Is there a teacher you just can’t stand? One that makes you want to skip class or even change subject?
School is stressful enough without the added pressure of having a teacher who seems to have it out for you. Why even bother trying in class if they are probably going to give you bad grades anyway, right?
So what should you do when it feels like your teacher doesn’t like you? Start by having a think about some of these things:
Ask yourself – is it just the teacher that is the problem, or is it the subject itself? When you don’t like a subject, you can pass some of those negative vibes onto your teacher as well.
You may say you hate a subject, but could it be that deep down, you just don’t feel super confident with it? If that’s the case, then reaching out to your teacher for help can make a huge difference. Not only can they help answer your questions and improve your confidence, but they’ll appreciate your willingness to make an effort, and you may find that you start getting along better.
Be honest.
Maybe you’ve had some incidents with behaviour in the past and that’s caused some tension between you and your teacher. Maybe you’ve been sending out a bad attitude, and it feels like that’s being mirrored by your teacher. Remember this: your teacher’s job is to provide you with a quality education. They care about educating you and want to see you succeed. But a good relationship is a two-way street (in other words, you need to put in effort as well). Be engaged in class and show that you are keen to learn (even if you don’t get all of the stuff at first), it will go a long way to improving your relationship with your teacher.
Like we said, teachers are invested in helping you succeed. They have a job to do, and with that comes a professional demeanor (or personality) that they need to use to keep behaviour managed in the classroom and to help deliver content (the material you learn). It’s all for your benefit. Sometimes, that personality can feel tough to swallow and if you get in trouble, it’s easy to take it as a personal attack, when in reality, they are just doing their job.
If you think that the way your teacher treats you is a personal attack, here’s some things to keep in mind:
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above, then you should let your teacher know how you feel. You can do this in person, or if you’d prefer, you can send them an email. What’s important is to let them know your side of the story. Don’t attack them, but instead explain how you feel and that you want to move past this.
If the teacher doesn’t take your feelings seriously, or they do, but you continue to feel personally attacked, speak to the year level coordinator or head of department about how you’re feeling so that they can progress any action further.
Remember, your relationship with your teacher is a two-way street, one that you need to work on as well. Be friendly and respectful, and you’ll likely see those attitudes reflected back by your teacher.
