10 Ways A Teacher Could Harm Your Child

Teachers have traditionally been placed on a pedestal and thoughtto be above reproach. It has generally been assumed that they always knew whatwas best for children and had their best interests in mind. 

Whether it’s bettercommunication, more stress and less patience or an overall change in societalmores, the truth is teachers are people too and have the capacity to harm aswell as help children. Some transgressions are overt, while others may be moresubtle.

1.    Singling out a child –Sometimes a child will be singled out by a teacher for whatever reason and madeto feel conspicuous. For some children this can cause them to withdraw andunderperform in hopes of becoming invisible.

2.    Influencing other teachers –You may think that a poor teacher/student relationship in one class will endwhen your child moves on to the next grade level or out of that particularclassroom; this not always the case. Teachers have been known to influence theviews of other teachers regarding their attitudes towards specific children.Sometimes this is done through verbal communication among teachers, but it alsodone through notations in a students file that passing on from one grade levelto the other. When the notation is a negative one, it may put your child at adisadvantage before they even enter a classroom.

3.    Lowered expectations –Children have a tendency to perform up to or down to expectations. If for somereason the teacher has lowered expectations for your child you will want toaddress this as it will have an impact on your child’s performance in school.

4.    Limited interaction –Ignore them and they will go away. Sometimes a personality conflict will causea teacher to ignore a child and make that child feel invisible. This will bedetrimental to the child’s self esteem. Imagine never being called on in classwhen you know you know the answer; never being chosen to go to the board or bethe teacher’s helper; never being acknowledged at all. This is hardly anenvironment in which a child could thrive.

5.    Labeling –Our society is quick to label people without considering the consequences. Boysespecially get labeled as being ADHD or hyperactive whether or not they’ve beendiagnosed with the disorder. Sometimes children have a lot of energy or perhapsthey are kinetic learners and neither is necessarily indicative ofhyperactivity.

6.    Incompatible learning andteaching styles – There are different learning styles and if the teacher isteaching to one style to the exclusion of the others, your child could suffer.Good teachers understand the different learning styles and try to integrate allstyles into the curriculum

7.    Corporal punishment –Most schools have outlawed corporal punishment but occasionally a teacher willloose his or her temper and end up striking a child. There have been a fewcases recently that have come to light where students were abused. Be aware ofthis, especially if your child has a condition such as autism and cannot tellyou if they are being mistreated.

8.    Ridicule –Sometimes a teacher will ridicule a child in front of the class. There is noreason to do this, as it serves no positive purpose. Ridiculing a child toprevent him from acting out or to get him or her to do better is not proactiveor productive.

9.    Sexual abuse –We all want to believe that these things can’t happen to our child, and yet,the possibility exists as many parents will attest to. Be aware of changes inyour child’s behavior and don’t think that boys are immune to sexual abuse. Itmay not occur often, but the fact that it happens at all means that parentsneed to be cautious.

10.  Verbal abuse –Sticks and stones may hurt my bones, but sometimes words can kill. Children,especially young children want to please adults. A verbally abusive teacher cankill a child’s motivation. Some teachers have been known to call certainstudents names like “stupid” or “imbecile”. Anytime a teacher uses words tohurt a child or break a child’s spirit they are being verbally abusive.

By far the vast majority of teachers deserve to be held in thehighest regard. As one teacher put it, “Education students need to realize thatteaching is a calling not just a job.” Teachers give of themselves everyday andare second only to parents in the care and wellbeing of our young. They deserveour respect and support. The biggest way they can be supported is by parentsbeing involved with their child’s education and this involvement will also weedout those few teachers who would bring harm to our kids.

Contacts and sources:
Debbie Denard http://www.nanny.net/blog/10-ways-a-teacher-could-harm-your-child/