Since the school year started, I’ve been dealing with a math teacher who really frustrates me. He’s always acting like he’s the most important person, but what’s bothering me the most is that I’ve turned in my homework multiple times, and he keeps giving me a 0/10. This has happened five times now. I even emailed him, and he announced in class that a student (me) ‘aggressively attacked him’ in an email.
The teacher claims he has hundreds of papers to grade and can’t keep track of everything, but missing my homework five times seems ridiculous. He also said being in his class is a ‘great privilege,’ which doesn’t seem true since other teachers are just as good, if not better.
As a teacher, would you find this acceptable? As a principal, what would you do? As a student, how would you react?
I’m considering documenting more incidents and bringing them to the school administration. Any advice on how to handle this?
I’ve been a high school teacher for almost 15 years. It sounds like your teacher might have a bit of an ego, but you have to be careful about how you approach the situation. Anything in all caps is going to make him defensive, and your valid concerns might get ignored because of your tone.
I suggest being polite, even if it’s hard. Schedule a meeting with your school counselor to see if switching classes is an option. When you talk to your counselor, stick to the facts: list the assignments, dates you turned them in, and explain that they haven’t been graded. Stay calm and professional.
@Lilly
I’m generally polite to people who respect me, but I just can’t respect this teacher. I have an A+, I don’t disrupt the class, and I do all my work on time. I’m thinking about talking to a counselor to get moved to a different class.
@Jason
Talking to a counselor is a good idea, but you’re also capable of being polite to your teacher, even if you don’t respect them. It’s a life skill.
@Jason
If you have an A+, why are you so worried about a few missing homework assignments? Also, ‘staring into space’ doesn’t sound like you’re doing good in class, and your teacher probably notices that.
Jason said: @Amanda
I want my grade to be 100%, not 95%. Why settle when I can get a perfect score?
If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t be posting about this in multiple places. It’s okay to admit you’re frustrated, but learning to handle situations like this maturely is important.
Masitsa said:
What exactly did your email to the teacher say?
Yeah, I’d like to see it too. It might help us understand if the teacher read it wrong.
I said something like: ‘I turned in the 2.3-2.5 review twice and it’s still a 0. I also turned in other homework last week. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME this has happened.’ It wasn’t aggressive, just trying to get the point across.
@Jason
I see what you were trying to do, but the caps lock made it sound like a tantrum. Teachers and adults usually don’t respond well to that. You can get your point across better with calm, polite communication. Trust me, it’ll help in the long run.
Jason said: @Rowen
I get your point, but it doesn’t explain why he’s not grading my papers. It feels like he’s either targeting me or just being lazy.
I understand your frustration. Try apologizing for any misunderstanding and ask how you can help resolve the issue. Even if he’s in the wrong, being polite can help de-escalate the situation. If nothing changes after that, consider bringing it to the administration.
@Rowen
He won’t admit he’s wrong. He always makes excuses like waking up at 4:30 AM or having too much work. Apologizing won’t change his grading. I’m already fine with not speaking to him. If things don’t change, I’ll just gather evidence and go to the administration.
@Jason
I get it, but if you want results, you should try to communicate respectfully. You can’t always force someone to change their ways, but you can control how you handle the situation. If it doesn’t work, you can still go to the administration with a clear conscience, knowing you tried your best.
@Emma1
Exactly. If you’ve already tried everything, at least you’ll know you handled it maturely. You don’t want to burn bridges with a teacher because they have more influence than you realize.