“Good Morning Teacher…errrrrr…”

The classroom echoed in a rhythm everyone would relate to. The children greeted Ms Vinita on a typical Monday morning. With a little Monday loathing face, Ms Vinita asked the children to sit down in her usual gesture and started organizing her desk. As she took out her legendary red pen from her bag, the classroom gasped in unison. It was homework checking day today. The red pen used to decide whether the week’s start was going to be happy or with the good old murga punishment. 

Students with completed homework started taking out their notebooks on the desk while those who without were preparing themselves to face the music. Heartbeat started rising as if the heart wanted to run off the rib cage when Ms Vinita started her way over to students’ desks. Embarrassment was evident. The scolding was evident. The classroom had now turned into the ‘Chamber of No Escape!’

What do you think of this scene?

Does it seem a completely normal one?

Nothing much of a big deal, is it? But consider a situation that in the class of say, 63 students if a student is suffering from a slightest of mental instability or a learning disability that no one knows about, then this Monday would be no one less than a bogey man for the rest of their lives. Things which seem simple from a distance are often deceiving. 

So, let’s get closer to the whole point here:

Teachers are not only mentors, but they are also called as second parents. Of course for a reason. Children spend most of their time in school. They learn about the outside world, they socialize and knit memories during their school days. It is the responsibility of a teacher to understand the kids not in the majority but individually. Teachers should understand the fact that no two kids are the same. Each student has a different ability, skill or behaviour that defines his or her personality. Teachers should take care of a few things in the classroom and avoid using some clichéd phrases that would affect the confidence and self-esteem of the students. 

On the other hand, we understand that teachers are human beings.  It is difficult to monitor every word we say. We do affect people throughout our lives positively and negatively depending upon what situation we are in. That’s human nature. But, when it comes to young minds, they get molded with experiences and how the surrounding treats them. It is important to be cautious with words and behaviour with children. 

To make your life easier, Zedua brings to you 10 things teachers should not do. This can be part of effective classroom management, for sure. 

Let’s begin:

1. Playing Favorites and Nepotism.

Teachers should never choose favourites in the class. This is one of the most critical things teachers should not do. Favouritism and nepotism can have negative effects on the students. Both the teacher’s pet, as well as the non-favourite ones,  suffer. Teacher’s pet often gets rejected by the rest while the others start doubting their skills and it doesn’t take much time for the green-eyed monster creeps in their lives.

2. Comparing One Student with Another.

Teachers should avoid comparing two students based on their performance, conduct or anything in particular. Competition can get out of hand in situations like these. For instance, stress levels shoot up during exams when students study just to score more than the peers and thus, learning lags in this rat race.

3. Making Everything Compulsory. 

Teachers should stop making every activity in class is compulsory. For instance, if a kid is not mingling with other kids, instead of making him or her play compulsorily, teachers should look into the matter personally.  They should try to get to the root of the problem by having a conversation with the concerned kid. 

Also, if a student isn’t interested in playing any sport, teachers should not force him or her to take up sports rather try to let the child choose whichever activity he or she wants to pursue during that period.

4. Mocking a Student in Front of the Class.

A teacher should never make fun of any student in front of his or her peers. The student might start resenting the teacher and prefer being lonely. In some cases, the affected student can start bunking the school out of the fear of getting mocked and lose interest in studies eventually. Getting laughed at in the classroom can drastically affect the self-esteem of a student. This is one of the major things a teacher should not do in the classroom.

5. Not Repeating the Explanation.

“What were you doing when I was explaining it in the first place?’’ Teachers should avoid using this clichéd phrase. No two kids are different in their learning abilities and teachers should not refrain from explaining the topic if asked again.

6. Be Too Lenient or Too Tough.

Teachers should not be too lenient or too tough. Kids can get very manipulative at times with lenient teachers while on the other hand, a strict disciplinarian teacher is often detested and feared than respected. Teachers should find the middle ground in terms of their behaviour with the students. They should switch being easy on the kids and tough as the situation demands.

7. Giving Discouraging Remarks on Report Card. 

The schools should not expect perfection from the students. Teachers should write the improvement that’s expected from the kids along with some positive remarks as well. This will help and encourage the kids to improve on their own. ‘Lazy’, ‘not hardworking’ and ‘not performing as expected’ can be avoided. Teachers can use different classroom management techniques to keep the students focused, attentive and productive in the class. 

“Teachers affect eternity; no one can tell where their influence stops.”

– Henry Brook Adams

True that.

Zedua salutes all the teachers out there. We understand the hard work, patience and responsibility that goes in this profession.  After all, teachers are the harbingers of a better tomorrow!

Also Read: What is the Role of Teacher in Developing Mental Health?