As a teacher, it is important to be sensitive to the needs of your students. It’s possible that some teachers may not have been taught these skills in their own school days. Though teaching is a difficult job, there are some basic things you can do to help make it easier for your students and yourself! In this blog post, I am going to discuss 20 traits of annoying teachers and how you can avoid them if possible. Let’s get started!
What Are the Traits of Teachers That Make Them Annoying To Students?
We’ve all had them, those teachers that were just the worst. The ones that made us want to pull our hair out or break things then end up in detention for it. They are the kind of teachers students love to hate and so often they are referred to as “annoying”.
So what are the traits of teachers that make them annoying to students? The following are some characteristics of teachers that make them annoying. Every teacher must take them seriously and work as much to avoid them in their classrooms.
1) They Are Too Strict
Sometimes teachers can be a bit too strict and they don’t know how to let loose with the rules or bend them a bit. They take every little thing as it’s some sort of big deal and so they become annoying by not letting anything slide.
They become the kind of teacher that goes out of their way to give students detentions or push them into detention just because they can.
2) They Hold Grudges
As much as teachers will tell students they forget things and they all move on, there are some teachers who hold grudges and don’t forget things and will bring up past incidents and struggles to get what they want. This diminishes the trust students have in their teachers, therefore the teacher must avoid that.
3) Students Can’t Have An Opinion
This can be on any subject, not just schoolwork or educational issues but personal life as well like politics or religion. Teachers who push their views onto students and make them feel like if they say something different they are wrong or stupid for thinking that way become the annoying kind.
4) Always Throwing Pop Quizzes
This can turn into a bad habit for some teachers and they just think it’s cool to throw pop quizzes at their students for no apparent reason other than keeping them on their toes. Sometimes it’s because they have a test the next day and need to be sure that their students know what they are doing.
5) Always Talking About How Many Years They’ve Been A Teacher
Teachers love to brag about how many years of being a teacher they have, especially when they have been teaching for quite a long time. They will bring it up in almost any conversation about their teaching which gets annoying.
6) The Lack of Education
There are some teachers who long ago stopped caring about new things that are being taught or updated information that has been found. They get into this routine of doing things their way and believe that they are right no matter what. Always learn and get creative in your methods of teaching.
7) Only The Expected
Teachers can be annoying because sometimes they only want the same thing from everyone, nothing else will do and so you see them get upset when a student doesn’t know how to answer a question or pick up on something as quickly as other students have been able to.
8) When They Ignore Students
Being a student can be tough enough but having to deal with a teacher who ignores them. Everyone hates to be ignored. This quality can easily mar the relationship between teachers and students. It pays to always hear from the side of your students. Remember, they should be active members of the class.
9) Always Taking Things Seriously
Sometimes teachers get carried away with the things that they are teaching or even grading and it gets to be way too much. When they make every little thing like it’s the end of the world because students didn’t learn anything, it’s annoying.
10) When They Always Compare Students
Making students feel like they are being compared to others or that their work is never good enough comes off as annoying, especially when they might need some sort of encouragement. Never make a comparison between two classes, not to talk of students in the same class.
11) Blaming Students For Things That Aren’t Their Fault
Teachers can get so wrapped up in something that they might not have even noticed that it’s not their fault and then they blame students, which can be annoying. This is a bad character that annoys students about their teachers. Try as much as possible to avoid that behavior.
12) Always Trying To Be Funny
Sometimes teachers try too hard to be funny and just end up being annoying because they think everything is a joke and don’t know where the line is. You can use humor to your advantage in the classroom but remember not to overuse it. That is especially annoying when your jokes fall flat.
13) Taking Detention Lightly
Teachers who take detention too lightly make it known that they don’t care by the way they treat students. Or they always talk about taking time out of their busy day to sit with students. They are annoying because they make the students feel like it’s no big deal which leads to them acting up even more after being released from detention. So don’t misuse detention in your classroom.
14) Refusing To Answer
This one is a little different but sometimes teachers will flat out refuse to answer a question that students have or just say they don’t know and then give a look like it’s the student’s fault for asking. They are annoying because they want students to believe that everything is easy and if they don’t know then they should just study more.
15) Teachers Who Are Never On Time
It can be super annoying when the teacher is always late because it shows that they don’t care and makes everyone else wait. This can also lead to students talking and not paying attention which causes them to miss things that might have been important. Always arriving late to lessons paints a bad picture for the teacher and annoys students because instruction time is lost in the process.
16) The Lack of Organization
There are some teachers that just can’t seem to get organized and it gets annoying because they won’t ever know where anything is when they need them to explain something or give other students their work back. Being disorganized affects the successful functioning of the classroom. That annoys students a lot.
17) The Credit Stealer
This kind of teacher takes credit for the achievements of their students. What is annoying about it is that, most often, the teacher doesn’t deserve the credit. Make sure to give credit to your students when it is due.
18) The Teacher Who Doesn’t Care
If a teacher doesn’t care, it’s going to show and they will be easy to push over which leads to them not caring about the students. They are annoying because students know that they won’t do anything even if they ask for help or tell them that something is wrong.
19) Always Making It Personal
This is another one that can be a little different because there are some teachers who will use something about students against them. They do that to make the student look bad in front of the other students. They could bring up personal things or even take things that were said in private and make them into something for everyone to see. This is annoying and every teacher must avoid the temptation to engage in that behavior.
20) Always Reminding Students That They Are The Teacher
This is where the teachers constantly remind students of the rules and how it’s their class, not the students’ classroom. It can get annoying when they are always telling students what to do instead of letting them grow through mistakes, which will help them learn more in the long run.
What Are The Traits Of Effective Teachers?
Being an effective teacher is more than just finding what you are passionate about and sharing it with your students, teaching is a combination of many things.
There are so many different traits that make up an effective teacher. Being able to relate with your students, knowing how to keep them engaged, understanding their needs, and making sure they understand the material.
Here is a list of ten traits that make teachers effective in the classroom.
1. Are Flexible
2. Build Relationships with Students and Parents
3. Are Organized and Prepared to Teach
4. Display Positive Attitude Daily no Matter What!
5. Know Their Subject Inside and Out
6. Communicate Effectively
7. Set High Expectations and Standards for Students
8. Assess and Track Student Progress
9. Seek to Improve Their Teaching Ability Continuously
10. Know How to Make Learning Fun!
No matter what you do, be sure that the students feel appreciated and enjoy coming to your class each day. By keeping these traits in mind and making them a part of your character as a teacher, you will go far!
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Final Thoughts
If you’re a teacher or parent, it can be difficult to figure out how best to manage your student’s behavior in the classroom. With so many different types of personalities and approaches available, sometimes teachers are at their wits’ end when trying to find which one is right for them. As an experienced educator, I know that some traits make certain people more likely than others to become effective educators with this list being just ten examples of these personality quirks.
