Teacher Troubles

[Srd2000]

Hello, currently my situation with a certain teacher has been declining fast. Considering putting a pencil through my eye to escape.
For our first SAC, the teacher said that we can email them throughout the summer holidays with anything and they'll get back to you. I recognise that they too have a life outside of school and are allowed to relax from work. I started correspondence in December with my arguments, and yes they did refine them and provide some suggestions but when I asked them to read over my script for my speech I got an "all good" from it. I then asked my friend who is two years my junior to read over it and they found basic mistakes, such as grammar and vocabulary stuff. Just as a cherry to the catastrophic cake, two days before the SAC I had to change half of my entire script, the same one I had been emailing out for help for about a week and bit prior. Stress levels were hitting the roof that week.

SAC number two. I again ask for feedback and for them to help edit my work. They replied with a message with no reference to what I had written. Furthermore they merely repeated what they told me in class. I replied asking for more specific edits to sections. Guess who edited it? Not them. They forwarded my draft to another teacher and sent back their suggestions and edits. So really, my teacher has not done any editing or help for me but passed it to another teacher to do it. Anyone else losing confidence with them or just me?

In class they will almost pick on you to share your work regardless if you are confident or not. And if it is wrong, prepared to be shot for it. If you're interpretation does not match theirs, see ya, cause you're wrong.


Am I just being sooky, needing to vent or is there an actual, visible problem here? Thank you for letting me vent to you

[K888]

Have you spoken to your teacher about your concerns?

[Aaron]

Considering putting a pencil through my eye to escape.

This is unnecessary.

the teacher said that we can email them throughout the summer holidays with anything and they'll get back to you. I recognise that they too have a life outside of school and are allowed to relax from work.

Re: this

To get a response over the holidays at all is in itself a positive. Most teachers shut down over the summer break and don't correspond with students at all. So you know... fair's fair here.

In class they will almost pick on you to share your work regardless if you are confident or not.

Designed to keep you alert. I don't think it's a personal "pick on me" sort of thing... I do it all the time with the students in my class and it definitely isn't designed to be targeted.

And if it is wrong, prepared to be shot for it. If you're interpretation does not match theirs, see ya, cause you're wrong.

If you are confident with the subject matter and your interpretation/opinion, then you should challenge the teacher and explain why your interpretation/view may be also equally correct. I would do this perhaps after class out of courtesy/respect to the teacher. I think respectfully challenging with your opinion/thoughts is healthy, especially when it identifies a misconception that can be rectified before a SAC/exam.

In regards to the visible issue, I don't think anybody here can accurately say whether it is or not. Not saying you are blowing this out of proportion, but it's hard to tell whether you're just personally frustrated or whether there's an overall issue that should be addressed.

I'd recommend first speaking to your teacher which Kate has recommended already above. If that doesn't work, your head of faculty (going to assume it's English?) or vce coordinator is the next best person. I would definitely try to resolve it one-on-one before escalating.. you need teachers on your side especially when it comes to SAC marking.

[Joseph41]

Hello, currently my situation with a certain teacher has been declining fast. Considering putting a pencil through my eye to escape.
For our first SAC, the teacher said that we can email them throughout the summer holidays with anything and they'll get back to you. I recognise that they too have a life outside of school and are allowed to relax from work. I started correspondence in December with my arguments, and yes they did refine them and provide some suggestions but when I asked them to read over my script for my speech I got an "all good" from it. I then asked my friend who is two years my junior to read over it and they found basic mistakes, such as grammar and vocabulary stuff. Just as a cherry to the catastrophic cake, two days before the SAC I had to change half of my entire script, the same one I had been emailing out for help for about a week and bit prior. Stress levels were hitting the roof that week.

SAC number two. I again ask for feedback and for them to help edit my work. They replied with a message with no reference to what I had written. Furthermore they merely repeated what they told me in class. I replied asking for more specific edits to sections. Guess who edited it? Not them. They forwarded my draft to another teacher and sent back their suggestions and edits. So really, my teacher has not done any editing or help for me but passed it to another teacher to do it. Anyone else losing confidence with them or just me?

In class they will almost pick on you to share your work regardless if you are confident or not. And if it is wrong, prepared to be shot for it. If you're interpretation does not match theirs, see ya, cause you're wrong.


Am I just being sooky, needing to vent or is there an actual, visible problem here? Thank you for letting me vent to you

Hey.

My views:
* As above, basically any correspondence through the holidays is a big win. Teachers certainly aren't obliged to do this, and many don't at all. If I were teaching at a VCE level, I'd imagine I'd want my holidays to be work-free. The thing is that VCE can be stressful for teachers, too - not just students. In the long run, giving them their holidays will probably benefit you, because trust me: you don't want a burnt out teacher come the end of the year/exams.

* It's frustrating they said they'd get back to you and then didn't, but yeah - no obligation I don't think.

* If the whole email setup isn't working (which it sounds as though it's not), perhaps it's worth booking in a session with your teacher in person? They might be able to better assist you that way. I personally think feedback via email or whatever isn't as helpful as face-to-face, anyway, because you don't have that real-time feedback loop. That's what I'd be asking for if they're happy to provide it.

* I've had experiences with frustrating teachers also and like, honestly, it's not worth working yourself up about it too much. I know that's easy for me to say now that I'm out of high school, and I did get frustrated throughout VCE, but in hindsight it's just not worth your time. Teacher not giving you what you view to be sufficient feedback? Sweet - try talking to them about it, and if that doesn't work, pursue another option. Chat with the other teachers to get their views, get feedback from AN.

* Is there an actual problem? Well yeah, insofar as you're not happy with the situation. For that reason I'd suggest considering the points above. But if you truly think there's an issue with the teaching, you should speak to your VCE Co-ordinator or equivalent to voice your concerns (in a respectful manner).

[dashnog]

By the sounds of things, this teacher doesn't seem to understand what exactly you're trying to achieve, whether they just simply don't care enough or they misunderstand. Please confront them about it and explain the struggles which you have. If they are unwilling to change or to figure out how to help you succeed and excel, then take the complaint higher to their superior. If there is other faculty teaching the same subject, then converse with them for material, critiques, marks, questions and whatnot instead.
You can't afford to bog down in personal issues, and if that is what is getting in your way, then do what is necessary to resolve the problem. If you aren't feeling like you are learning adequately nor in a good environment to learn, then find the way to resolve it and commit to it.