Dealing with Difficult Teachers

[Srd2000]

Does anyone have a teacher that they cannot stand? Personality clash, teaching style doesn't work or they do not help you in the right way? Anyone got any solutions or resolutions?

[Opengangs]

Hey, Srd2000.

I had a poor Business Studies, English, and Mathematics teacher. So the journey was hard and arduous, but there are certainly some things you can definitely do.

The most important thing you can do if your teacher isn't cooperating is to talk to them. Let them know that you're not agreeing with their teaching style; you may be the voice of many other students in the class, and letting them know that it's not working allows them to know to change. Suggest new strategies they could implement to help with your studies, and hope they listen to it.

In the meantime, you'll have to do a lot more work with an uncooperative teacher. Do extra research about the subject/topic at hand, and ask students from other classes to see what information you will need for your exams. Talk to different teachers in the same department, and let them know you're falling behind. They may be more than inclined in helping you get back on your feet.

Read and highlight your textbook; make annotations, and make flashcards. You're better off completing the work on your own, or with a study group, until you can get a replacement. Share and collaborate with friends who do the same subject and/or topic. Ask online as well, you're not restricted to just peers within your school. There are many great forums (like this one ) with a community who are more than willing to give you advice, or to answer a few questions you have in mind. Be proactive. Do the work yourself, but don't strain yourself when you're doing the work. Take breaks, and do some light reading before you go to sleep.

Most importantly, if the issue is not resolved, speak with the relevant department. Let the Head Teacher of the department know that your teacher is not being cooperative and that it's affecting the way you study. It's not fair on you, it's not fair on the teacher, and it's not a good classroom vibe if you can't stand a teacher.

Good luck with it, though! If you have any questions, feel free to ask them.

[The Special One]

I'd avoid clashing with teachers it's a waste of time and energy.

I did it in year 12 and it got me nowhere I did it at uni when I disagreed with my assignment and it got me nowhere.

There's no justice if we're not in a position of power people can do what they want even if they're wrong.

You'll have to make do with a bad situation until you can climb the ranks it's the unfortunate reality.

[Yertle the Turtle]

In general, it is best to communicate with the teacher and see if you can work together to improve the relationship between you. If this isn't going to work, then just go out of your way to do your best and show that you are interested in the subject that they teach, and often this will help. Just go out of your way to be friendly and helpful, and often things will begin to loosen up.

[Aaron]

In general, it is best to communicate with the teacher and see if you can work together to improve the relationship between you. If this isn't going to work, then just go out of your way to do your best and show that you are interested in the subject that they teach, and often this will help. Just go out of your way to be friendly and helpful, and often things will begin to loosen up.

I agree with this 100%. Try to avoid creating a conflict with a teacher as this won't benefit you in the slightest.

If you have concerns, go to your VCE coordinator or Head of Senior School (or equivalent). They are really good at resolving student issues with their teacher. Try and have a discussion privately with the teacher and explain your concerns first though, as this shows respect and means if you have to go higher, you can say you tried to resolve it first at the teacher level. I think you'll find that if you have a private chat with the teacher and outline your concerns, most teachers will go that extra mile to try and alter their teaching to you. Of course there is the odd exception here and there....

Unfortunately if you don't say anything, nothing will change. You'll find that if you continue to hold a negative attitude, it will start to show in your work and ultimately, your scores.

I also think that this is a part of life, the fact that you have to deal with people who don't really hold the same views or attitudes as you. It's like any student, they'll have teachers they like and teachers they don't. Year 12 IMO is predominantly an independent exercise w/ the teacher more as a facilitator, if anything. Class sizes of at least 15+ ensures that the teacher running it won't cater to every person - we're human and we can't please everybody, even if those expectations and accountability are at an all time high.

As a teacher I have seen first hand the right and wrong way to approach a situation like this.

Really hope you sort out your issue soon!\

There's no justice if we're not in a position of power people can do what they want even if they're wrong.

You'll have to make do with a bad situation until you can climb the ranks it's the unfortunate reality.

Oh come on.

[The Special One]

[Sine]

Does anyone have a teacher that they cannot stand? Personality clash, teaching style doesn't work or they do not help you in the right way? Anyone got any solutions or resolutions?

just make sure to not make any sort of personal animosity known. That is probably the worst thing that could happen. Especially for the more subjective subjects (the ones with essays and short answer questions) but also relevant for those other subjects since there are many opportunities for 50/50 marks (i.e. one person would give you it - another wouldn't). Remember for your subjects (this year) 33-40% of your study score will be determined from SACs (marked by your teacher) so be aware of that.

You don't necessarily have to like your teacher to build a rapport with them - try to actively ask them questions, give them stuff to correct which most teachers really like since you are showing an intrest and wanting to do well and any success will arguably reflect on them if they are up for a new contract.

It's definitely fine to disagree and have an subject matter debate/argument with your teacher but definitely shouldn't be too agressive and should be done with a level of mutual respect already in place.

