Without a doubt, every student has had the experience of having a disheartening relationship with at least one of their teachers. From the classroom environment being unhelpful, to teachers not being able to teach and explain their material in a way that matches the student’s learning style, many students have had negative experiences with their educators that lead to negative consequences.
One of the main reasons why students would want to switch their teachers is because their class or teaching style isn’t adequate for the students’ learning. When a teacher isn’t the right fit for a student, this can lead to grades plummeting for students, especially when it comes to test scores. Having a teacher who genuinely understands the material that they are teaching is crucial for students to do well in their classes, and when this need is not being fulfilled, students feel the consequences.
Many teachers tend to read off of slideshows or presentations and not explain course material in depth, which is inadequate for students, especially those who take upper level STEM classes. This results in students failing tests and quizzes, and receiving D’s and sometimes even E’s which places them at many disadvantages for their future, such as for college applications.
Another reason students look to switch teachers is because they don’t always have a good relationship with said teachers. This is a huge factor as well because when a student doesn’t get along with their educators, this can have a butterfly effect for the student which leads to the same end result of not having enough motivation to do good in the class, ultimately leading to a negative impact on their grades and how good of an education they are receiving.
“I currently have a teacher that I do not get along with whatsoever, and it makes it really hard to concentrate in the class, and makes me stop caring about the class because I cannot make myself care about what my teacher has to say,” sophomore Julianna Cabinillas shared.
Factors like this are something that counselors and administrators should take into perspective before turning away students from being able to switch their teachers, as most of the reasons don’t stem from just a dislike of the educator but of a deeper reason and issue. Having a bad relationship with your teacher can also result in excessive amounts of stress that is not necessary, which should be a dealbreaker when it comes to requesting a teacher switch.
Plenty of students also don’t want to be left with the option of dropping down a class just to get away from their teacher, as the material might be digestible but confusing when an educator isn’t properly teaching the substance of the class. Students shouldn’t have to be cornered with a choice of either suffering in an unstable learning environment and failing or having to drop down to a lower level class when this isn’t an attractive option.
