Me Myself and the Teacher

I was having an interesting conversation with my student about problems she was having at school. While I was giving her tutoring lessons for maths, she brought up the issue of getting along with her teacher because it was affecting her willingness to learn and ultimately affecting her results.

Interestingly, she commented on how student numbers have increased in her classroom and as all students have queries they would like to get answered, the teacher just don’t have enough time to address everybody. While such observations are not new as less teachers are coming through the system, the most insightful comment was how it affected her as a student.

Just like siblings fighting for their parents attention, teachers find themselves in similar situations. With less time for each student, every unsolved problem accumulates to add up until it reaches breaking point. The frustrating experience for my student added more fuel to the negativity and blame built up from a lack of a understanding towards the subject.

There are a lot of students having similar experiences. While many are able to resolve issues by themselves, some students are afraid to speak up and suffer in silence until breaking point. With a lack of faith and trust towards the teacher for solving queries, how do we expect students to develop a positive attitude towards learning and building towards their careers? And if the teachers have limited time for each student, how do we expect them to develop good relationship with the teachers?

How do you encourage your child to overcome the problem with the teacher?

Getting to the Heart of the Issue

Asking why your child about why they don’t get along with the teacher is important. Try to understand your child’s perspective about why they don’t get along with the teacher. May be your child feels like they are getting picked on by the teacher or the teacher is not rewarding them the marks for the effort or it could be a communication barrier. As parent’s you can decide whether you should organise a parent-teacher interview to discuss about the issue or not but importantly get to the heart of the issue. The underlying reason may be simpler than you think.

Seeking answers after class

Secondly, encourage your child to ask questions after class for any unresolved problems. Teachers want the students to understand what was taught because it makes their lesson easier for the next lesson. Also, seeking help demonstrates to the teacher that the student is motivated to learn, rather than a weakness which many students believe to be true.

Being Open and Honest With Your Teacher

Encourage your child to be open and honest with your teacher. It’s a great skill to develop at an early age because they can take on this habit with their employers later on in life. Teachers want your child to be happy at school and be willing to learn. The last thing teachers want is a disgruntled child distracting others so encourage your child to speak openly and honestly with their teachers.