ATAR Notes: Forum
VCE Stuff => Victorian Education Discussion => Topic started by: Stormbreaker-X on March 29, 2020, 01:13:30 pm
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I was just wondering does having a bad teacher stop one from doing well? I heard teachers can make quite a difference and the unfairness with having bad teachers.
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This question comes up time and time again on here and i'll respond in the same way. I think it's unfair to exclusively blame 'bad' teachers. You are at a stage where you have to develop some initiative yourself. In the end, the results are reflective of your own efforts. Teachers are more facilitators rather than hand-holders at Year 12 where they can guide you and help you succeed but in the end you're the one that has to put in the hard work.
'Bad' is extremely subjective - teachers are human too and as a result, they will not be able to please everybody. Their teaching methods may suit some but not others. This will occur regardless of sector, school etc.
Personally speaking as a teacher, I would be having a chat with your teacher privately in the first instance and stating that you aren't getting what they are teaching and what they can do to help. You will find that most if not all teachers ESPECIALLY at Year 12 are willing to explain things in a different way or at the very least point you in the right direction. Using the 'bad teacher' excuse as a reason for poor performance is a cop out, especially if you have taken no steps to resolve it.
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I was just wondering does having a bad teacher stop one from doing well? I heard teachers can make quite a difference and the unfairness with having bad teachers.
Having a bad teacher will impede your progression in doing well but it won't exactly stop you from doing well. E.g. Having a really good tutor and/or being able to learn without guidance can be really helpful. Also If the quality of a teacher had no bearing on how students do there would be no need to label any teacher as "bad" or as "good".
Whilst a teacher doesn't do any of your work or sits any of your exam they really do set the tone for how a majority of students will focus on their work. In the context of ATAR Notes, I don't think this is too much of a problem since most people here are generally already motivated and will work hard regardless of having a good or bad teacher. However, for the average student in Victoria, the ability of your teacher to engage and motivate students is really crucial. In addition to the actual quality of the teacher since for most students (maybe not the case for ATAR Notes students) the major learning tool of education they receive is from their schools.