what makes a bad teacher?

[Anonymous]

Teachers who are mean to kids they don't like. I understand that teachers are only human. But you are a professional, you have to treat all the kids with some kindness or appropriate discipline. Teachers can't indulge in taking their anger or frustration out on kids they don't like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers that are not able to speak, or write in the english language.

Let me help you--
You provided an incomplete sentence.
Since you're referring to people, you should use "who" instead of "that."
"English" should be capitalized.
You do not need a comma.

You're welcome!

MUAH! I love this!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I completly disagree with the "parents make better teachers" argument. I've seen great teachers in their first year and in their 30th year, some who are childless and some who have grandchildren. I will qualify this by saying that I think it's a lot harder to be a great teacher and a parent because both require a lot of your free time. Not saying it's impossible, but it is harder.

I've seen some bad teaching before and the underlying common thread seems to be teachers who just don't care about their job. They don't care about the students, don't care about their profession or trying to get better, they just do what they can to get by. I also see bad teachers who go on power trips and humiliate their students.

AMEN!
I'm a first year teacher. I can't tell you how many times I've kicked myself this year for believing that I was somehow coming into this with a stacked deck. Using my child as a point of comparison has proven to be a bad practice. They all learn and think differently. Being an expert on how my kid learns and thinks doesn't help me develop lesson plans for my students.

Double Amen on the parent-teacher free time thing. This morning was the first time I considered quitting at the end of the year. I've had the expected setbacks for a first year teacher, but the thing I can't seem to handle is not being around my child as much. I became a teacher out of love and admiration for the profession, not the vacation days. With that said, I saw the vacation as extra time to spend with my child since our schedules would perfectly align. I didn't expect to put in 14-16 hour days several days a week. I avoided high stress jobs in the past because I refused to compromise on my time with my family. I heard that teachers worked 'round the clock, but I didn't know it was as bad as it is.

[Anonymous]

FWIW, I taught school for quite a while before I had kids. I've frequently thought that I might have been a better teacher--I certainly would have understood better the "dog ate my homework"!

[Anonymous]

edit: I meant to say I might have been a better teacher had I already had kids. Bottom line, though, teacher without kids generally has more time. Teacher with kids probably has more compassion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kindergarten teachers in private school last year...here is what made bad:

* Not understanding/believing the development of young children and having appropriate excpectations of children's behavior - one teacher was constantly - I mean almost every minute - correcting 5 yrs olds for things like fidgideting, not sitting with crossed legs, speaking in a manner she didn't like, etc. It was really too much.

*Unable to communicate with parent - got defensive when asked for updates on child's progress and even the most basic question about curriculum

*Liked the "popular girls" and made sure to select and single them out for leading anything and everything and admitted to me as a parent that she did so

*And lastly, not having children themselves. I know that there are those who will swear up and down that makes no difference but it really, truly does - especially in an early childhood setting like Prek, K, 1st -3rd.

Not having children makes a huge difference in ECE.

[Anonymous]

I taught K before the onset of this big push for testing. Only testing was diagnostic testing that I used to see where the kids were. We had a great time and I had the freedom to teach through fun. I don't think teachers have that freedom today in public schools.

[Anonymous]

I taught a group of kids that tended to be a microcosm of American society and leaned a little to the low middle side. All were reading by the end of the year, except for one with LD--and he was very smart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kindergarten teachers in private school last year...here is what made bad:

* Not understanding/believing the development of young children and having appropriate excpectations of children's behavior - one teacher was constantly - I mean almost every minute - correcting 5 yrs olds for things like fidgideting, not sitting with crossed legs, speaking in a manner she didn't like, etc. It was really too much.

*Unable to communicate with parent - got defensive when asked for updates on child's progress and even the most basic question about curriculum

*Liked the "popular girls" and made sure to select and single them out for leading anything and everything and admitted to me as a parent that she did so

*And lastly, not having children themselves. I know that there are those who will swear up and down that makes no difference but it really, truly does - especially in an early childhood setting like Prek, K, 1st -3rd.

Not having children makes a huge difference in ECE.

I actually disagree. I think I was a better teacher before having my own kids. I had more patience, for one. And I had more time to spend at school and doing school-related work. I would think nothing of staying until 6:30-7:00 to make new materials or remake some things that I thought I could improve. I work more efficiently now but a lot of extras have gone by the wayside in order to have time for my own family.

[Anonymous]

I know when I taught first grade that I always admired the teachers who went home to kids. I wondered how they did it. I don't think I could teach kids the same age as mine........the patience the patience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. What do you do when you get a bad teacher, or at least one that's a bad match for your child, so that your child's mood is suffering much of the time? Leaving a school is hard, especially when there are no other good choices nearby. Do you just help DC figure out how to manage as best as possible and make it through the year? Maybe it depends on the age.

In ece they are too young to manage their emotions b/c they should just be learning about their emotions. Children should be eager and happy about school. If they aren't I would find another class or school. I transferred my son from a dreadful teacher who didn't like much about him and didn't teach anything. It sent a messages to other teachers. We have to protect our children esp in ECE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know when I taught first grade that I always admired the teachers who went home to kids. I wondered how they did it. I don't think I could teach kids the same age as mine........the patience the patience.

This was a big part of the reason I waited a long time to have my own kids. I didn't know how I could be with kids all day and then to home to my own. I had no idea how my coworkers did it. I finally bit the bullet, and it's even harder than I thought it would be. There are so many positives, but my patience just gets drained and I feel exhausted all the time, especially through the sleep-deprived years. There's just no break during the school year. But I can't see myself doing anything else, so I buck up and deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kindergarten teachers in private school last year...here is what made bad:

* Not understanding/believing the development of young children and having appropriate excpectations of children's behavior - one teacher was constantly - I mean almost every minute - correcting 5 yrs olds for things like fidgideting, not sitting with crossed legs, speaking in a manner she didn't like, etc. It was really too much.

*Unable to communicate with parent - got defensive when asked for updates on child's progress and even the most basic question about curriculum

*Liked the "popular girls" and made sure to select and single them out for leading anything and everything and admitted to me as a parent that she did so

*And lastly, not having children themselves. I know that there are those who will swear up and down that makes no difference but it really, truly does - especially in an early childhood setting like Prek, K, 1st -3rd.

Not having children themselves is an important point. It does make a difference.

[Anonymous]

I really do not buy that teachers who are parents are inherently better. I think being a parent makes you an expert of your own children but it doesn't make you better at knowing what's best for other families and other children.

Teachers have to be proficient at managing a whole group of children . It takes real skill and training. It's not really tied to biology.

[Anonymous]

Junior and senior high school teachers who act like mean girls, forming cliques with other teachers, rewarding the athletes and bullying the nerdy kids.

Junior and senior high school teachers who try to be relatable to students by using teen slang.

Junior and senior high school teachers who try to bond with the 'cool kids' by making a point of the fact that they hate math, don't read literature, etc.

Teachers who don't recognize boundaries and share way too much with their students -- like details of dating, labor pains, etc.