Humility

I make quite a few mistakes in my everyday life, but I am usually able to laugh at them. There is nothing worse than a stubborn teacher. A teacher needs to realize that they will make mistakes in class. When they do make mistakes it is important for them to realize that and laugh at them and fix the situation. Teaching has a lot to do with building relationships with students and having students that can trust you. Students will question the confidence and intelligence of a teacher that makes mistakes and will not admit to them. Instead, if a teacher is able to laugh at themselves and admit to a mistake, then the student is reassured that it is okay to make a mistake. It is important for students to realize that it is alright to make mistakes in the classroom. Kids are participating less in the classroom for fear of giving a wrong answer.

In the event that a teacher does make a mistake, it is important for them to be real about it. Kids learn from their teachers a lot, so a teacher should not be overly apologetic, sarcastic, or defensive of their error. They should take responsibility for their mistake but not bring much attention to it.

I'm beginning to think that teachers should purposely make mistakes on occasion in the classroom. If they make a mistake on purpose then the students should notice that mistake if it is something they have already learned. If the teacher admitted to making a mistake then they could ask the students where the teacher messed up. I feel like this strategy would keep kids engaged in the classroom and help them to sort out the important information and learn listening skills.

Being humiliated is not a bad thing. People just need to learn how to laugh at their error and be respectful of people that are correcting them. Everyone makes mistakes, but schools today seem to punish mistakes. Nobody is going to be perfect. Teachers can help shape a child's view on humility by accepting their error and reiterating that it is not a bad thing to be wrong on most occasions.