands.
7. Treat
students differently based on personal likes and dislikes.
Face it. You
are human and there will be kids you will like more than others.
However, you must try your hardest never to let this show in class.
Call on all students equally. Do not lessen punishments for students
you really like.
8. Create
rules that are essentially unfair.
Sometimes the
rules themselves can put you in bad situations. For example, if a
teacher has a rule that allows for no work to be turned in after the
bell rings then this could set up a difficult situation. What if a
student has a valid excuse? What makes a valid excuse? These are
situations it would be best to just avoid.
9. Gossip
and complain about other teachers.
There will be
days when you hear things from students about other teachers that you
just think are terrible. However, you should be noncommittal to the
students and take your concern to the teacher themselves or to
administration. What you say to your students is not private and will
be shared.
10. Be
inconsistent with grading and/or accepting late work.
Make sure that
you have consistent rules on this. Do not allow students to turn in
late work for full points at any time because this takes away the
incentive to turn in work on time. Further, use rubrics when you are
grading assignments that require subjectivity. This helps protect you
and explain the reason for the students’ grades.
Ideas
from Melissa Kelly, About.com Guide
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