Fifty Don'ts to Save Your Career

1.     Don’t allow small problems to become large ones.

2.     Don’t refuse to honor school rules even if you don’t agree with them.

3.     Don’t try to teach without being prepared.

4.     Don’t touch a student in a way that could be misconstrued.

5.     Don’t model a lack of integrity. Follow the rules for photocopying material and showing movies.

6.      Don’t use food as a reward.

7.     Don’t allow yourself to be alone with a student.

8.     Don’t curse or use nonstandard English around your students.

9.     Don’t neglect to return phone calls within twenty-four hours.

10.  Don’t leave your students unattended even briefly.

11.  Don’t overlook serious student problems such as drug and alcohol abuse, neglect, or weapons.

12.  Don’t give students free time where they have nothing to do.

13.  Don’t be a boring teacher. Mix it up!

14.  Don’t be sarcastic. You are the grownup in the room.

15.  Don’t allow students to make fun of each other or to otherwise engage in horseplay.

16.  Don’t give up on your students who struggle.

17.  Don’t agree “not to tell” when a student tells you confidential information. You may be legally required to act on it.

18.  Don’t take suicide threats lightly.

19.  Don’t allow students to leave campus with an unauthorized adult.

20.  Don’t ignore the signs that your students are restless and bored with a lesson.

21.  Don’t allow students to sleep because they are “not bothering anyone.”

22.  Don’t ignore your own stress levels.

23.  Don’t break the laws regarding confidentiality and privacy of student information.

24.  Don’t try to be a pal to your students. They already have friends.

25.  Don’t neglect to spend enough time learning school rules and procedures.

26.  Don’t act in anger.

27.  Don’t fail to allow for differences in learning styles.

28.  Don’t underestimate the importance of motivation before, during, and after a lesson.

29.  Don’t call in sick when you are not sick.

30.  Don’t hesitate to ask for help.

31.  Don’t assign work as punishment.

32.  Don’t assume students are mastering the material. Monitor carefully.

33.  Don’t lower your expectations when students find the work difficult. Help them instead.

34.  Don’t be inconsistent in implementing your behavior policies.

35.  Don’t hide your mistakes from a mentor or administrator. Ask for help when you are in error.

36.  Don’t confront a misbehaving student in front of other students.

37.  Don’t get in a win/lose situation with a student, student’s parent, or a colleague.

38.  Don’t take the unpleasant aspects of student misbehavior personally.

39.  Don’t punish the entire group for the misbehavior of one or two students.

40.  Don’t hold grudges when your students misbehave.

41.  Don’t forget to teach classroom rules and procedures as often as it takes.

42.  Don’t be too tentative, too permissive.

43.  Don’t give too many negative directions.

44.  Don’t overreact to a simple situation.

45.  Don’t neglect to set boundaries for your students.

46.  Don’t avoid proofreading your own work.

47.  Don’t call parents without being prepared and professional.

48.  Don’t begin teaching without having their attention.

49.  Don’t forget that young people don’t always use good judgment.

50.  Don’t forget to look beyond the behaviors you can observe to determine the underlying causes.