25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them (48 page)

Competent teachers will be aware of the new ruling that protects students from sexual harassment under Title IX. These teachers will make sure their students are aware of the dos and don’ts of interacting with other students. Teachers may use role playing to help students understand which behaviors step over the line into sexual harassment territory. It is imperative that students are taught that they can no longer tease or ridicule or touch or engage in unwanted sexual conduct with other students.

SCENARIO 25.3
Biting Remarks Beget Big Bucks

I was in geometry my sophomore year in high school. I sat around several guys and yes, we did talk a lot. This one particular day my pencil fell off my desk and landed under one of the guy’s desks. I asked him to get it for me. Well, guess who heard us talking? I tried to explain that my pencil had fallen under his desk and she said, “Why didn’t you just get it?” I said, “Well, because it’s under his legs.” Then she made the comment, “I’m sure you’ve been there before.” I did discuss this with the vice-principal because I was an aide for them. Of course, nothing came of it, it just blew over.

This teacher made a lewd, sexually suggestive comment that could cause her to lose her job in today’s environment. The new Supreme Court ruling would hold the school liable because they ignored the student’s complaint and did nothing. They might bring themselves into compliance if they established policies that prohibit any form of harassment.

Competent teachers would encourage students to come forward without retaliation or repercussions. These teachers would actively investigate and try to remedy the situation immediately.

Skilled teachers would offer conferences with students in a confidential manner that preserves their anonymity. However, no school personnel should be encouraged to take corrective action without previous investigation. These suggestions are adaptations of EEOC guidelines (Huston, 1993). The teacher’s remarks and the school’s indifference toward them could cost the school a great deal of money if they are sued. Schools and teachers must become hypervigilant in their efforts to combat harassment in any form.

SCENARIO 25.4
Bottoms Up

The classroom was long and narrow with long tables pushed together down the middle. The students sat in a row on either side of the tables. I guess I was up on the chair with one foot, to reach something on the other side. Leaning over a table, the teacher slapped me on the bottom. I had a dress on. I guess my panties were showing. I was embarrassed and humiliated, and it is the only thing I remember from first grade, except that I learned to read from a book about Dick and Jane and Spot. I don’t remember having any other interactions with the teacher.

It is not clear if the teacher in this scenario is a man or a woman. It really does not matter because sexual harassment laws do not discriminate; males and females are equally liable. Slapping a child on the bottom can be construed as a form of sexual harassment. It was
probably an impulsive act, but because the slap was on the little girl’s somewhat exposed backside, the slap could be perceived as having sexual connotations. Astute teachers know that touching students on the private parts of their bodies is taboo, forbidden, prohibited, and any other word that conveys the serious nature of this offense. Smart teachers know that the cost of such an act can be prohibitive in terms of financial and professional capital. These teachers are not willing to sacrifice their careers or the school’s budget to indulge an impulsive act of impropriety. Knowledgeable teachers would have simply told the student to sit down and that would have solved the problem.

Scenario 25.5
Chest Nut Roasts Student

When I was in the eleventh grade, a counselor, Mr. H. told me that girls with big chests would do better in secretarial jobs, so college was not even discussed.

This sexist, stereotypical remark is a frightening testimonial that incompetent counselors are alive and well. Although incredulous, Mr. H. may have believed that he was giving the student some good advice. His reference of women using their “wiles and wares” was not an uncommon view many years ago. Unfortunately, Mr. H. and many like him appear stuck in a time warp of sexist practices of yesteryear, when it was somewhat acceptable to stereotype women and make risqué comments about their bodies. Today is a new day; such comments are considered a form of sexual harassment. Mr. H. could have made the comment to open the door to his making a sexual pass or a solicitation of intimacy or to make further comments about her body, which is again, illegal. If Mr. H. thought he was saying something useful or complimentary, whatever his motives might have been, the actual damage he cost his student may be assessed by her last statement. She obviously felt diminished by both his low expectations for her and the fact that he did not bother to mention college or offer her strategies or tips for succeeding in college. Mr. H.’s comment was illegal, immoral, and sexist. But more so than that, it provided evidence of his obvious incompetence as a counselor. Whatever his motive . . . firing him would be justified.

The truly professional counselor would be laden with information about careers, colleges, college entrance exams and criteria, in preparation for a career advisory meeting with the student. There would be little time for personal remarks. Informed counselors would fear to tread in any area of conversation that has any hint of sexual innuendo or sexual harassment. Caring, competent, counselors would have the students’ best interests as a priority and offer sound, effective career guidance. The law forces
schools to assume some of the responsibility for sexual harassment. The school’s job is to prevent sexual harassment and to guarantee a workplace that is free of harassment of any type. To avoid subjecting students to an incompetent counselor, like Mr. H., the school district should shore up their screening policy to include questions for the applicant about any charges of sexual harassment of students and/or colleagues. Eligibility for hiring should be based on the applicant providing acceptable responses to these questions. All schools should conduct mandatory annual training to help employees stay abreast of current developments in sexual harassment policy and laws. Finally, students should be encouraged to evaluate the usefulness of the counseling session. The counselor could be required to put any recommendations in writing and both parties sign it. The student’s signature would be an acknowledgment of receipt of acceptable advising. Accountability may be an effective deterrent for sexual harassment.

7

TEACHER CONFESSIONS OF
WORST TREATMENT OF A CHILD

Their Motives and Feelings

“I’m going to hypnotize you to find out why you feel the need to arm wrestle kindergarten children until they cry ‘teacher.’”

Why Good Teachers Mistreat Students:
Their Motives and Feelings

In this fast-paced sophisticated society of the new millennium, it defies belief that some teachers are still committing egregious acts of aggression, humiliation, harassment, and so on, such as those in the scenarios presented in the preceding chapters of this book. In these scenarios, students have collectively suffered myriad abuses due to teacher mistakes. The occurrences are so widespread and frequent, that many questions arise and demand answers, such as why did the teachers do what they did? What were they thinking and feeling when they committed their misdeeds? Did they regret their mistakes? What would they do if they had a second chance? To get some insight into teacher mistakes, I asked about 50 teachers to discuss their worst treatment of a student. Six of those teachers said they could not recall any mistreatment of a student; 44 teachers did recall mistreatment and were willing to share their situations and their feelings. The 44 participating teachers were surprisingly candid in their “confessions” of their worst treatment of a student. To do an in-depth probe of the underlying motives for their admitted poor treatment of their students, I asked them the following questions:

1. Describe the scenario of your worst treatment of a student.
   
2. Describe the problem and your specific role in it.
   
3. Why did you do what you did?
   
4. What emotions or feelings were you experiencing at the time?
   
5. Was your behavior justified?
   
6. Do you regret your action(s)?
   
7. If faced with the same or a similar situation, what would you do?
   

Their responses are presented below as motive probes. After each motive probe, I offer prescriptive commentary that further illuminates the why of the misdeed and, where appropriate, makes recommendations for avoiding the precipitating event and resultant mistreatment. The teacher-reported explanations of their behavior, the motive probes, and the commentary are sorted by the 25 biggest mistakes to shed some light on the possible whys of those types of mistakes.

Mistake 1: Inappropriate Discipline Strategies