What to do when your teacher is bad
One year when reviewing my school timetable, my older sister looked at my history teacher’s name and said “oh, he’s terrible and he looks like he’s melting.” (and he did!)
As judgmental as this comment is, it speaks to the fact that not all teachers are equally good. So what do you do when your teacher resembles the Wicked Witch of the West mid-splash? Or worse! What do you do when they’re not that good at teaching?
Let’s acknowledge that a “bad” teacher for you, might be a great teacher for a different student. Teachers cannot possibly meet the needs of every student in their classroom exactly. We’re talking about the times when you are the student with unmet needs.
The first question to ask yourself is “why am I finding learning harder with this teacher?”
Answers might include:
the teacher going too slow, speaking monotonically, or otherwise being too boring;
the teacher skips steps, speaks quickly, has an accent or is otherwise hard to follow;
the class is too rowdy for the teacher to teach without interruptions
you don’t feel comfortable speaking in class, raising your hand or asking for help
the teacher’s feedback is unhelpful or scarce
Each of these problems can be addressed in different ways.
For boring teachers, try doodling, doing zentangles, or figeting. Playing games on your device does not count. We need an activity that will stimulate you but allow your mind to stay focused on your teacher. Writing notes (and decorating the margins while your teacher repeats themself) is an ideal mix.
For hard to understand teachers or disrupted teachers, you’re going to have to do a lot of the work yourself. Online videos, the textbook and your tutor will make up for what your teacher isn’t providing. You should allocate more time to this class than you otherwise would, which can be hard since it’s probably not going to be your favourite.
If you feel too uncomfortable to ask for help because the teacher is actually horrible, your friends, the other teachers in that department, and your tutor can all help instead. Otherwise, if you’re just too nervous, try emailing your teacher and asking for written feedback or a private conversation instead!
Overall, a tutor can really help in all of these situations. At Future Tutor you can easily switch between tutors until you find the one that best suits you!