5 Mistakes All Teachers Make and How to Get Past Them

Here are five of the biggest mistakes teachers make and how to get past them.

1. Trying to do it all

Every teacher is guilty of trying to do everything. Not only is this not realistic, it can also lead to burnout. That’s why teachers should practice balance.

2. Always expecting perfection

Teaching and learning are both processes. At no point can you expect perfection, because the process is always ongoing. Furthermore, expecting perfection can also lead to dejection. Therefore, teachers should keep realistic expectations.

3. Treating all students the same

Each student has different strengths and weaknesses and therefore cannot be approached in the same way when it comes to learning. Observe each student and adapt your approach as needed.

4. Not being prepared

Your lesson plans are only going to be effective if you are thoroughly prepared. Always have a plan in place for each lesson.

5. Not being interesting

If the lesson isn’t taught in an interesting way, students will lose attention. Take steps to make the material engaging and exciting.

What do you think the biggest mistakes teachers make are?

In order to broaden our perspective on the many mistakes a teacher could potentially make, we decided to reach out and ask a variety of individuals their opinions on the matter. Here is what they had to say:

Rebecca Briscoe

When I first started teaching, I thought I could save all 30 of my students and would kill myself trying to do so. I learned that if I could save one, I was doing my job.

Vivien Tse

A) Talking with a Flat Voice

-Monotone

-need to speak with intonation and practice it while you speak so it sounds like music

B) Treating students like friends. Lose respect from students.

- Fine line between friends and being close. Need to be close enough so students would come to you when they have worries. Teachers need to learn to listen to students, and give advice from a teacher's standpoint.  However, teachers must not tell students too much about their personal life. Also, keep in close contact with parents.

C) Speaking without taking note of student's reaction

- Need to take close look at student's feelings of whether they understand. Also, do a few exercises in class so to make sure they understand you. Explain a few more times in different ways if needed.

D) Not catering to different learning needs

- Different learning styles: visual, auditory, read-write, and kinesthetic. Most teachers just focus on writing on the blackboard (visual), but actually, they need to incorporate more activities that cater to the other 3 learning styles.

E) Giving too much information at once

- Students learn at different pace. Teachers should focus on simplify, breakdown and cutting down the essentials.

F) Talking too much about behavior instead of acting on it

-when students misbehave, a lot of teachers tend to shout. However, it just causes roll eye moments when teachers keep repeating themselves. Teachers can set up class rules at the beginning of the year with the students, and agree on suitable punishments. Then when the students misbehave in class, teachers should act accordingly.

Tim Elmore, President of Growing Leaders

One of the biggest mistakes teachers make is teaching students that failure is not an option. Without it, kids grow up to fear failure (because they’ve never experienced it) or to lack motivation (because they’ve received too many trophies just for showing up). And that’s not all. Kids who’ve never tested their abilities grow into emotionally brittle young adults who are more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.

What can teachers do?

-Create a safe place to fail, create learning laboratories where failure is welcome

-Show the benefits of failure, perhaps by telling your students about your own failures or about famous historical failures

-Help make failure a friend, we must evaluate and affirm good effort, whether they fail in the process

AJ Saleem

The biggest mistake I have found my teachers making is simply working too many hours. When grading assignments and completing tasks, it is important to improve efficiency and make your tasks easy to complete.