To whom it may concern,
So, for some reason, I don’t like you very much. It could be the way you answer my question with another question or it could just be that you don’t understand my question to begin with. Or it may be that when I pose a question, you pose the same question back to me, and expect me to know what I am asking. I find it just hilarious that you spend the entire hour on a topic to tell us afterward that we don’t need to know about it. Or, you know, it’s probably because your tests are completely unlike the homework and quizzes that precede. No, it’s definitely when you read our grades out loud in front of the entire classroom and add a closing remark such as “you can do better” or “you’re not studying, are you?” Yes, I know I do not understand the material you present, but does everyone else have to know that I don’t understand it as well? I don’t exactly think so.
So how can this be fixed? Glad you asked. First off, do NOT read grades to the class. This does not help with self-confidence and it is just flat-out embarrassing. Whether someone is proud of a 72 or disappointed with a 94, everyone is different when it comes to standards. In my case, I’m just trying to pass your class. It’s not like I’m not trying, it’s that the way you teach doesn’t click with me. It may click for some people, but my entire row gets 40 percent and lower on some quizzes and exams. RED FLAG. Of course, there are always going to be those stellar students that have never seen anything below a B+ in their lives, but then there are normal people. I work twice as hard in your class than I do in any other class, but the outcome is sub par.
Secondly, change your presentation. There is obviously a divide in the classroom. Half your class doesn’t show up because they find better ways of learning the information on their own. If you just changed your way of teaching, maybe, just maybe, we’ll start understanding it. This class is just for my core, and it is starting to make me doubt that I’m a good student, which I know I am.
Finally, and this probably frustrates me the most, ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS. We ask them because we don’t understand and want to learn. No, repeating my question back to me or saying “what do you think?” doesn’t really prove effective. If you don’t want to just make it easy for me and answer, just at least tell me where I can find the information. And I don’t mean an “in the book” answer. I mean a “page four” or “chapter 21” answer. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.
I hope this constructive criticism helps you in your future, and good luck to you.
Sincerely,
A frustrated student.
