So, I’ve always been one of those overachieving students and most teachers seem to like me. However, one of my teachers this year seems to hate me so much and I don’t understand why. I’m not one of those kids who correct teachers or act like “know-it-alls” because I know that most teachers dislike this. So, even if a teacher makes a mistake, I don’t correct them. My teacher this year seems to get mad when I answer questions and tries to ask follow up questions. She does this in a way that makes me feel like she’s interrogating me or trying to get me to answer wrong. She never does this to anyone else. Someone else could answer the most basic question, and she’ll be like “Great Job! I’m so proud”. Granted, this is only the second week of school but do any of you have any similar past experiences?
“So even if a teacher makes a mistake, I don’t correct them.”
Listen to yourself.
I don’t mean to be harsh but you are more on the “know-it-all” spectrum than you realize.
And more than simply being a “know-it-all” your hand up and “follow-up questions” are probably monopolizing the classroom time. Not exactly any teacher’s dream. Or a favorite of other students in the class.
Advice: Put your hand down and google your follow-up questions.
@gouf78, I think you misunderstood. I think the teacher is asking follow-up questions, multiple times in quick succession, in a way that makes OP feel like the teacher is “interrogating them.” It sounds almost antagonistic or mean-spirited, the way OP describes it. That may not be the way the teacher intends it to come across, but that’s how OP is interpreting it.
It could be that the teacher asks more of you because she knows you can answer more. If she doesn’t ask follow up questions maybe she’s not pushing the boundaries of your understanding - maybe she’s just trying to challenge you.
In the long-term it might be good to have a teacher asking more of you and you may be a better student because of it. It would be unusual for a teacher to arbitrarily decide to dislike you, though not impossible of course.
First of all, thank you all for you responses! @gouf78 I’m so sorry that I came across that way. @bodangles is right that the teacher has been asking follow up questions. I never ask questions to challenge teachers or waste class time (I"ve seen others do this and I also find this annoying). Also, I don’t mean “mistake” as in trying to outsmart the teacher. I meant that I don’t correct any spelling errors or small mistakes that teachers make (they’re all human). Others do that in class, but I never ever do that. I’m always very respectful.
Ive had teachers hate me right off the bat, for no apparent reason, but get to know them, and don’t act like a “know it all” and they should begin to like you more.
I was a student who answered things in class last year, and asked the questions nobody around me would ask because we were all scared of him and didn’t understand the information. He blatantly made fun of me in front of the class and everyone said that they felt bad for me that he hated me THAT much. But I didn’t care, I stopped answering any questions and stopped asking them and he stopped making fun of me. If I ever had a question I checked before or after class if he was busy or not and if he could answer a question. Without my questions everyone around me understood less and less but I still got information from him. I get that the situation is different, but as you have already seen what you don’t think they like stop doing it, don’t take it personally, and work around them. You’ll win them over. Or you won’t they won’t affect your future.
A lot of my teachers didn’t like me. Wasn’t that big of a deal.
Sorry random. I misunderstood.
Give it some time.
Maybe since you are capable of answering the questions she just pushes enough to see the limits of your knowledge.
It is a teaching technique.
I would do a few things.
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Talk to a favorite teacher from last year and ask their advice. Don’t tell them who the teacher is, and don’t guess why you think anything is happening, but just describe the behavior. Ask what they suggest you do.
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See if there is info on your school’s website about the teacher and their education. It may be that they are a history teach Science and don’t really know what they are doing. They may be getting mad because they don’t know any more than they just taught.
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Go to the teacher’s office hours and say "Sometimes when I ask a question in class or try to follow up, I get the feeling you are mad at me. Is there another way you would like me to handle questions?
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You may be slowing the class down…the teacher may be moving on and you are dominating the time with questions.
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Talk to your GC about the situation.
The advice my uncle, who was a teacher, gave me and that I pass on to my children is this: “If a teacher hates you, be as nice as you can and do your best to force them to have to give you an A. Nothing annoys a teacher more than having to give an A to a kid they can’t stand.”
On the other hand, if the situation is untenable, please let your parents know. One of my children was being bullied by a teacher when he was in 6th grade. Another student told his mom, who is a teacher. She told us and we were able to get the teacher changed. My son had not said anything to us, except that the teacher refused to recommend him for advanced math in 7th grade. I dealt with that and he ultimately wound up getting through Calc BC. However, I was unaware at the time that he was being bullied.
There is a difference between a teacher trying to push you to your intellectual limit or even using you to educate the rest of the class and bullying you. Since you are concerned enough about this to seek advice on this forum, I suggest letting your parents know so it can be monitored.
I agree with @techmom99 …cuz sometimes it really is the teacher.
I have never seen advice on CC I have disagreed with more. Student participation is one of the key elements in a classroom, and it is why participation is graded.
The solution is very simple. As @bopper suggests, go to the teacher, after class, and ask them. Directly. For example: “Sorry if I am being crazy, but I have the impression I may have offended you or something. Please tell me how I can improve my class participation to be more in line with what you want.”
Most likely result is the teacher laughs and says “I don’t know why you think that, you are fine. I give other kids more praise because they need it”.
Second most likely result is they tell you what they don’t like. Now you can give it to them. Follow up with another meeting a month later to check on the perception of progress.
Least likely result is they won’t answer and nothing changes, in which case there is little you can do beyond your best.
I would say go talk to her. It may not clear up your perception that she doesn’t like you but it may clear her perception of you not liking her. If nothing else you would know that you made a sincere effort, that’s all a good person can offer. We can’t control what other people do, you can be Angelina Jolie with beauty, money, success, intellect, fame and what not but if Brad doesn’t like you any more than it doesn’t matter what you have to offer.
It’s certainly possible you got a loser teacher. There are two in my kids’ (highly regarded) HS. My S16 soldiered through, but I have told guidance staff that in no way can my D19 (with anxiety) have either of them. One is a pervert that is a jerk to the boys and disgusting to the girls. One is a bully who relentlessly picked on the shyest girl in my S16’s class and deliberately killed a bunch of kids’ GPA’s with unreasonable grading. A positive side effect of the second is the shy girl finally stood up for herself and asked for her work to be regraded by the department head, and her grade was changed to an A.
This happens to my son and here’s why. Nobody else talks but him. So the teacher grills him just to keep a conversation going and praises other students for any answer to encourage them to speak up more often.