The thing about talking with the head teacher is that if your teacher and the head have a strong relationship you run the risk of anything you say proabby going back to your teacher even despite any sort of confidentiality put in place (not saying this is always gonna happen but not everyone follows the rules).

[Potatohater]

Does anyone have a teacher that they cannot stand? Personality clash, teaching style doesn't work or they do not help you in the right way? Anyone got any solutions or resolutions?

I had a teacher I absolutley COULD NOT STAND to the point where I dropped the class. But before I dropped the class here are some solutions I used
- talk to teacher
- talk to head teacher of faculty
- talk to deputy's and principals
- talk to school councillor (everything is confidential with them)
- organised private lessons for my class with another teacher in our spare time
- taught myself content
- ignored my teacher and used class time to go on with the work myself
- bring up issues at parent teacher night
So if you too have a difficult to deal with teacher, there are always options

It's true Aaron wait until you're in a situation where the problem is the head of a subject. Or your complaints never reach the top level it happens.

It's then when you realise there's nothing that can be done and we are at the complete mercy of those who are in a position of Authority.

Ultimately they can decide to ignore all complaints and if or when that happens what can you do?

We aren't entirely at the mercy of others. We live our own lives, and yes, whilst we can't control other people we can certainly control our reactions to those people. There are plenty of solutions, some are mentioned by others above, that relate to each particular case and person. To accept defeat is to give up, and to give up is to not take responsibility for your own life.

[The Special One]

Possible solutions which all require someone in a position of power to do something to help us get what we want  not something we do ourselves to ensure it happens.

[Bri MT]

Possible solutions which all require someone in a position of power to do something to help us get what we want  not something we do ourselves to ensure it happens.

Any change in someone else's behaviour ultimately comes down to their choice - I doubt the OP was suggesting that we provide them with ways to achieve mind control and remove that element of choice.
Therefore, the suggestions have been focused around:
- changing the situation so that the persons behaviour doesn't impact you (switching classes)
- ways to reduce the negative impacts of that behaviour (self studying methods)
- ways to gain referential power (being courteous and respectful, being a keen learner etc.)
- ways to use organisational power (talking to higher ups)
- ways to use informational power ( making them aware of your challenges, seeking solutions together)


If you can think of anything constructive which could help students in this situation we would welcome your input

[Lumenoria]

God, I'm not doing VCE, but am taking HSC in NSW and have had a multiplicity of experiences in this regard with just one teacher. The story is far too long to explain, but in short, she was making allegations against me that were completely absurd. Her lack of organisation and knowledge in the subject she taught began to significantly compromise the time I could've used for other subjects and it began to eat away at my mental health (believe me, she fucked me over real bad). In addition, she exerted no semblance of professionalism in her work - constantly making implications here and there that I wasn't good enough to take Extension English. It was so terrible that I began to get major anxiety attacks just at the thought of having the class later in the afternoon and I would just get this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was so debilitating to experience. The subject itself was so interesting to me and I was ranked 2nd at this point, but in the end, I figured it was more trouble that it was worth so I dropped it last week. All because of her.

I know there are many suggestions here that resonate with communication and the like, but it is much harder than you think it is. To even develop the courage to critique someone of authority about their professional mannerisms, is a feat. I was never able to exert this courage in real life, and justified myself dropping the subject through the "inability to handle workload" (ofc, this was a lie) because I would've felt terrible just ratting her out infront of everyone - though, to some extent, I believe she deserved it. For me, the teacher was someone that was sweet with her voice but vicious with her words - but somehow she alway managed to maintain a facade of kindness that swept me off my feet everytime the thought of confronting her ever passed my mind. To be honest, I don't think she ever realised how she affected me because to her, what she did was probably just "part of her job". And it infuriates me that I let her get away with it, but what can you do. I'm weak lol.

I really, really hope you're able to resolve this, I completely understand your position right now.

[Potatohater]

God, I'm not doing VCE, but am taking HSC in NSW and have had a multiplicity of experiences in this regard with just one teacher. The story is far too long to explain, but in short, she was making allegations against me that were completely absurd. Her lack of organisation and knowledge in the subject she taught began to significantly compromise the time I could've used for other subjects and it began to eat away at my mental health (believe me, she fucked me over real bad). In addition, she exerted no semblance of professionalism in her work - constantly making implications here and there that I wasn't good enough to take Extension English. It was so terrible that I began to get major anxiety attacks just at the thought of having the class later in the afternoon and I would just get this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was so debilitating to experience. The subject itself was so interesting to me and I was ranked 2nd at this point, but in the end, I figured it was more trouble that it was worth so I dropped it last week. All because of her.

