Teaching skills are critical for teacher and student success and a big responsibility. The ideal teacher should ensure their students feel relaxed and safe in the classroom. When students like a teacher, their job becomes easier, and they achieve a lot more. Establishing a positive relationship with your students will lead to greater accomplishment for both the teacher and the students.
Students spend more time at school than they do at home. Do you know how they say that school is the second home for a child? That means teachers must serve as excellent role models for their students.
Teaching is About Developing Relationships
As a teacher, it is your responsibility to establish a connection between yourself and your students. You can build a fun, secure, and enjoyable environment for your students so they can learn and do their best.
You won’t be able to take advantage of your time with your students if they don’t like or trust you. Teaching skills are all about giving and taking; a lack of understanding can lead a teacher to failure.
At all times, teachers must maintain a professional attitude and use their words carefully.
Teachers are entrusted with an enormous responsibility that they should never underestimate. Our words and behavior as educators have a tremendous impact. We have the ability to transform, but we also can tear apart a student’s confidence.
There are a few things that teachers can never say or do. These things are counterproductive to our task, weaken our authority, and build unnecessary barriers. These are the things that you should not do in front of the students; if said or done, it will negatively affect your teaching success.
Teachers are entrusted with an enormous responsibility that should never be underestimated.
1. Lose Temper
Teachers are the student’s role models, and it is not good to lose your temper in front of them.
Every teacher has bad days, gets annoyed with students, and has difficulty maintaining calm. You don’t want to lose your temper and end up yelling. If you are mad, it might be a good idea to step out of the room and get yourself out of the situation.
Losing your temper can be a bad thing in any classroom. It is not as easy to rebuild faith and relationships with students. Try to stay calm and avoid shouting at them. Make sure you apologize if you have raised your voice. Focus on your mental aspects and adjust your behavior.
2. Lose Control
The one thing that you are not going to get back when you lose it is… control. Do not let students run over you in any lecture or take control of your class.
Sometimes students get too excited or loud during an activity, and you must settle them down. Students need to value you, and you are likely to lose power at some stage if you are too passive and don’t set limits.
One great approach that works for students is sending a signal that they realize they are expected to get quiet when they see it. Signals such as raising hands or clapping hands would be perfect.
It is a domino effect; once you have gotten a few students on board, the others will follow, and you will regain control. Teachers may find this teaching skill difficult, but it is an easily developed skill.
3. Make Fun Of Students
Students don’t want anyone to make fun of them.
It may seem apparent that you do not make fun of students, but sometimes an innocent joke or comment may be enough to harm a student’s self-esteem and confidence. This will cause them to dislike the instructor over time.
It would be preferable if you never made fun of students or insulted them. It is an excellent talent to use humor in the classroom and even to teach students to laugh at themselves. Laughter in the classroom will help students relax and create a positive environment. Just make sure that your jokes or sarcasm aren’t directed at specific students in an offensive way.
4. Sit Down Through An Entire Class
It is appropriate for teachers to take their seats at the beginning of the class.
However, sitting down for a whole period can cause students to lose interest and motivation. The teacher should stand or walk around throughout the entire classroom period. Sitting down for an extended period is a sign of laziness unless you are sick or injured.
When it’s time to teach, circulate throughout the classroom. Let students get up and move around the classroom too. Allow them to mingle around, stand at the board, and work with groups away from their seats.
5. Eat in Class
It is not appropriate for teachers to bring lunch to the classroom. Students can be distracted if teachers eat during class time. This is not suitable for any grade level.
When you open your food to eat it, you probably haven’t considered how the food smell can influence your students. Due to the smell, your students could become hungry, leading them to zone out or eat their food during class.
Eating during class can be frustrating and harmful for students to learn the lesson and negatively impact their potential success.
6. Be Late
Punctuality is an essential thing, as students learn a lot from you.
Being late is a significant issue in many schools for both students and teachers. As a role model, it is essential to model the behavior you want students to learn.
It’s not a concern if you’re late due to unavoidable circumstances. Though, when you are consistently late, it shows the students that it is okay to be late. Be on time, and if you are late, apologize to the students.
7. Only Follow The Book
Teachers often fall into a rut of teaching everything directly from the textbook, which is not good.
