25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them (53 page)

Mistake 10: Racial and Cultural Discrimination

Teacher # 21

A Scenario of a Teacher’s Worst Treatment of a Student

I was a counselor at a camp for the YMCA. I had a student in my class with special needs. He was in a wheelchair, and had limited motor skills. My training for this type of student at the time was zero. So my day consisted of taking him to the restroom, drying him, wiping him, and including him in as much as possible. My concern was that I had no training on how to handle this situation, and I did not want to be held liable for anything that might happen to him
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Motive Probe

21.1. Describe the problem and your specific role in it.

We were scheduled for a field trip to our camp. There were no wheelchair accommodations at the camp or on the bus
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21.2. Why did you do what you did?

I told him that he wasn’t going to go
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21.3. What emotions or feelings were you experiencing at the time?

Frustrated, because I did not want to push him around in a wheelchair. I wanted to devote my time to the other kids. Anger, because of having to change everything just for this one kid
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21.4. Was your behavior justified? If so, why?

No. I was not sensitive to his needs. I did not understand his situation or how he felt
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21.5. Do you regret your action(s)?

Yes
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21.6. Do you ever think about this incident? If yes, approximately how often since the occurrence(s)?

(No response.)

21.7. If faced with the same or a similar situation, what would you do?

More educated now, I would try to include him in everything possible. I would try to understand how limited he was and to see what new experiences and memories I could give him
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Commentary

While progressive parents and school districts embrace a least-restrictive placement policy that seeks the most inclusive learning environment for special-needs students (Woolfolk, 2007), the rest of society is not keeping pace. There is much resistance and resentment toward this policy, especially when the teachers, counselors, or caregivers have no training for working with special-needs children. Resistance and resentment can be replaced with understanding and empathy if people seeking to work in environments that may potentially include special-needs kids were screened for empathy and special education training. Such prescreening could protect special-needs children from any abuse that may be precipitated because of their challenges.

Teacher # 22

A Scenario of a Teacher’s Worst Treatment of a Student

H. was a little boy that was a persistent problem for me. He was the stereotypical “at risk” child with major anger problems. There were days when H. and I got along fine and days that we did not. On this particular day, he had been causing trouble for everyone since the bell rang. He was picking on students, disrupting class with inappropriate comments/noises and I had had enough. I called on him to answer a question and he gave me a smart answer and I told him his answer did not matter, because he would never amount to much anyway
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Motive Probe

22.1. Describe the problem and your specific role in it.

I took my frustration out on a student
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22.2. Why did you do what you did?

I lost control of my emotions
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22.3. What emotions or feelings were you experiencing at the time?

Anger, embarrassment, and fear
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22.4. Was your behavior justified? If so, why?

No, no matter what, a teacher should never say those things to a student
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22.5. Do you regret your action(s)?

Yes
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22.6. Do you ever think about this incident? If yes, approximately how often since the occurrence(s)?

Yes, three to four times a year
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22.7. If faced with the same or a similar situation, what would you do?

Tell him that he had a choice: He could either participate appropriately or go to the office and do the work with the vice-principal
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Commentary

Stereotypes and low expectations are common bedfellows. This teacher just used her anger as an excuse to say what she really felt. To avoid making generalizations about at-risk children, teachers should examine the research on resilient children and the ability of those children to rise above their circumstances, particularly when they have supportive adults in their lives. She had a choice; she could remain punitive, knowing the child’s circumstances, or she could choose to be a supportive adult fostering his resiliency.

Mistake 11: Humiliation

Teacher # 23

A Scenario of a Teacher’s Worst Treatment of a Student

A student was humiliated in front of the whole dance team because she was performing like she was not in the mood, at least that is the way it seemed to me. I shouted at her for doing so and after a few more classes, I found out that she is just very shy
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Motive Probe

23.1. Describe the problem and your specific role in it.

My student was not performing well and I embarrassed her for it
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23.2. Why did you do what you did?

I didn’t understand why she performed like that. I didn’t know the child well enough
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23.3. What emotions or feelings were you experiencing at the time?

