purpose.
7. Avoid arguments. A teacher who is firm and fair does not move in on a situation until the right time, and this basically means that this teacher knows what is happening. Under these circumstances, it serves no constructive purpose for the teacher to engage in a prolonged argument with one or more students. Let us examine two ways to handle a common situation. Teacher A suspects that, on a test, Paul is trying to copy off Billy’s paper. Teacher A observes closely, becomes convinced that her suspicions are true, and unobtrusively moves Paul to a different seat. Nothing is said, and the other students do not even observe that Paul has moved. Teacher B, facing the same situation,airs her suspicions to the class, engages in a lengthy argument with Paul regarding his conduct, and then sends him to the principal’s office for insubordination. The merits of Teacher A’s methods are obvious.
8. Avoid temper fits. One mark of emotional maturity on the part of a teacher is that he or she does not yield to the temptation to become angry, yell, and especially to cry. Any experienced teacher has dealt with youngsters who specialized in trying to produce some such reaction on the part of the teacher. What greater satisfaction could one give such a student than to “play the game his way?” Miss E was a beginning teacher of high school English. She was young, somewhat naive, and a bit of a “culture nut.” Two senior boys had a way of engaging in conversation about the poem under study, and their remarks seldom reflected credit on either the poem or the poet. Miss E construed these remarks as a reflection on her teaching (exactly what the boys intended her to do) and frequently burst into tears of frustration. She lasted one semester. Her replacement, a much more stable person, treated the situation as a joke, and in short order, this is what it had become. When the challenge to goad Miss E to tears disappeared, the fun was gone. Incidentally, the question as to why students will act in the way just described is a difficult one. There are always some who will act this way, and the successful teacher learns to work with them. The system that will work best has to evolve, but the system that is least effective is undoubtedly that of pitching a temper tantrum or bursting into tears.9. Develop a set of values. A veteran teacher recently remarked that one of his most important lessons had been that of learning what is important. Some teachers find themselves taking an inflexible stand on issues that are of minor importance, and this is most unlikely to promote a good learning environment. A case in point is Miss Greg, a veteran teacher. When the fad of boys wearing long hair came on the scene, Miss Greg “went in orbit.” The school board set a policy regarding hair length and authorized the principal to enforce the policy. Miss Greg blithely ignored this and set her own policy, with herself as prime enforcer. She was in an untenable position but refused to accept the realities of the situation. innumerable problems ensued so many that Miss Greg retired early because of this problem, which really was not her problem at all. Many mathematics teachers find it necessary to remind students to bring pencils to class, since seat work is very important. But Mr. Z went a step beyond reminding; he issued an edict to the effect that any student who failed to bring a pencil would be immediately sent to the office as a discipline case. Can you imagine what happened? The students rose to the occasion. Some days not a single student brought a pencil, with pandemonium the end product. The principal had to intervene and straighten out the situation. Obviously, Mr. Z had succeeded in making a big issue out of a minor one.