So, I have this Spanish teacher who isn’t the greatest and I’m afraid it might affect me in the long run. The majority of my classmates have the same issue and half of the time I have no idea what is going on. It’s just horrible. Since she teaches straight from the book, she writes a bunch of stuff on the board and it’s very unorganized to the point where I’m unsure how to take notes. Surely I can try to teach myself, but I don’t even know what we are supposed to be learning. Our homework consists of online fill-in the blanks which are graded like monthly and we do activities from our book which aren’t graded. Recently, we took a quiz which I certainly didn’t do well on and I’m worried because we don’t do enough work for me to raise my grade. How do I deal with this?? I rarely have grades of such low points (B- or C+) and I don’t want it to be like that for the rest of the semester. Also, there’s no extra credit available.
Over the years my own children and friend’s children have had a multitude of Spanish teachers. We joke because all but one have been just horrible! I feel your pain. I had a superintendent of schools tell me that it’s very difficult to hire Spanish teachers because they are in such demand. She said often you even have to settle for ones who can speak the language but have no teaching degree or experience.
When a bad teacher is the case I always first suggest transferring to another section with another teacher if possible. Otherwise, you know the drill - all you can do is go in after school for help/consult, figure out what the teacher wants and study. Good luck.
Ask a lot of questions. When she jumps around in class, raise your hand and politely say you don’t follow how the discussion went from X to Y, and ask her to back up a step. Before a test or quiz, ask what is going to be on it. Certain verbs? Certain vocabulary? Hopefully a theme will emerge. Ask if she is willing to do review sessions before tests or quizzes. Explain you are having trouble taking notes in her class, and ask her to review and comment on your notes to help you stay on track. Always be polite. The endgame is one of two things: eventually she realizes she is not making herself as clear as she could be, she adjusts or focuses how she organizes her lessons, and that shows in the classroom, OR you’ll at least start to understand how she thinks, which means you’ll be able to learn something instead of playing guess or catch up, which leads to higher grades.
If she’s teaching straight from the book, it might be helpful to read and review the chapter in advance of the class. Take your own notes from the book and then try to marry that with what your teacher is reviewing. I also agree with asking questions in class and going to the teacher for help if need be.
Unfortunately bad teachers are a fact of life. You need to find the resources to work around them.
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Mention this situation to your parents.
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Go to the head of the Foreign Language department and discuss the issue. Try to stick to facts.
Say that she teaches straight from the book but that she writes a bunch of stuff on the board and it’s very unorganized to the point where I’m unsure how to take notes. You don’t know what the learning outcomes are. Say that the homework is only graded monthly so you don’t get timely feedback and the activities are not graded at all.
Say that usually you do well in spanish…could they please come and observe the classroom because you are interested in spanish, but don’t think it is being taught effectively.
Alternately go to the Guidance Counselor.
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In class you could say, "Ms. Teacher, I was wondering if you could give us an overview of what we are learning about today. I find I do best if I know the context. "
Hopefully she would say that you will be learning the past tense today or something, starting with regular verbs and also irregular. -
Go to her “office hours” or “extra help” hours and ask for help organizing your notes.
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If none of this works, get your parents involved.
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Like @momofsenior1 says, try to review the next chapter before class so you can have a clue.
@bopper, I agree, with the exception that OP should go over his concerns with his teacher before going to her supervisor. I don’t see whether that has happened yet. If such a meeting happens, and nothing changes within a fairly short but reasonable period of time, then escalate the complaint.
Yes, you are right…