Tips for surviving bad classes and/or horrible teachers?

Catherine, I am sooo sorry you are having to deal with this in high school - it's not supposed to happen until college ;-) I remember college lit classes. I did not want to discuss anything about what the author was trying to say - I just wanted to enjoy the darn book!!

I will say this: Based on my experiences, it is teachers who are not confident in themselves, their beliefs, and their opinions who tend to act this way. It sounds like she is one of those. She is possibly in a position she does not belong in, fearing getting exposed .... (I'm probably about to get slammed by a teacher reading this. . . !) So, if you were a teacher, and felt challenged by a bunch of young energetic and intelligent kids, imagine how you would feel!

I had trouble like this with a professor. One called me up after class, after my friend and I tried to engage him in an intellectual class discussion. He threatened to flunk me.

So, the question is this. What do you want? Do you want to learn? Do you want/need a high grade? Do you just want to make it to the end with your sanity intact? It sounds like you already know complaining probably won't work. You could ask to transfer to another class. Or, just grin and bear it. Don't let her kill your love of reading though!!

I do recommend keeping notes and saving all your work in case you need to challenge your grade.

Best of luck!

Kim

Speaking from the perspective of a middle school lit teacher, I don't feel this teacher is teaching in a way that fosters ideas that go beyond the spectrum of her own beliefs. This doesn't foster a very healthy environment to learn in and I can tell your classroom culture is suffering. My advice to you, play by the rules while you are in her class, do your assignments to the best of your ability, and continue to engage in great discussions of the book in class (regardless if she agrees with you).

However, tread carefully, you are allowed to have your own analysis and interpretations of the book and the author's meaning. Just make sure if you write about these for assignments, be sure to provide clear evidence from the text that suggests your argument is plausible. If you do this effectively, you will get a good grade regardless of her own personal feelings about the text. If there is textual evidence, your analysis cannot be wrong and you cannot receive a bad grade. Be sure to be respectful and mannerly when engaging in classroom discussions about the text.

Perhaps, be as mannerly and polite as possible around this teacher. As a teacher I can tell you that not every student is mannerly and respectful, it is certainly notable when students are respectful and kind. Even if you disagree with her, as long as you are able to provide evidence from the text or even outside research suggesting your analysis is on-point or plausible -- she cannot say you are wrong (and if she does, then she is wrong).

I'm not going to judge another teacher, remember that she is human too and the way she treats others has a reflection of how she may be feeling on the inside. Perhaps, there have been a lot of students that have been unkind to her or disrespectful, or many something more is going on (beyond the classroom). Remember that society teaches us - and instills within us - an insane amount of gender roles and constant reminders and reinforcements of those gender roles (in media, school, work, social life, television, etc.). She may not have had the opportunity to learn about this in college or otherwise and this is probably why she is reinforcing those roles.

I would say that if your teacher does not provide the intellectual manure you need to grow in your subject, then look for it elsewhere.

There are many resources on the internet, with websites like skillshare, coursera and udemy offering a plethora of courses to help you improve.

Considering you are in high school, some of these would be a bit difficult to follow, in which case feel free to search for youtube videos to help you understand how to analyze something. As a recent college grad, I can relate a little to some of the struggle you must be facing - one time I had to cram for a test primarily by streaming videos for a CS topic using youtube, which helped a lot.

So, don't be disheartened, as this can happen, try to use this chance to inculcate a research habit, and try to use it self-evaluate, and grow further. You could also try group study (which you probably are, just had to mention it though) and you could improve the work of yourself and your fellow students by reading and providing critique of others' work.

I hope this helped.