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I was having a conversation with a
reader the other day. He said something that caught my attention. As
much as I'm a fan of stroking my own ego, I'm actually going to be
posting this to get to an important point. (I'm paraphrasing it to
hide some details.)
It's funny how your blog is the only
one that seems to hold teachers at all accountable. It's great to
finally see someone allowing the possibility that a teacher is crap.
I had this one teacher that would always get mad for me talking back
to him. It screwed with grades in all my classes because I'd get so
angry and stressed.
This comment left me feeling pretty
good at first. One of the things I try to do with this blog is break
down that force field that teachers have that protect them from any
honest criticism. That forcefield tends to protect bad teachers from
ever leaving teaching, or becoming a better teacher. Worse, in my
humble opinion, it prevents good teachers from ever getting the
feedback needed to become great teachers.
As I thought about this reader's
comment I noticed something that I should have noticed earlier.
I am very harsh on teachers in this
blog but there is a very important point students need to try and
remember.
At The Mercy
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It doesn't matter how good or bad your
teacher is, you're at the mercy of that teacher's opinion of you.
While the following is not always completely true, I want you to read
it as if it is. That's because 95% of the time it is true. (Despite
that 95% of the time being true, you'll repeatedly be shown the
opposite of this on television shows about school.)
If your teacher doesn't like you, your
grades will suffer. No, don't believe the television shows that show
a genius getting great grades but having the teacher's hate him or
her. With some students, I've seen full grade differences based on
how well their teachers liked them. A teacher that doesn't like you
will force you to do even better to get the same grade as a well
liked student.
This is something that most teachers
will try and deny but remember the following. They are human beings.
They are not transient beings from a better species than our own.
Just like you couldn't grade your teachers fairly, they can't grade
you fairly.
On top of that, if your teacher gives
you an unfair grade, administration will always side with the
teacher. It doesn't matter how little the administration respects a
teacher, they will always respect a teacher more than a student. The
teacher will get the benefit of the doubt. Remember, that
administration deals with crappy and irritating students all day
(thats most of their job.) They deal with crappy and irritating
teachers every once in a while. They're biased too.
Play The Fool
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As much as I would like all teachers to
get honest feedback from their students, I don't think you should put
your personal life on the line to do it. You're not responsible for
teaching your teacher a lesson. If you're in class, you need to keep
your eye on the prize. I'm going to assume the prize is your grade
for the sake of this article. (If it's actually that blonde a few
desks away from you then just pretend we're talking about them.)
To be well liked by your teacher isn't
simple. You can't just suck up to your teacher and hope for the best.
(No one likes a suck up.) One way you can be well-liked is to share a
hobby or interest. If your teacher likes a sport and you like it too,
milk that. Ask them their opinion on stuff and act like you care
about it. Usually if you're actually interested in it, you will care
about it anyway. That is ideal.
Another way to be well-liked is to play
into the noble teacher fantasy. Don't talk in class. Keep your eyes
on the teacher when they're lecturing even if you're thinking about
something else. Try to not stare off into space. Be mildly friendly.
Maybe even go to the teacher and ask for help when you aren't
understanding something. Yes, this makes most students want to throw
up in their own mouth but it's one of the most powerful ways you can
be well-liked by a teacher. Teacher's do notice this. They think you
care and that helps your grades immensely. (Heck, pretending you care
sometimes helps you care more anyway.)
Bad Situations
Consider yourself lucky if you get
through school without a few really bad teacher's that you have to
suffer through. In most cases, there is absolutely nothing you can do
about it. In the best case scenario, switch out of their classes
fast. In the worst case scenario, you may never be liked by the
teacher but at the very least you can try to not make them your
enemy.
Based on my experience working with
students, and working with myself, a single bad teacher can drag down
more than just the grade for a single class. The stress caused a that
bad teacher can easily carry on throughout the whole school year. Do
your best not to let that happen.
Try a few things to solve it. If those
things you try to solve it with don't work then stop worrying about
it and accept you're at the mercy of that teacher. Don't fight it.
Fighting it is where most of the stress comes from. You may suffer in
that class but that's just the straw you drew. You can't win them
all.
Don't get in the habit of treating any
teacher like an evil tyrant (even if they are one.) That's the kind
of thing that can accidentally turn into some really bad habits.
Now I need to get back to the original
conversation I was having with the reader of this blog.
No matter how bad your teacher is, do
not talk back to them. Every time you seem to attack your teacher
you're forcing yourself to be that much better to get the same grade.
Play the teacher's game and accept it. It's no fun but it's the only
good option you're given.
No, I don't like that anymore than you
do. What's more important to you, your ego or your grade?
Do you want to know how to study less
and score more? Be sure to follow this blog and check out some of our
archived articles.
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