This behavior isn’t just dull and tedious and does not serve the students. It makes your students disinterested in your lecture. They would also miss out on various activities, such as putting what they have learned into practice.
Since students learn something new, they need several opportunities to practice and experience their new skills. If you concentrate solely on what the book says, students will miss a great deal.
Good teaching skills help you relate your activities to the subject, but not only from one source.
8. Get Overly Involved
Depending on the circumstances, getting involved with your students can be pretty straightforward.
You’ll learn a great deal about students since you teach a subject and spend a lot of time with them. Be there for students to support them outside of the classroom.
Be mindful of the relationship with students and avoid establishing any personal relationships outside the classroom. If you build such a relationship to help a student through a difficult situation, make sure it does not disrupt the classroom atmosphere. Above all, be sure to stay within teacher-student boundaries.
9. Unequal Treating
Treating students differently based on some bias is a common behavior of teachers.
Teachers regard boys and girls differently in their classrooms. Whether subconsciously or intentionally, boys and girls are treated differently, affecting their behavior and self-perception.
It would be best if you never treated students based on your likes and dislikes. Some students may become discouraged, and their grades may suffer as a result. All students should be treated equally.
A student must be motivated to keep improving, so unfair treatment will destroy their spirit and cause them to lose their enthusiasm. Punishment should be the same for all, with no special treatment given to the person you care about the most.
10. Play Favorites
Teachers have the habit of playing favorites.
This has been going on for ages. This can easily create a toxic environment in the class. So, all students in your class must get your attention and guidance.
It’s all right to have favorite students unless you make compromises that you don’t give to anyone else. It’s natural to get along with some students better; just make sure you treat everyone in your class fairly and give everyone respect and praise.
11. Complaining About Coworkers
There is no benefit to talking poorly about other staff, the management, or other teachers at school.
It is preferable to speak directly with the instructor or staff member if you have difficulties resolving the issue.
12. Unprepared for Class
Attending class without preparation is a loss of precious teaching time.
Being unprepared shows a lack of discipline and is seen as negative behavior. Teachers should not show up to class unprepared because it devalues them in the eyes of their students.
Students can also make fun of your spontaneous activity, making you feel uneasy. Unprepared teachers not only make themselves look bad in front of their students, but they also set their students up for failure.
13. Arguing
Arguments and discussions are two separate things.
Even if a student argues with you on a particular topic, you should never allow them to do so. When making rules at the start of the year, including that arguing is unacceptable behavior and demonstrates disrespect.
When you talk with a natural tone of voice, students will pay more attention to you. Raising your voice makes it seem like you’re venting your frustrations in front of them. Teaching will become more fun if it is consistent, even-toned communication.
14. Accepting Late Work
Keep the rules consistent.
Help students learn accountability and responsibility. Do not tolerate late work if you are attempting to teach the students. Do not consider late submission unless for a legitimate cause.
Students must learn how to meet deadlines if they want to compete in the real world. How would they be good at meeting deadlines when they join the workforce if they never face the consequences of not meeting school deadlines?
We must assist them in being responsible students accountable for their decisions to prepare them for the future.
15. Being Too Friendly
There is a fine line between being a teacher and a friend.
Yes, you should create a friendly environment for your students, but that doesn’t mean that you should be too benevolent and lose the respect of your students.
Making personal connections through kindness, likeability, humor, and other factors can be a powerful tool for influencing behavior. There is a line that teachers must not cross.
Students don’t need a friend to hang out with; they need someone to look up to. Since you are not a peer, you can never act like one. They will lose respect for you if you use slang and pretend to become excessively familiar. Being too friendly with students can negatively impact the teacher-student relationship.
Conclusion – Grow Your Teaching Skills
Teachers should work on becoming better and improving their teaching skills and methods every year. Several factors should be improved, including personal development.
Teachers must continue to challenge themselves and upgrade their teaching skills by engaging in ongoing learning, professional growth, and frequent discussions with other educators.
Look at your style, and be sure you never do any of the items mentioned on this list.
Do not follow the same practice of teaching year after year. The most effective thing you can do to grow and become a better teacher is to listen and learn from your students.
Listening to students helps you continuously evolve your teaching practices and builds you into a trusted role model for your students.
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