Customer Reviews

25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I found this book to be shocking. It seemed like one nightmare after antoher. Most of the situations seemed to involve either physical or emotional abuse. Most teachers will not need to read this book. It might be useful for teachers that have been put on probation or some other sort of sanction. I hope that none of the teachers in this book are still teaching.

The "mistakes" Orange details border on criminal--sexual harassment, affairs with students, corporeal punishment. If you're looking for a book to keep you from getting fired or put behind bars, perhaps you might find this book useful. But if you're a non-deviant teacher looking to actually improve your teaching style and your rapport with students, look elsewhere.

I have been an educator for 15 years. This book is the first to actually identify the mistakes teachers make and how these mistakes "traumatize" students. This book affords teachers the opportunity to become aware of how their words and actions can influence the lives of students. 25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them encouraged me to take a reflective look at myself. This book is a must read for new and veteran teachers.

This book is obviously so out dated and boring! I couldn't give it away! I would bet all the reviews giving this book excellent reviews were written by students of the author who wanted to make points with her. I can't think of any teacher today with all the training received who would actualy do any of the things mentioned. I would give this book half a star if I could. One star was for the author's effort!

This is a must read for anyone planning to teach or is already in the profession. It gives a teacher the one skill that is usually missing, the ability to communicate with all students without alienating them. The scenarios the author present find common ground with most teachers and students. It can be used both professionally and as a staff development workshop. It's readers will gain valuable insight into how to be a more sensitive and effective teacher by analyzing the mistakes of other teachers.

First off, I would like to start by making a comment on the overall society we live in. In many cases, teachers hands are tied when trying to discipline a student because of many psychological studies that tell us children are sensitive to humiliation and verbal abuse. Well Duh. Everybody is.

I have to say I have fairly mixed feelings towards this book, for two main reasons perhaps more. The first reason being is that many of the scenarios written in the book are completely outrageous and not to mention completely bias. It seems that all of these harrowing stories of teacher abuse are mainly meant to victimize the children telling the story. Victimization aside, I feel that many of these scenarios are borderline psychotic behavior, and there is no way a perfectly sane teacher would ever tape a child's mouth shut and cut off a bit of their hair to make them stop talking in class! (Scenario 1.13 pg 16)So I guess the point I am trying to make is this: I feel that many of her scenarios are not common ways in which normal teachers treat their pupils.

The second reason I have for writing this review is that I would like to mention that the other scenarios that don't borderline on psychotic behavior almost made me want to gag at what she said to do with the student. For example in Scenario 12.9 located on page 93 she gets her facts wrong and makes biased assumptions. Basically what happens is this girl has a series of traumatic events happen to her that are completely unrelated to school, and in order to keep her perfect attendance her MOTHER tells her she can't miss school, and whilst she is at school her teacher tries to console her. So at first I see nothing wrong with this, a bit of hard life for certain but what Orange says next is what I said before. She basically blames the teacher's strict attendance program that forces this poor little girl to go to school while her brother's in the hospital, when it clearly states it was her MOTHER who urged her to attend class that day and no where did it mention that this teacher was a hard hearted person and wouldn't allow a student to miss a couple days because of a family emergency. So the main thing I get out of this is that the teacher is always wrong even when they try to do right.

The third problem I have with this book is continuing on my last statement, all in the child's favor. Don't discipline them physically, you might hurt their little egos and damage them for life. Don't discipline them verbally you'll humiliate them in front of their classmates and hinder their emotional growth. Can't have that. The thing is I feel this teacher cares too much about her students' feelings to really prepare them for the world. If they never get disciplined, the real world is going to take them by surprise. I say this because if you never discipline a child if they are consistently bad then how will they learn to take responsibility for their actions?

So to put it all together there are some parts in the book that foster in me a desire to better myself as a teacher. But a lot of it seems modern day political correctness tripe or is completely off the wall as to be totally unhelpful.

I leave with this an excerpt from the book can be found on pg. 243 near the bottom of the page. "Teacher mistreatment of students can be unprovoked, but quite often it is precipitated by some action or infraction committed by the child. This is not to say that the child is at fault, because the action or infraction may only be the teacher's perception, masquerading as something real."

I am quite certain that when I see a child indulging in negative behavior I see it.

NNG

Interestingly, we find as teachers that many of the scenarios in this book have been part of our experience. I would say that a new teacher who has not yet experienced some of the problems outlined in the book would only be able to relate to their own experiences as a student. Interestingly enough many of my college professors fall into the same traps as elementary and secondary teachers. Having taught for 15 years, I find many of my own experiences within these pages. It is beneficial to consider another's viewpoint and try to learn from our own mistakes as to how to avoid some of the trauma we have caused to students - many times unwittingly.

The foundation for her prescriptions seems to be a mix of common sense and an awareness of others' feelings. When in the heat of the moment one finds themselves in a "trap," similar to a scenario in the book, it helps to get a different perspective on things and reflect as to how to handle things differently. The best benefit of the book is to consider one's weaknesses or problems in the past and through self-analysis, look for a "plan" as to how to handle things differently the next time. Being prepared for problems before they arise, is the bet prescription for avoiding embarassment or academic trauma to a student.

As a student in the teacher certification program I have encountered very little real life situations in the classroom. The very informative and insightful instruction book has prepared me with some examples of what can happen in the classroom and how to manage them. It is true about experience being the best teacher, so this book gives new teachers a head start. Follow Dr. Orange's RXs and you can not go wrong.

I absolutely love this book because it is a reality check for all teachers. School districts should really consider using this book for staff development as it reminds us of how having one bad day can forever scar a student. Hats off to Dr. Carolyn Orange for bringing this "taboo" into the light.

This is a perfect christmas gift for the teacher in your family. The topics discussed in this book are familiar to everybody who has gone to school, even for just one day, though you probably won't be reading books if you only went for one day. Regardless this book is a fun read and very informative for future educators. It has some humorous parts as well as some parts that could move you to tears. Mostly though it will give you a chance to read how bad others had it and in the process make yourself feel better about your own horrible school experience. To get your experience diagnosed simply sign up for Dr. Orange's Educational Psychology class at UTSA and recount your worst school experience and make it juicy!