What to do about a bad teacher?!?! (help)

Hi sorry but this will probably be a really long post (really need a bit of a rant). Basically the problems started with my GCSE science teacher who is honest to god the worst teacher I have ever had. She doesn't explain things, when you ask her to go over something she just repeats word for word what she has said. She over complicates things making stuff that should be pretty easy for us (who are a set 1 class) to understand nearly impossible for us to grasp. When the hole class has struggled with something (an often occurrence) or haven't been able to find something online (eg secondary data) she has a stress at us and claims that we just haven't bothered, which granted might be true for some people but definitely not all. She is also the most un-supportive teacher I have ever seen. For example last year we did coursework (which FYI took her over 4 months to mark other teachers got bigger lots of coursework done in 2 weeks) I asked her what I could do to get an extra mark as I was only one of an A. No joke she point blank REFUSED to tell me what I could do yet she went round to people still on C's and dished out the advised claiming that one mark wouldn't make a difference Yet I'm a few month's down the line and oh guess what I Was one mark of an A overall so I guess it would of made a difference. She has even lost people's coursework before!

That's just the problems with HER the way they've handled complaints is appalling over 10 people have complained about her in her year 10 and year 11 classes and the school have done Jack **** about it. One of the girls in my class has complained 4 times about her. Three times it wasn't even her it was her Dad. My Mum has written a letter in but school seem to be avoiding the issue which is her. It isn't what were doing in class at the moment it is the fact she CAN'T teach. Because my Mum complained they let me see one of the other teachers about my current coursework and I spent half a lunch time with her and I understand exactly what I'm doing. Even though it's really good I've got extra help I shouldn't have to give up my free time because my own teacher can't do her job properly.

Sorry for the really long post but just starting year 11 and terrified history will repeat itself, I've had her as my teacher for 3 years and she was my tutor in lower school I am loosing the will to live!!!!

Reply 1

Thomith

10

If the school won't do anything then I would suggest you try and self-teach yourself the course. I personally had a computing teacher that taught us none of the theory so I had to self teach myself everything yet through hard work managed to still get an A. It's possible to do well with a bad teacher you just have to work hard

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Reply 2

thewytches

13

I have the exact same problem. I'm in year 11 now and I couldn't even answer half the questions in a core paper. I used to be good at science, then in year 10 I got my current science teacher, forgot most of the previous information (which is mainly my fault for not revising) and also he failed to teach us additional science properly. I could go on for ages explaining why he's awful. I think the worst thing he's done, except from not teaching us anything, is he gave us coursework a week before the 6 week holidays and expected us to finish it IN A WEEK, we only have 4 lessons a week and we obviously can't take it home. He then said if we haven't done it we have to do it at the end of year 11. Thanks for that sir. I'm still somehow working at a B grade (which is probably down to his inaccurate marking) but I need an A, so just like you, I'm screwed.

I suggest befriending triple science students that already have their a* in biology. Luckily I have a few friends doing triple science so they're going to help me out. I'm also going to revise a lot, read a textbook whenever I'm on a train or something, GCSE POD WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE it has podcasts of each subject and all the topics in it so I listen to those a lot, and PRACTISE PAPERS, even if you can't answer many questions, do it. Then either ask another teacher to mark it or find out the answers yourself and self mark (which is what my teacher usually makes us do out of pure laziness), basically just try and teach yourself the subject, it's a lot easier than it sounds if you start now. I started back in august and I already know p1 c1 and b1, it doesn't sound like much but I seriously know them inside out, I figured if I carry this in by the time exams come I'll be fine. Hopefully this makes you feel better, your post made me feel better as now I know I'm not the only experiencing this disadvantage.

Good luck!

Reply 3

happysmile

18

the tone of your long post certainly doesn't match your username...

Reply 4

thewytches

13

is that good or bad? the wytches are a band by the way

Reply 5

smileyface22

OP

3

Original post by thewytches

I have the exact same problem. I'm in year 11 now and I couldn't even answer half the questions in a core paper. I used to be good at science, then in year 10 I got my current science teacher, forgot most of the previous information (which is mainly my fault for not revising) and also he failed to teach us additional science properly. I could go on for ages explaining why he's awful. I think the worst thing he's done, except from not teaching us anything, is he gave us coursework a week before the 6 week holidays and expected us to finish it IN A WEEK, we only have 4 lessons a week and we obviously can't take it home. He then said if we haven't done it we have to do it at the end of year 11. Thanks for that sir. I'm still somehow working at a B grade (which is probably down to his inaccurate marking) but I need an A, so just like you, I'm screwed.

Good luck!

I sometimes wonder how these teachers get jobs in the first place! do they not think to check they can actually teach. I'm sure my teachers is intelligent enough but honestly I don't think she could of picked a worse profession for her personality. For a start I don't think she can stand teenagers and certainly can't control them. It isn't even like she is an interesting person. Even her voice regardless of what she is saying bores the crap out of me. I can't imagine she enjoys having a dozen complaints about her so really what is she doing in a school. Personally I think teachers need to have some kind of review done at least once a year. But rather than the teachers evaluating them they need to let students have a say caz at the end of the day it's us they have to teach.