Packet after packet, typing after typing, it’s too much. I’ve had many wonderful teachers that have taught me and have made me as successful as I am with my grades and my work, without handing me tons of busy work. Some or many students do want to succeed and maybe even get accepted into the college of their dreams. 

Tough Times

During Covid we all experienced figuring school out on our own. Sometimes, we would sit on a zoom call with the teacher on our screen as we completed the work by ourselves, or with the teacher’s voice echoing in the background. Things didn’t seem to make sense at times. The teacher physically couldn’t help you, except explaining it again. So google became everyone’s friend. This made us miss out on so much of our education, so why would we go back to that? 

Throughout my years of school I have experienced the rough patches. The mountains of homework and classwork some teachers give, the dropping of your grades, losing friendships, typical high school dilemmas. That is one thing no “straight A student” will ever want to see, their grades dropping. I have looked at a grade drop from tests I felt so confident on and studied on and felt as though all that time I spent meant nothing. After handing me that packet with barely any context it pushes me toward failing. Failing that upcoming test that I know will cover that topic.

I have also had teachers give me fat stacked packets full of information I didn’t know or barely knew, and just said ‘it’s due tomorrow’.

Some of the time they don’t even teach the subject beforehand because they expect us to figure it out. Google should not have to teach me. It is the teacher’s job to teach us, to go through the work and answer our questions, then set us free. The internet shouldn’t be my teacher, because the internet, as we know, is not reliable. It explains things in a complicated manner, and causes many people to cheat. It will never be the same as person to person teaching. When teachers just hand us a packet, making us figure it out on our own is like giving an iphone to someone who only uses androids with horrible instructions. Teachers and parents will argue it makes us more independent or helps us grow up, but it is only hurting some of us. The student should be able to work at their own pace if they understand it, and if they don’t the teacher should do a quick run through to help them. 

“Two-thirds of teachers believe their school is not meeting the needs of the students who are struggling the most, a new national survey of teachers finds.” Two-Thirds of Teachers Say Schools Are Falling Short for Struggling Learners  Coming from teachers’ own mouths, we aren’t getting the necessities we need. What is school for if the kids who struggle aren’t getting the help they need with their studies? This is something that needs to be fixed so we can work to our full potential, and provide work that will make us successful. We are not asking to be spoon fed.  

Things teachers should be doing 

Teachers all teach differently and all students learn differently. Sometimes the student’s way of learning is different from the way the teacher teaches. As a teacher you should be able to accommodate every student’s needs. Differentiated instruction is exactly what every teacher should be doing. It makes sure that every student learns the way that works best for them and makes sure every student succeeds to their potential. What Is Differentiated Instruction?

Lectures bore us. I will be the first one to tell you, teachers. We understand you are trying to give us all the information but the longer the lecture is, the more people space out and don’t listen. Giving us nothing about the topic is also not helpful because well where do we start? So an engaging class with a little lesson and maybe a little game to help us remember is just perfect, like a cherry on top perfect class. Many teachers call them “mini lessons,” they give a brief easy understanding of a topic. This helps the student know the topic enough so they can build off of it, and can understand work  they are given. Heinemann

Many people including me may be staring at the same page for twenty minutes, trying to understand and comprehend what is on the page. Teachers, if you see this we’re definitely struggling, so check in. I know that some people don’t like to raise their hand in class to ask a question because they might not feel comfortable enough to do so, which is completely understandable. We also understand that you may be busy at times grading, doing work and helping students. But please once you’re not busy can you check in?

I’m not forcing you to quit or get you fired, but if you feel disconnected with this age group you shouldn’t be working with them. 

I know I’m getting older and need to start to be independent but just a little help would be great. It’s the only thing I ask for.