Mr. Selby is never wrong
I love saying that to my students and I probably say it at least once a week. It is definitely a joke and my students know it and (I think) they think it is funny. The keyword in there is that it is a joke. It is so important that you point out when you make a mistake as a teacher. This is good for a few reasons.
It humanizes you - Sometimes students are shocked that teachers leave the school and they are shocked seeing them at the grocery store. Every time you make a small mistake and point If your students know you are a regular person, they can have more empathy towards you and they can treat you more like an actual role model.
It shows that making mistakes is a normal thing and that everyone does it.
It shows that what you are learning is difficult and they are probably going to make mistakes.
It shows one of the pitfalls of whatever you are teaching so that way students can see.
If you do not admit it, you might have just taught your students the wrong way to do something and helped them to form bad habits.
It shows that it is okay to admit that you made a mistake. Students learn more from the behaviors that you model, rather than what you say. The last thing that you want to teach students is that they should try and cover up their mistakes. As they grow older and they continue to make mistakes and try to hide the, things are only going to get worst.
It may be tempting to try hide your mistake. You may think your students do not think you understand the material. One of the last things you want to do is try and hide your mistakes. Your students will notice if you make a mistake and it will start to erode their trust in you if you do not reveal it. It is best to admit your mistake and have your students learn the right things to do from your example, rather than the wrong things from your example, because no matter what; your students are going to learn from your example.
Ultimately, when you make mistake, it is important to admit and point it out to your students.
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