I know there are many suggestions here that resonate with communication and the like, but it is much harder than you think it is. To even develop the courage to critique someone of authority about their professional mannerisms, is a feat. I was never able to exert this courage in real life, and justified myself dropping the subject through the "inability to handle workload" (ofc, this was a lie) because I would've felt terrible just ratting her out infront of everyone - though, to some extent, I believe she deserved it. For me, the teacher was someone that was sweet with her voice but vicious with her words - but somehow she alway managed to maintain a facade of kindness that swept me off my feet everytime the thought of confronting her ever passed my mind. To be honest, I don't think she ever realised how she affected me because to her, what she did was probably just "part of her job". And it infuriates me that I let her get away with it, but what can you do. I'm weak lol.

I really, really hope you're able to resolve this, I completely understand your position right now.

The teacher I mentioned earlier was kinda similar to this, and I also eventually dropped because of her. Whilst we both handled it very differently I don't blame you. Sometimes you get that incredibly rotten egg and you can't change them, but at least you're not alone. You're also not weak. It takes a lot of courage to drop a subject that you are doing well in and find interesting for the sake of overall mental health. I hope you find you've made the right descision and enjoy being free of that teacher 

[The Special One]

I'm sorry, but I don't know if you lack social awareness or you just like to be abrasive on the internet but I have noticed from both your time on ATARnotes and particularly from your posts on Whirlpool that you seem to have an inability to communicate without appearing hostile or condescending. You need to work on talking in a way that isn't quite so self-righteous.

How do you know that the person on whirlpool and on here are one of the same. A username is a username it's only unique in the site it's on.

Anyway I think we should stick to posts on here that are on topic whether you disagree or not it's a matter of opinion but still keep posts on topic please so neither of us are in trouble.

If you have a problem you can always PM me no problem.

Anyway back on topic people have offered many possible solutions and hopefully the teacher is reasonable enough to adjust accordingly.

Unfortunately not everyone is reasonable and you shouldn't spend too much time fussing over perceived injustice because I did it and probably still do it next time it happens but their's better ways to spend your time in such an important year.

When I kicked a fuss nothing came out of it so just find balance in how how far yo irske this is all I'm saying.

[zhen]

I have similar advice to those who have already posted here. Very rarely do you get a teacher that is completely uncooperative. In fact, most of mine were open to criticism except for one, who is an extreme exception. So, having a talk with them about it would be a great way to attempt to fix the problem. Anyone who has followed my posts knows I absolutely hate the teaching styles of most of my teachers, because in my opinion, they didn’t really facilitate the learning for majority of the class. However, I realise that they had valid reasons for why they didn’t change their teaching style. One of my teachers was actually forced to teach the course in half the time it normally would take because he was involved in a lot of extracurricular activities and was forced to miss classes. This meant that he taught the course at a rate that didn’t allow the class to keep up and majority of people had difficulty learning. It wasn’t his fault. It was just an unlucky cirumstance I had to face and attempt to overcome. It’s still an unfortunate circumstance but it’s not right to blame the teacher. But, I still complain about it a lot. 

Anyway, so have a talk with the teacher and see their perspective. You don’t have to like their teaching style to discuss this with them or ask them for assistance. But, if that doesn’t work, then just try to study independently. Try to keep up to date with all your material. You’ll be amazed at what you can do with just a textbook. Some teachers may even allow you to study privately during their class time if they trust that you will be productive. So, it’s good to build a friendly relationship with your teachers. Even though most of my class didn’t like one of our teacher’s style of teaching, the whole class still worked hard and because of this the teacher would give us a bit of leeway. I had this exact same teacher in a different class and he would be overly strict because people wouldn’t complete their work. So, be independent and try not to antagonise this teacher too much.

It's true Aaron wait until you're in a situation where the problem is the head of a subject. Or your complaints never reach the top level it happens.

It's then when you realise there's nothing that can be done and we are at the complete mercy of those who are in a position of Authority.

Ultimately they can decide to ignore all complaints and if or when that happens what can you do?

Honestly, I’ve faced this exact same situation. This is the one teacher I mentioned that was not open to criticism. My teacher was the head of his faculty. He would openly humiliate and ridicule his students. I also wouldn’t be exaggerating if I said he caused a lot of stress and anxiety to his students. So, in my opinion he was just an unpleasant guy. Many students would report him to the coordinators, but nothing would be done. To top things off, he would mark extremely harshly. He had two classes and the SAC marks in both his classes were well below the cohort average. So, was I at his mercy? To an extent I’d say I was. But, rarely if not never are we completely under someone’s mercy. Throughout the year, my English and specialist mathematics SACs weren’t great. However, I would study harder and when exam time came I was able to kind of make up for this. Also, if people in positions of power did whatever they wanted, they’d probably lose their power. If the company manager starts firing people because they don’t like them, then chances are they will be detrimentally affected by this. People with power aren’t allowed to reign free.

[The Special One]

@ above^

Good point with exams. I was able to make up for my harshly marked SAC marks with the exam.

But i wouldn't  say it was because we weren't powerless in that situation it's just that exams are marked impartially so people in power can't influence that.

When you can cut out that bias which is how uni is I find it much fairer.