12 Ways Teachers Can Lose Credibility – And How to Avoid Them!
Jan 12
1 min read
This week, we kicked off with a powerful professional development session for school leaders, led by our incredible team leader Nanteza Ruth Ssebagala-Senyonjo . The focus? How teachers can build credibility. But as I reflected, a reverse thought came to mind:
What if teachers are already credible? How can they lose that hard-earned trust? Sometimes, the best way to build something is by understanding how to avoid destroying it. So, I compiled a list of 12 ways a teacher’s credibility can quickly disappear:
1️⃣ Telling a lie.
2️⃣ Dressing inappropriately.
3️⃣ Failing to keep time.
4️⃣ Badmouthing colleagues.
5️⃣ Having a favorite student.
6️⃣ Publicly shaming students.
7️⃣ Forgetting students’ names.
8️⃣ Failing to mark assignments.
9️⃣ Assessing students on untaught content.
🔟 Assuming all students learn the same way.
1️⃣1️⃣ Awarding marks students didn’t earn.
1️⃣2️⃣ Overloading students with unrealistic assignments
Take a moment to reflect: Have you spotted yourself in any of these? Or perhaps, there’s another behavior that could threaten a teacher’s credibility?
Now over to you!
👉 What else do you think can erode a teacher’s credibility?
👉 How do you ensure you build and sustain trust in your teaching journey?
Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments! Together, we can create a culture of trust and professionalism in education. 💬
Wow, those are such important points! It's easy to overlook how quickly trust can be eroded, even unintentionally. In addition to the ones you listed, here are a few other behaviours that might make a teacher lose credibility:
Inconsistency in expectations: If a teacher’s rules or expectations change too frequently or without explanation, it can confuse students and make them feel like they can’t rely on the teacher.
Playing favorites with parents: When a teacher shows favouritism to some parents over others especially in money making schools, it can undermine trust with the broader school community and negatively affect student relationships.
Lack of professional development or growth: If a teacher stops learning and doesn’t keep up with new teaching methods…
Wow, those are such important points! It's easy to overlook how quickly trust can be eroded, even unintentionally. In addition to the ones you listed, here are a few other behaviours that might make a teacher lose credibility:
Inconsistency in expectations: If a teacher’s rules or expectations change too frequently or without explanation, it can confuse students and make them feel like they can’t rely on the teacher.
Playing favorites with parents: When a teacher shows favouritism to some parents over others especially in money making schools, it can undermine trust with the broader school community and negatively affect student relationships.
Lack of professional development or growth: If a teacher stops learning and doesn’t keep up with new teaching methods…