Why Are Some Elementary School Teachers So Mean?

Teachers are considered second parents as they help shape a child’s present and future. However, not all teachers realize how important their job is in society — especially in elementary school when a child is physically and emotionally dependent on their teacher. Some teachers don’t provide kids with the proper support.

Some elementary school teachers can be mean due to various reasons including lack of training in ethics or negative past experiences. The meanness could also arise from personal life troubles. However, not all teachers are unkind, and thinking so might be due to a personal encounter.

To understand the problem in greater detail, we’ll look into whether teachers are really mean or if this is merely a child’s perception. We will also explore why some teachers are mean and how children and their parents should deal with mean teachers.

Table of Contents

Are Some Elementary School Teachers Really Mean?

Some elementary school teachers can be very mean. Besides, there are many incidents reported worldwide, suggesting that some unfortunate kids underwent traumatic experiences in school due to their teacher’s irresponsible behavior.

The previous question is a loaded question; presuming that some elementary school teachers are actually mean. The only thing asked was why they were so. In this section, I’ve reframed the question to try and establish whether some teachers are unkind.

Still, we cannot deny that bad incidents happen to our children while in school. Watch this video on Youtube by Extreme Trends to discover how traumatizing some teachers can be to their students:

However, sometimes a bad teacher can only be a result of the child’s judgment. For instance, a teacher’s strictness may be interpreted as dislike or unkindness. Before proceeding with the child’s complaint, parents need to reach out to the root cause of the complaint. If the child is suffering due to a teacher’s negative behavior, the guardians should complain about them.

On the other hand, if you find that your kid has judged the teacher wrongly, it’s your responsibility to make them understand what is right. It would help not to force your opinion on the child. Instead, help them indirectly to reconsider their judgment.

There are all sorts of people in the world. Even if we say that some teachers are unkind to their students, this doesn’t allow you to conclude that your teacher is mean too. Each case needs to be rationally studied from both the student and teacher’s perspectives.

5 Reasons Why Your Elementary School Teacher Is Mean to You

There might be countless reasons for a teacher’s inappropriate behavior towards students. Let’s look at some probable reasons why some teachers are mean, or they’re understood to be so.

1. Bad Teacher in the Eye of the Victim

Sometimes, the question of a teacher’s unkindness doesn’t stand on real ground. Due to some misunderstandings, students tag them as mean teachers. In that case, a one-on-one talk can solve the issue.

If you’re a student who has held the judgment against your teacher, I’d advise you to examine your perception regarding the teacher critically. If you realize that your perception was wrong after analyzing the situation, either admit it in front of the teacher or decide to correct yourself.

On the other hand, if you’re a parent and your child holds such judgment towards their teacher, make them understand what is right without forcing them to change their perception. Strong reasoning along with real-life examples can help your child change their mind.

2. A Teacher’s Negative Personality

When we meet our teachers in school, we forget that they also have a private life. Although ideally, a teacher should keep their personal and professional life separate, sometimes their life problems become the reason for their inappropriate behavior at the workspace.

If the unkind behavior of the teacher was a one-time incident, you might want to consider forgiving them. However, if the behavior continues for extended periods, you’d need to confront them straight away. If the situation doesn’t improve, involve the parents plus the administration.

A teacher’s negative personality can be the result of past experiences either with the students or staff members. That said, understanding a teacher’s situation doesn’t mean that their unkind behavior is justified.

3. The System Is at Fault

Our education system isn’t an ideal and inclusive set-up. If not all, a few rituals in the traditional education system compel teachers to do certain things that make them villains in the eyes of students.

For example, the grading system in elementary schools has become a bone of contention among students. Because teachers are the face of the system, they’re understood to be unkind or disrespectful to the kids.

We can also blame the concept of favoritism in the classroom. Moreover, the public announcement of results, division of classrooms into sections based on performance, and distribution of awards are some structural flaws that divide students or even the teachers.

4. Lack of Ethical and Moral Training

Elementary school teaching requires minimum eligibility and training. Lack of ethical and moral training for the teachers can also be a reason for their unkind and unprofessional behavior at the workspace.

Although ethics and morality are highly dependent on a teacher’s personality, they can also be taught in the classroom to both teachers and students. Besides, if teachers held robust value systems, such incidents would never occur.

The US government provides teacher training programs to equip teachers with skills on how to handle the state’s future from an early age. However, if incidents of unkindness are still taking place, the government needs to improve these training programs.

5. A Child’s Home Environment

Perceptions are formed over time. That said, many factors contribute to a child’s brain development and perception of others. A Harvard study suggests that if the home environment isn’t suitable for an innocent mind, it can reflect toxicity everywhere, including the classroom.

If your child complains about a teacher’s unkind behavior but as a parent, you come to learn that it’s merely your child’s perception, you need to rethink your home environment. It could have resulted in the kid’s ill-perception.

In some rare cases, a teacher’s unkindness might be a reaction to a student’s behavior. Discussing the matter within the family and the teacher may help find solutions.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, some students go through bad episodes in their elementary schools that leave them with a negative experience of discrimination or unkindness at the hands of their teachers. Fortunately, in some cases, teachers are also held responsible for their unprofessional behavior.

There can be many reasons for such happenings in the classrooms. However, a healthy home environment, proper teacher training, and the self-analysis of both students and teachers can help solve the issue.

Sources

Scholar Harvard: Toxic environments and human development