25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them (3 page)

W
hat struck me when I read the first edition of
25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them
were the students. For a few sentences, I was in their lives—feeling the embarrassment, fear, anxiety, or humiliation that they must have felt. It is difficult for adults, especially teachers who often were good students themselves, to empathize with students who are not so well-behaved or cooperative. “Why would a child act that way?” “What will the class think if I let them get away with that?” “Are they trying to drive me crazy!” All these are very understandable reactions to students’ troubling words and actions. But in Carolyn Orange’s book, we get to walk briefly in the students’ shoes. Of course she does not leave us there, but has solid suggestions for how to avoid and repair the possible mistakes that teachers make.

The teacher has power to do great good as well as great harm. I am struck by how lasting this harm can be when I listen to adult’s memories of their difficult experiences in school. What is even sadder is that sometimes students decide that the teacher really dislikes them even though that is far from the truth. But children are not always sophisticated in their reading of meaning or intention. We are learning more and more about the importance of teachers. Results from classroom studies describe the effects of teacher–student relationships in general, but the pages of this book describe the effects in their particulars.

I always have appreciated the way Carolyn Orange connects results of research to her suggestions for addressing the mistakes teachers make, but now in this new edition, she also adds the teachers’ voices—some of the thinking behind the actions. Here too are additional strategies for preventing and repairing mistakes—good ideas for new and veteran teachers alike.

Preface to
this Edition

T
he first edition of
25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them
has been a bestseller for a number of years and has been translated into three languages, Thai, Chinese, and Slovenian. It has been reviewed in India, used in a school of midwifery in Ireland and in numerous other contexts in many states in the United States and several countries such as Ireland, Romania, India, France, China, United Kingdom, Japan, and others.

When I wrote the book, I thought it had an important message that teachers could avoid making mistakes by being aware of the mistakes of others. However, I was surprised by the global appeal of the book. As I reflected on why the global appeal, I recalled a picture I received. Rachel Livsey, my editor at the time, sent the picture and a message that said, “I thought you might get a kick out of this.” My first reaction was why? The picture looked like it was taken in San Antonio, Texas. The children were lined up in straight rows and a male teacher with a stick was directing them to get on a bus. I understood why when I saw that it was a picture in a newspaper that accompanied a book review of the
25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them
. After more careful examination and further reading, I realized that it was a scene from a school day in Bangalore, India. Somehow, this scene unlocked the mystery of why the book appealed to educators in different countries.

The answer was that the need for discipline and control in classrooms is universal. How teachers respond to that need, apparently, is also universal. Teachers all over the world realize that in spite of research advocating best practices and teachers having best intentions, teachers make mistakes when trying to control student behavior. Why, because teachers have power, power that can be used constructively or that can be abused. They have the power to determine success or failure, to empower or destroy, to elevate or diminish, to enrich or deprive. Their power is embodied in what they say and don’t say, what they do and don’t do, what they teach and don’t teach. Like any
other power, if it’s not controlled, it can be dangerous. Unfettered power can prey upon an unsuspecting classroom and wreak havoc on young minds and bodies. Knowledge is also power; knowledge of the difference between words that hurt and words that heal, between actions that praise and actions that diminish, between instruction that enlightens and instruction that confuses, is power. The power of teaching is inherent in the job. The power of knowledge is acquired. Knowledge can balance the power of teaching if it is expanded and used appropriately. This book proposes to expand the knowledge of appropriate discipline, student-teacher relations, instruction, assessment, policy, and teacher behavior.

This edition has added value in that it seeks to examine what happens when teacher power runs rampant and anger and frustration reign; and why it happens. When 44 teachers were asked about their worst treatment of a student, they answered with incredible candor. Most of them cited anger and frustration as the primary motive for their move to bad actions and subsequent maltreatment of students. This edition also examines the consequent effects of the teachers’ mistreatment that could result in academic trauma. I define academic trauma as a result of a significant emotional event that is caused by an aversive academic experience usually involving a teacher. In such a case, the teacher has overstepped the boundaries of reasonable discipline and used her power to demean, disparage, ridicule, or unduly punish a student. Academic trauma is most likely to occur in early years of schooling. It is usually an unpleasant event that may generate a measure of stress when recalled. The recipients of this trauma are usually psychologically scarred, that is they never seem to forget. Years later, they could still be hurt, disturbed, or otherwise affected by the event. Academic trauma also may affect a person’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors later in life and can cause an adverse reaction to stimuli similar to the original traumatic experience. This edition probes the motives of teachers, who admitted to mistreating students, to find out why they did what they did. The new knowledge gained from examining why teachers mistreat students and ways to avoid those acts can restore the equilibrium and psychological balance in classroom management that is so necessary to protect the young minds that are our charge.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The debts I owe to those who made the development of this book possible are many. These debts assume many forms, from belief in my ideas, to encouraging words, to research and editing, and to final critiques. I am indebted first, to my students who shared their experiences so candidly; then, to my editor, Jay Whitney, who believed in my idea; next, to my graduate assistants, fondly referred to as “Excellent” Emily Gaston for her typing and editing assistance and Rita “The Sleuth” Brewer for her tireless research efforts.
I also must thank my daughter, Traci “eagle-eye” Hodges, who loves to edit and proof mom’s papers. Thank you Claudia Brown for your editing efforts; a friend in need is a friend indeed. A special thank-you for the teachers who critiqued this work and offered their suggestions: Susan Dudley, Janet Haskins, Terry Hildebrand, and Doris Stowers. I’d like to thank my Director, Christopher Borman and my Dean, Dwight Henderson for their support. I must take sole responsibility for any errors in content. Finally, I’d like to thank my husband and colleague, Dr. John H. Orange, for his editing assistance, encouragement, and support.

I am especially grateful to the following teachers who reviewed this edition and offered their suggestions: Nicole D. Anderson, Jennifer J. Brooks, Larue D. Lang and counselor, Anissa Pennick.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

The contributions of the following reviewers are gratefully acknowledged:

Dr. George Pawlas

Professor of Educational Leadership

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida

Mary Johnstone

Principal

Rabbit Creek Elementary School

Anchorage, Alaska

Diane Mierzwik

Seventh- and Eighth-Grade English Teacher, Parkview Middle School