I felt rage and anger because she was performing the dance poorly
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23.4. Was your behavior justified? If so, why?

No, it did not help her to do better; I think I actually made it worse
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23.5. Do you regret your action(s)?

Very much
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23.6. Do you ever think about this incident? If yes, approximately how often since the occurrence(s)?

Yes, about five–eight times in the past 3 years
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23.7. If faced with the same or a similar situation, what would you do?

I would have made a comment to her in a joking manner, something that could have inspired or motivated her
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Commentary

This teacher made an erroneous assumption about a student’s mood and performance and did not learn much from her error. When asked what she would do if faced with the same situation, she is still making an assumption about the student’s motives and mood although she is framing it as a joke or inspirational message. The magic three-letter word is “Ask.” She could have gently questioned the student about the performance, perhaps asking her if everything was alright or if she felt that something was keeping her from performing at her best that day. A great way for teachers to avoid making erroneous assumptions about a student’s performance is to refrain from judging the performance until they know the student better and there is enough evidence concerning the student’s performance to make an informed judgment.

Teacher # 24

A Scenario of a Teacher’s Worst Treatment of a Student

In all honesty, there is not one particular incident that stands out from the others. However, there have been several occasions when I was speaking to students that I was sarcastic or belittling
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Motive Probe

24.1. Describe the problem and your specific role in it.

I belittled a student
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24.2. Why did you do what you did?

I felt frustrated with the student
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24.3. What emotions or feelings were you experiencing at the time?

(No response.)

24.4. Was your behavior justified? If so, why?

(No response.)

24.5. Do you regret your action(s)?

Yes
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24.6. Do you ever think about this incident? If yes, approximately how often since the occurrence(s)?

No
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24.7. If faced with the same or a similar situation, what would you do?

I try to treat my students like I would want my sons to be treated by their teachers
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Commentary

It seems that this teacher’s modus operandi for interacting with students is to be belittling or sarcastic most of the time, making it difficult to distinguish any particular incident from another. She is correct; the best way for teachers to avoid verbally abusing students is to make it a personal trait to treat all people, big and small, with dignity and respect. By treating students the way she would like for her children to be treated, she would find a way to help students exercise self-control, eliminating the need to belittle them for their conduct.

Teacher # 25

A Scenario of a Teacher’s Worst Treatment of a Student

Students were filling out information forms with their addresses. A student didn’t know his address. I asked him how long he had lived there. He said his entire life. I said, “What? Your parents don’t want you to find them if you get lost?” The other kids laughed; he was humiliated
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Motive Probe

25.1. Describe the problem and your specific role in it.

There was a student that the other kids picked on, and I did it too
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25.2. Why did you do what you did?

Frustration
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25.3. What emotions or feelings were you experiencing at the time?

Frustration
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25.4. Was your behavior justified? If so, why?

No
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25.5. Do you regret your action(s)?

Yes, from the very instant I said it to this day, 15 years later
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25.6. Do you ever think about this incident? If yes, approximately how often since the occurrence(s)?

Yes, often
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25.7. If faced with the same or a similar situation, what would you do?

I would quietly tell him to leave it blank and look up his address for him
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Commentary

There is a fine line between humor and humiliation, particularly from the perspective of the person who is the butt of the joke. To avoid crossing this line, teachers should craft their humor in such a way that it does not involve personal attributes of their students or their family members. Some people think that wisecracking makes them seem witty. When wisecracking is at the expense of someone else, it may make the person appear witless rather than witty. Sensitivity could have spared this teacher 15 years of regret.

Mistake 12: Inappropriate Classroom Policies

Teacher # 26

A Scenario of a Teacher’s Worst Treatment of a Student

In an attempt to train students to use bathroom break time, I singled out a child for requesting to use the restroom during nonbreak time. I did not let her go. I reviewed the class routine and appropriate rules for using the restroom during scheduled breaks and at the end of class. I ended up having to speak with the child’s mother and apologizing to Mom and daughter. Each time I see her and our eyes meet, I send an empathetic, unspoken apology to her
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