is my teacher just an *sshole or am i just a normal kid?

X

Xiaxio

Active member
So I'm asking my math teacher for help on something iv never written before let alone learned, all while everybody is screwing around guessing answers. So he's trying to explain how to solve the equation to me, but I just can't remember the steps. (I'm honestly trying to understand and I'm giving him my undivided attention) and every time I say a wrong step he says I'm just guessing and I'm not trying (not true) so I say "I'm sorry I just keep forgetting the steps" and he replies with "all I'm hearing is excuses" So more time goes by dealing with this *sshole, and he gives me more sh*t about it, and he says this just like every other embarrassing thing hes said "do you even understand basic math? I don't get how you have even got this far into highschool, you clearly guessed on everything and somehow magically got this far"
Remind you, he's saying all these things in front of everybody in class.

Is he in the wrong or am I just being dumb? Everybody either gets the material or just doesn't care and won't ask for help, should I really be singled out because I'm the only one to stand up and admit I need help? Sorry for the rant guys! Its just been a long day. :headbang:
 
Good for you in trying. Different people learn in different ways and maybe the way he is trying to teach it to you is not the way you learn.

Try asking him to put the steps to you in a different way. Maybe reading them, having them spoken to you, You writing them down as he goes through them ?

IMHO he is not being a very good teacher from what you have explained. But then again he may be trying as hard as he can but does not know how to reach you.

Don't give up, Stay interested, Let him know you really want to learn it but are just not comprehending the steps. Him calling you out in front of the class is just not right and could be his way of trying to compensate for his frustration in not teaching you correctly.

Maybe have one of the other students that get it or another teacher run you through it and maybe they will say something that flips the switch.

I have had several students that just could not grasp a topic and trying different methods all of a sudden the light goes on.

Don't give up. :thumbsup:

Marc
 
I would speak to the teacher privately and share your concerns, frustrations when you can have a proper conversation.
 
Havard said:
I would speak to the teacher privately and share your concerns, frustrations when you can have a proper conversation.
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Second that.

Also, it might seem like guessing, but when the penny drops and you get it, you will get so much pleasure so don't give up.
 
Good for you for asking, the teacher does not sound very good and possibly trying to stop anyone else asking them questions by embarrassing you.
I had problems with some math problems and did not ask for help, later in life I had to do some exams for work and had a different type of teaching, suddenly all the things I did not understand before became easy. Don't know if it was the teaching or if I was a late developer.
The last 2.5 years before I retired I was a teacher/instructor for trainees and tried hard not to embarrass them in class, asking to see them later on their own if any problems.
 
I detest this attitude to teaching and can empathise because I had a bully of a maths teacher in my schooldays all through secondary school. Maths was always my weakest subject, so I struggled grasping quite a lot of it. The guy we had would skip through the lesson at lightning speed then ask questions at the end and if we didn't get the right answer the punishment would be anything from humiliation to a caning(this was when corporal punishment was allowed and accepted in UK schools), he was one real sadisitic bastard.

The upshot of it all was that I barely scraped through my GCSE maths with a grade 5, but achieved a grade 1 in physics and enginering drawing. Because of this shitbag I developed a fear of maths and struggled with it right through my engineering apprenticeship. With hindsight I - or we - should have tackled him but it just wasn't done back then to criticise a teacher in any way - they were judge, jury and executioner. On the upside, I did hear a few years later that he retired from teaching after being badly beaten up by a dozen school leavers from one class at the end of term. What goes around comes around.

So, go have a word with your teacher and sort the problem out now or you could end up as I did hating and fearing anything to do with maths for the rest of your life. Explain to him why humiliating you could be preventing someone else from asking questions - or maybe he's just a poor teacher and that's what he wants? I sometimes wonder why people like him go into teaching in the first place. My missus is a retired teacher so I had help from her, but even now I hate having anything to do with even paying bills or working out the family finances - I have a number phobia. :D
 
I reckon because of the rest of the class misbehaving and not listening your teacher is probably assuming you are exactly the same.
Teachers have a hard job these days, I know I dont have the patience for it.
 
Get a second opinion.
You can see a Guidance Councillor and request extra help.
Or if that's not available, investigate a tutor.
That includes a Peer Tutor (usually a senior with skills) or a professional that you might have to pay for.
At the school I worked, the Math Dept staffed a Help Room after school.
Any student could drop in for assistance.
You might even consider approaching another math teacher that you have already been successful with.

Hope this helps
It can be a bumpy road sometimes.
 
Don't assume the dumb label. Everyone has difficult subjects of expertise, and teachers need to understand (and many do) that there are a number of ways to teach a subject. My son is going through similar with his degree, but related to Java coding. He has a number of set exercises, and there is an assumption that kids should just pick it up with minimal teaching - in addition all marked exercises have a default solution which you have to meet (really lazy marking...). Any person involved with coding knows there is always more than one solution.

Luckily for my son, I have around 20 years experience of coding, have taught to MSc level, and have around 10 years of Java experience, so have spent a number of evenings on long distance calls explaining the key issues to him. It frustrates the hell out of me that the University doesn't do this through tutorials, especially as he has requested additional help (which isn't available).

Try reaching out for additional help within the school - try your tutors, mentors etc. Also, as others have said, try private tutors - but don't ignore this and hope it all falls into place later.

BTW - learning by steps is a pet hate of mine - its better to understand the principles and solve, rather than learning by rote...
 
Something I know a little about

Teachers are the same as other folk. Some are good some are bad.

Over here teachers are not the same as lecturers, good teachers will have a sound subject knowledge and a raft of strategies to help others develop their learning. Lecturers will usually have much greater subject knowledge and good ones will have a clear method of explaining their reasoning.

The two are not the same. Good lecturers usually make poor teachers because if the learner does not follow the reasoning there is no alternative strategy available.

Cheers, and keep positive.
 
Nictrix said:
Teachers have a hard job these days,
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They work half days and have 6 weeks off in the summer and countless other holidays...hardly a hard job! :lol:

All joking aside though I would imagine its a nightmare nowadays if you are a teacher as at least in the past you could punish the children whereas now the children can run riot and there isn't much you can do about it.
 
I'm currently in lunch right now. When I got to school I went and talked to the principal about what happened. And he said he would talk to the teacher. He also said this isn't the teachers first complaint on him. The principal recommended I talk to one of the other math teachers for help and tutoring (he seems nice) if all else doesn't go well with my teacher I'm just going to transfer to another teachers class. He didn't say anything to me today... :tumbleweed: so I'll see how it goes with the other teacher and tutoring, maybe I'll transfer to his class if all goes well.
 
LeeZ4MR said:
Nictrix said:
Teachers have a hard job these days,
Click to expand...
They work half days and have 6 weeks off in the summer and countless other holidays...hardly a hard job! :lol:

All joking aside though I would imagine its a nightmare nowadays if you are a teacher as at least in the past you could punish the children whereas now the children can run riot and there isn't much you can do about it.
Click to expand...
Pretty much exactly my point. No discipline, the kids can do whatever they want and get away with it. Bring back the belt.
Schools these days are against suspending kids because it makes the school look bad.
Before I started working in schools I used to think teachers had an easy life but the reality is they are hard worked with deadlines and targets to meet. (depending on subject)
Teachers in my school are there from any time between 7.30am and 7pm. Some even come in on holidays to catch up on their work.
 
Don't worry about it, I struggled with maths through school and university. Did a mechanical engineering degree which has a high maths content. I had some awful maths lecturers, maybe it's a generic trait that they have.

I got to grips with it through spending a lot of time in the library reading maths text books to get a different perspective, it worked eventually!
 
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