Common Characteristics of Poor Teachers

Unfortunately, this almost military-style of teaching still exists among many educators, and does nothing to create a positive learning experience.

Poor teachers always…

Look to assign guilt and arouse a sense of fear

These educators like to expose the failures of students and even ridicule them. They also tend to inadvertently produce poor behavior in their students, reducing their ability to learn.

Students’ fear grows even more in the face of questioning. This is especially true when a student feels he or she may make a mistake in answering the teacher’s question.

As a result, children develop a certain level of distrust, making them more reluctant to participate in class out of fear of making a mistake.

Discourage participation, and don’t conduct continuous evaluation

Poor professors never take into account the participation of their students. They always want to have complete and absolute control of the class, refusing to provide additional explanations when a student wants to go deeper on a certain topic. According to these educators, doing so would only cause unnecessary delays.

It’s also common for these teachers to overlook efforts and attitudes that students adopt in order to improve their academic performance. Rather, they base their grading only on test performance . 

Blame students for overall poor performance

Poor teachers never stop to think about why the majority of their students are getting bad grades. Rather, they simply assume that poor performance is the result of the students’ lack of interest in the subject matter. These educators never ask themselves what their own role in all of this might be.

Refuse to take the time to bring themselves up to date

Poor teachers never update their teaching techniques or materials. They don’t care about staying up to date on new technology or pedagogical trends. What’s more, many refuse to allow their students to use these same modern and advanced resources.

Want to be in charge

Some teachers believe that keeping a certain distance from their students puts them at a supposed advantage because students see them as authority figures.

However, experts say that teachers who come to form closer relationships with their students earn more respect and admiration in return. What’s more, they provide their students with a level of trust and security that lasts for the rest of their lives.

Avoid going in depth

Poor educators only care about teaching their students the basics and, therefore, only touch the surface of subject matter. And because of the fear these teachers instill, their students are unable to ask for more adequate explanations.

Dislike children

A good teacher needs to have a certain degree of empathy with each and every student and tries to make the class enjoyable. But, why is it that some teachers don’t even like children?

• In elementary school, some teachers are intolerant of the typical shouting and commotion of children this age.
• In high school, teachers may become frustrated with students who are unable to pay attention or are more interested in other things.
• Many college professors become demotivated because of low salaries, meaning they must make greater sacrifices for fewer rewards. If the motivation isn’t there, the consequences are clear.

To summarize, poor teachers have a general lack of commitment towards their students and many weaknesses in regard to their knowledge.