As teachers, we all made our share of mistakes! After teaching for 14 years, I saw some teachers take their mistakes to the limit! I want to share some of the biggest mistakes that I’ve seen so that new teachers can avoid them. Avoiding these mistakes will help new (and veteran) teachers maintain professionalism–and stay employed!
1. Poor clothing choices
If you expect respect from your students and other staff members, you must dress the part. If you stand in the mirror for more than just a few minutes in the morning, really contemplating your outfit, then change clothes. It’s always best to dress conservatively in an educational setting. Learn your principal’s expectations about attire, too. Dress-down days or special dress-up days may also have a set of “unspoken” rules. Use your common sense!
2. “Alone” time with Students
Avoid finding yourself alone in the classroom with a student, period. Students may walk into your classroom when you are alone. If this happens, walk outside to the hall (where there may be a camera) or into another teacher’s presence. You might even want to close and lock your door when you are alone in your classroom. This way, any student who needs to see you must first knock. Then you can speak in the hallway. I have seen students flirt with teachers in empty classrooms. I have also seen students attack teachers in the same environment. It’s best to just avoid the mistake of being alone with students!
3. Swapping papers for grading
There is never an exception for this teacher mistake. In this day and age of bullying, it is important to prevent bullying as much as you can. This includes not letting students grade papers that are not their own. Yes, we’ve all done it–student helpers are so helpful for grading papers! Despite the time they may save you, however, it could lead to a possible bullying (and legal) situation (here are better tips for saving time). If students want to share their grades with other students, let them do it themselves…don’t facilitate it!
4. Failing to Protect Student Information
Teachers handle sensitive information every day at work. They must be careful to put files back, lock their computers, remove papers from the copying machine, etc. I’ve even known teachers who were so overwhelmed with tasks that they gave students another student’s IEP to take home and get it signed. Teachers make mistakes, but they must be extra cautious to protect student’s information.
5. Improper Use of Social Media
One of the biggest teacher mistakes is using SMS texting and/or social media to communicate with students. Many school districts now have a policy that addresses communicating with students via these methods. In a few short words, the policy pretty much says “Don’t do it.” However, there are plenty of websites and apps designed to help facilitate communication between schools and families. These include Remind, Bloomz, Edmoto, and ClassDojo, just to name a few. It is always best to communicate with parents through these apps or the official school phone and your official school e-mail.
6. Inappropriate personal social media
Sometimes, teachers post inappropriate content without thinking. Or at least without thinking their posts will eventually catch up with them! Keep your social media posts positive and rated for all audiences. Teachers make huge mistakes when they post racist or derogatory comments or questionable pictures of themselves. Also avoid posting pictures of students, especially without seeking permission first. For many teachers, it is hard to transition from their wild college days to a much more subdued teacher life. They forget that they may need to also adjust their social media presence when they begin a career in teaching.
7. Mishandling Serious Situations
Teachers are, by definition, natural helpers. They want to offer advice or guide students when students reach out for help. Helping students overcome issues is one of the most challenging yet rewarding aspects of a teacher’s job. However, a teacher must realize when he or she is aware of a situation that is beyond his or her expertise. Report all serious matters immediately to the counselors and administration. These include sexual harassment, student reported suicidal thoughts or thoughts of hurting others, and inappropriate relationships between staff/students.
8. Breaking up a fight
Breaking up a fight may look a little too similar to getting yourself in the middle of a fight. That’s why this is a big teacher mistake. Teachers are scrutinized for every move they make. Therefore, they should focus more on crowd control and calling security than breaking up the actual fight. Security personnel are specially trained to deal with these kinds of situations. A teacher’s natural reaction to a fight is to jump in and break it up, but resist the urge. You will likely save yourself from any injuries. You will also avoid any suggestions that you were part of the fight, not simply trying to break it up.
9. Possessing Contraband
Teachers have a life outside of school, and I get that! But teachers are also community leaders. They must separate themselves from the two different aspects of personal and professional life. Suppose you buy some shooters for the weekend and quickly toss them in your purse. Don’t forget to remove them before reporting to work on Monday with said purse! Same thing goes for hunting knives, cigarettes, medical (or legal) marijuana, etc. These items are permitted to adults in society but are not allowed on school grounds. Any random search by the drug dogs will point your teacher mistake out. Don’t forget to remove these items from your car, as well, since the parking lot is also considered school grounds.
10. Handling Money Improperly
Teachers wear many hats, and their duties often extend out of the classroom. Many of them are also sponsors of school-sponsored clubs, activities, and organizations. A large part of these duties involve handing money. If this applies to you, be sure to follow the exact protocol for collecting, reporting, and spending money for your organization. Even if you aren’t a sponsor of any club, you may find yourself collecting money for field trips, book fees, lab fees, etc. You do not want to catch yourself in the middle of a theft, fraud, or embezzlement investigation because you handled money improperly. Avoid this teacher mistake by knowing your district’s guidelines for handling money.
11. Inappropriate Classroom Media
We all enjoy listening to music on our phones and in our classrooms. But frankly, sometimes the music that is on our phones should not be playing in our classrooms. If you enjoy music in which every other word is an explicative, this is your choice. But keep this limited to your phone, house, and car! Also, be prepared when using media in your lessons. Be sure to watch the media clip (or video) first before showing it to your students. This can eliminate exposing your students to any possibly inappropriate content. You certainly don’t want to make this teacher mistake during an impromptu observation or walk-through by administration!
Teacher Mistakes: Final Thoughts
Avoiding these 11 teacher mistakes will help you maintain your professionalism and upright reputation throughout your teaching career. Teacher work hard to establish credibility and respect. Don’t watch all your hard work go down the drain! Now that you know some common teacher mistakes, you’ll be more likely to avoid them. You’ll also think twice about how your actions can affect your career.
Have you seen anything else you could add to this list, or do you have your own experience? I’d love to hear your comments!