Friday, February 10, 2006
Sarcastic Teacher
Dear Guidance Guy,
I have this really mean teacher who is unfair to everyone. She yells at people and calls us stupid by saying "I know why your having trouble, because it requires thinking!" and "Maybe someone SMART can answer this!" when we don't get something. She yells at people for not bringing in their homework even if we never had problems with this before. I need help getting through this year.
Signed,
Desperate
*****
Dear Desperate,
Your teacher may have another side to the story. Some of the students may not be using all of their brain-power or giving their best effort. But she is completely wrong if she is calling people stupid or implying that someone isn't smart.
Teachers are human beings. They get frustrated when students don't understand what's going on. The good teachers have patience. They can explain things in more than one way and they give kids a chance when they are struggling. Good teachers also know that sarcasm - especially mean spritied comments like those - don't make people work harder. They make them want to be somewhere else.
When people are given the message they aren't smart, they start to believe it. And they will act the way that way as well. The good news is that the opposite is true. If people are told they are smart, good, hard workers, etc., they believe that also. And guess what? They act smart, try hard and enjoy learning.
You may not be hearing that from your teacher at the moment, so you will need to believe it yourself. Here's a good start: you were smart enough to ask for help. And you care enough to want to change what's happening. So YOU are smart.
Sometimes I tell kids to talk to the teacher about how they feel. But in this case I'd let your parents, a guidance counselor or principal know what's going on. I don't think you would get far talking directly with her, and another adult should know what's going on. If everything is happening the way you say it is, it's not cool.
Thanks for an important letter,
The Guidance Guy
I have this really mean teacher who is unfair to everyone. She yells at people and calls us stupid by saying "I know why your having trouble, because it requires thinking!" and "Maybe someone SMART can answer this!" when we don't get something. She yells at people for not bringing in their homework even if we never had problems with this before. I need help getting through this year.
Signed,
Desperate
*****
Dear Desperate,
Your teacher may have another side to the story. Some of the students may not be using all of their brain-power or giving their best effort. But she is completely wrong if she is calling people stupid or implying that someone isn't smart.
Teachers are human beings. They get frustrated when students don't understand what's going on. The good teachers have patience. They can explain things in more than one way and they give kids a chance when they are struggling. Good teachers also know that sarcasm - especially mean spritied comments like those - don't make people work harder. They make them want to be somewhere else.
When people are given the message they aren't smart, they start to believe it. And they will act the way that way as well. The good news is that the opposite is true. If people are told they are smart, good, hard workers, etc., they believe that also. And guess what? They act smart, try hard and enjoy learning.
You may not be hearing that from your teacher at the moment, so you will need to believe it yourself. Here's a good start: you were smart enough to ask for help. And you care enough to want to change what's happening. So YOU are smart.
Sometimes I tell kids to talk to the teacher about how they feel. But in this case I'd let your parents, a guidance counselor or principal know what's going on. I don't think you would get far talking directly with her, and another adult should know what's going on. If everything is happening the way you say it is, it's not cool.
Thanks for an important letter,
The Guidance Guy
