School Teachers

Why is a good teacher-pupil relationship important?

It's really important to feel that you've got a good relationship with your teacher because you spend an awful lot of time together. You are at school for seven hours a day and if you're not getting on with your teacher then that's really going to impact how you feel when you get home and when you are going to school each day. You are going to be much more reluctant to go to school at the start of a long day with a teacher that you don't really get on with. It's really important to try to have a good relationship with your teacher and iron out any difficulties that you might have as soon as you can.

What makes a good teacher?

What makes a good teacher covers a whole range of things. A good teacher is obviously someone who will help you learn in the best possible way for you, and will help to give you knowledge about things you might not know about. That's one of the most important things about being a teacher. In order for you to learn effectively, you need to feel comfortable, happy and safe, and to not be thinking about anything else that's going on. You need to be able to focus on what a teacher is trying to teach you. A good teacher is also someone that will talk to you about any of the other difficulties you've got in your life, who will talk to you about how you're feeling about anything that might be getting in the way of you working. All of those things are as important as them trying to teach you the subject that you're going to see them about. A good teacher is someone who is kind, supportive, friendly and approachable.

How does a teacher grade my work?

A teacher should grade your work by looking at what they've asked you and seeing how many points you've scored in your answer. They'll have some guidance about how to give you scores and how to mark you in your work in books that they're given as teachers about how to give you the grades that they've given you. One of the most important things to make a note of is that the mark you receive for your work shouldn't be anything to do with your personality or the relationship you've got with the teacher and if you feel that's becoming an issue you need to talk to someone about it and make sure it's fair.

How much homework should a teacher give out?

Different teachers will give out different amounts of homework. The important thing for you to do is to make sure that you're not taking too much on. If you feel that you're getting too much homework for you to cope with, and that it's taking over your life, you need to communicate that back to your teachers, because what they might not be clear about is how much homework other teachers are giving you as well. You need to make sure that you've got a good balance of home life and school life. Different teachers will give out different amounts of homework and you need to make sure that it's right for you.

What can I do if I think a teacher is giving too much work?

If you feel that a teacher is giving you too much work you really need to talk to somebody about it as soon as you can, don't feel like you're having to drown in homework when you're at home. You're at school for a long time during each day and different teachers will give out different amounts of homework and they might not be aware of how much homework other teachers are giving. And when you talk to them about the amount of homework, or you talk to your parents about, they might give you less homework than they have been giving you because they realize other teachers are giving you a lot too. So just be really open and to communicate with teachers and friends and family about how much homework you can cope with.

How do I complain about a teacher?

There should be ways within your school that you can complain about a teacher if you feel that they're treating you unfairly or in ways that you're not happy with. Most schools have a Head of Year who you can talk to, and if you're not comfortable talking to them, maybe speak to the Deputy Head or Head. The most important thing is that when you're making complaints, you're complaining to someone that you know will listen and take you seriously. Whether that's someone in your school or someone within your family, who can represent you by going to the school, that's up to you. You need to make sure that what you say is going to be taken seriously, and paid attention to, and that changes will be made.

What should I do if I think a teacher is bullying someone?

If you feel that a teacher is bullying someone, it's really important that you speak up. Lots of people that are bullied by teachers don't feel that they can really say, so if you feel strong enough to say that they are bullying, it's important that you act as a champion for other young people. It's important to choose carefully who you talk to about the bullying. Make sure that the person you speak to about it will be independent and will support you, listen to you, take what you say seriously and help to make changes that need to be made to the teacher's behaviour. If you do talk to somebody in your school about how a teacher's behaving, you can ask them to keep it confidential so they won't tell the teacher that it was you that made the complaint. Start the meeting by saying that you'd like it to be confidential and then you can explain what the problem is without worrying it coming back on yourself.

How can I find out who the best teachers are in my school?

I think different people within a school will think their teachers are good for different reasons. So when you start school, you will undoubtly have your favorite teacher, and your favorite teacher might be someone else's worst teacher. The only way to find out really which teachers you're going to get along best with is to go to their lessons and see which teachers you feel that you click with. But your friends will find that the teachers you get on with or they get on with might well be very different depending on the subjects you enjoy, how you like to be taught, and the personalities that you like being with. So that's going to be a decision for you to make when choosing teachers.