13 Bad Common Sayings Teachers Must Avoid

Growing up as a child in school, did you ever hear or suffer bad comments from teachers? These bad common sayings teachers must avoid are still around. 

Teachers are valued by the learners, but sometimes the bad common sayings teachers of teachers can negatively affect learners.

Teachers are special beings that hold the key to unlocking the potential in every student they teach however, some bad common sayings of teachers can disturb and demoralize learners.

In some instances, they make such comments to anger the zeal to succeed academically in the learner however, it can go bad and rather demoralize. There are times that the teacher may notice that the comment passed is wrong.

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Brave teachers will be able to tell the learner they are sorry but often many do not even when they know the comment hurt the students, and it was needless. There are many bad common saying of teachers and some are created by the teachers themselves.

Below are 13 bad common sayings teachers must avoid and erase from their vocabulary, statements and communication with students.

1. “You have potential but don’t use it.”

A comment such as this is not good enough, and many learners feel bad about it. Some students will accept it as a challenge to prove a point. Teachers may rephrase this same statement and say, “How can I help you reach your full potential?”.

2. “I’m disappointed in you.”

OMG, this is one of the many bad common sayings teachers must avoid. There are teachers who feel so bad if the student they believed would shine in say an examination does not do well. The comment “I’m disappointed in you.” may pop up without the teacher thinking about it.

The fact is, there are times that students disappoint. Expressing your disappointment as a teacher is not bad however, many students get put off by such a statement. Instead of saying this, which may hurt so much, why not say

Say something like: “What do you think you can do to make a more helpful decision the next time you are in a similar situation?”

This is far better and inspiring than to say, “I’m disappointed in you.”

3. “What did you say?”

Have you advised, or queried a student for doing something, and while moving away, he or she whispers something? In Africa cultures, for instance, when a child whispers after a piece of advice or scolding, it may be seen as a sign of disrespect. But come to think of it, do you really want to know what the student whispered and how will that profit you?

As a teacher, you are better of pretending not to have heard a whisper and move on. There more important things to do while on duty.

You don’t always need to have the last word.

4. “If I do that for you, I’ll have to do it for everyone.”

Being fair is not equal, it means providing help to those who really need it. The reality is that a teacher can not treat his learners equally, no matter how he or she tries.

There are students or learners who need more help than others.

Such students do not deserve the comment “If I do that for you, I’ll have to do it for everyone.” It makes them feel neglected.

A teacher’s quality cannot always be measured by the performance of the brilliant students in the class but by the progress made by the very weak and average or below-average students.

It’s better to say, “I’m not sure if I can do that, but I’ll do my best to meet your needs in one way or another.”

5. “It’s against the rules.”

Every teacher has a set of rules that govern the behaviour and conduct of students and the class. The conduct of learners may sometimes go contrary to the set rules, while others may be within the rules.

Very often students may want to take certain actions that are not permitted by the rules, in which case it goes against the rules but the action may be so important now.

Instead of telling a student the action or conduct is against the rules, you can say something like

“Let me see if there’s a way to meet your need within the rules.”

6. “Your brother/sister was better than you.”

This is very demotivating and not the best statement to make if you have taught the siblings of a student before. Learners are not the same, and not even from the same home.

Comparing two children such as a brother and a sister and thinking they should be the same is an absolute error. Comparing such students can create tension that may not be revealed by the one hurt. You could say, I will help you gradually to perform better.

The last seven bad common sayings teachers must avoid 

7. “I like the way Kuma is sitting.”

There are times that teachers pass comments such as the above to manipulate students or learners to behave well. Manipulating learners to conform only shows them that it is fine to manipulate others. Would it not be better to ask the class to sit down if that is the reason behind the manipulative comment? Just say” Class, please sit down.”

Also, there are teachers who never publicly acknowledge any positive thing about their students. That needs to be worked on. The benefits of making positive real comments about students or learners and not manipulating them to behave well far outweigh the benefits of not. The downside far outweighs the good, even if it works.

8. “You’ll never amount to anything.”

Like seriously? Way back in basic school, I heard this countless times. Learners who are emotional will cry throughout the lesson or feel morose all day because of such comments by some teachers.

How many great people have been told this? How many of you have heard it? As teachers, we must inspire confidence in our learners, even if the same thing was said about us. It might not have affected you but it may affect others so don’t use such comments.

9. “Who do you think you are?”

Do you really need to know who they think they are? This question is meant to say, “You are not as important as me!” This communicates sheer arrogance and is asking for a power struggle.

Your learner is not in school to battle wit out with you. And when troublesome parents come to the school premises to mess up, do not make such comments. Keep your cool. You don’t lose anything.

10. “Don’t you ever stop talking?”

This is a snide way of asking the student to stop talking. Never start with a question like, “Don’t you ever _______?” You can fill in any behavior or attitude: “listen,” “do your homework,” “try,” “care about your work.” Avoid sarcasm and directly say what you are feeling. There are instances when teachers use this just to confuse the student or paint the kind of punitive action they will take should the student act or not act as required.

11. “I’m busy now.”

How busy are you that you cannot listen to the issue that the learner who placed a premium value on you has come to talk about? Listening may show signs of concern.

Don’t dismiss a student this abruptly if they need you in some way.

Show that you care by saying, “I’m very busy now, but you are very important to me. Unless this is an emergency, let’s find a better time to talk. I really want to hear what’s on your mind.”

Can you come back in 30 minutes if it is not too urgent so that we talk about it?

The above suggestions are far better and responsible than saying “I’m busy now.”

12. “The whole class will miss _______ unless someone admits to _______.”

The last set of strokes we received way back in 2016 weeks to BECE are still fresh on our minds. 25 years ago, the entire form 3 class had to be caned because some students refused to be part of the (Cultural Studies -music class)

Collective punishment will never be the right way to discipline your learners. Teachers must always avoid this. If we as teachers desire to ensure that learners take responsibility for their individual actions, let us build in them that spirit to own up for doing good and bad. If your effort does not lead to discovering who caused the problem in the class, do not apply punitive actions such as “All of you, your heads on the table” or Every one of you boys at the back…kneel down…

When learners are punished for something they didn’t do, they see the world as an unpredictable place where consequences have nothing to do with choices. This is not what we want children to learn.

13. “What is wrong with you?”

This Is Another Bad Common Sayings Teachers Must Avoid

Learners can be strange sometimes and behave in very unpredictable ways…Some teachers will drop it “What is wrong with you?” even before they know it…

This question implies a defect or an imperfect student. We are all imperfect, so the question is really only intended as an insult.

Instead, why not say “I see you have a problem. Let’s work together to find a solution.”

As a teacher, you are not perfect, you will at one time lose your temper and make some of these statements. Let us do our best to take these comments out of our conversations. Yes, we can. Learn to say something nice or neutral avoid hurtful comments. The reality is that it hurts students, and such negative words and comments have power.

Source: Wisdom Hammond |Ghanaeducation.org