Learning at school is vital to your success as an adult.
Learning can become difficult when you have a teacher that you dislike.
It can impact how well you learn because you’re focused on how much you dislike your teacher instead.
If you find yourself in a situation where you don’t like your teacher, then you may feel lost and unsure of how to proceed.
Here are 10 ways you can handle the situation if you don’t like your teacher.
I Dislike My Teacher (10 Ways To Handle It)
1. Speak With The Teacher
One of the best ways that you can handle the situation is to speak with the teacher you dislike.
Most problems are solvable when you have rational and clear communication.
You can help the conversation become effective by writing down a list of the topics that you want to discuss.
For example, if you dislike the teacher because they have a wrong impression of you, then write down the things that you believe might be giving them a wrong impression.
For example, if the teacher caught you speaking to another student, but you were asking them to repeat what the teacher had just said, then explain the situation.
Once you explain your behavior, you can help them understand your intentions.
If there’s something else you don’t like about the teacher, like the fact that they favor other students, then you can ask them about it.
However, this type of problem is usually best handled by a superior.
It’s more likely that the teacher will deny your claims.
The most important part of having a conversation with your teacher is to keep it impersonal.
You’re discussing the problem at hand and looking for a solution to it.
When you’re rational, you can have great and effective conversations.
Even if the teacher doesn’t remain rational, if you do, then you’re being the adult.
Try to speak with your teacher to determine the root cause of your dislike and see if there’s a solution for it.
2. Write A Letter Or Note
Another way that you can handle the situation is to write your teacher a letter or note.
This is a better solution for those who are very shy or feel frightened of their teacher.
Writing a letter to your teacher can be helpful since it tells them your thoughts and feelings.
You should be open and honest in your letter about the problems you’re facing in their class.
If the problem rests with the teacher only, then you should write about how those certain aspects of the teacher make it difficult for you to learn.
A teacher’s sole duty is to educate their students.
When they learn that some of their own choices and behaviors are affecting a student’s ability to learn, then a good teacher will adapt.
A bad teacher will continue with their negative traits regardless of what their student thinks.
If your teacher doesn’t take your concerns to heart, then it’s time to look for help elsewhere.
Keep in mind that a letter is basically a means of starting a conversation.
Even if you don’t want to speak with your teacher directly, you should expect that they’ll want to discuss your letter in person.
To help take the edge off that conversation, you’ll want to write everything you can in your letter to refer to it later during that conversation.
This can help you stay focused and give you confidence about the topics that you’re bringing up.
Writing a letter to your teacher to discuss the problems you’re having is a great way to get the conversation going.
3. Speak To Another Teacher
While you may dislike one teacher, you may enjoy another one a lot more.
Sometimes you can help yourself by understanding the person that you dislike more.
By learning more about them, you might be able to glean why they may be picking on you or why they act a certain way.
You can get this information from another teacher.
Talk to the other teacher and tell them about the difficulties you’re having with the teacher that you dislike.
If it seems out of character for that person, then the teacher might speak to the other one to see if they’re okay or if there’s anything going on.
They might even have a heart-to-heart with the other teacher, regardless, if they’re worried that their behavior is negatively impacting their students.
The teacher can also help you understand why that particular teacher may be treating you in a certain way.
For example, if you find that the teacher regularly punishes you for talking in class, then the teacher that you enjoy might explain that they do to that everyone.
This can be helpful because it shows that it isn’t personal.
The teacher just doesn’t like it when people talk in their class.
That can then help you change your perspective and perhaps even correct your behavior.
As a result, the relationship between you and the teacher that you dislike can grow.
If the behavior is particularly troublesome, then the teacher that you like might even tell their superiors on your behalf.
They can speak to the principal or even the superintendent.
Then an investigation can begin to determine whether the teacher’s behavior is acceptable or not.
If you’re too nervous or uncertain about speaking to superiors, then going to another teacher is another great step to take.
Speaking with another teacher is a great way to handle disliking another teacher.
4. Speak To The Principal
If you’re having serious problems with a teacher you dislike, then you may feel speaking to the principal is the only solution you can take.
The principal oversees all of the teachers and classes.
They’re responsible for directing the school in the direction that the board approves of.
They’re also the boss of your teachers.
Like any other place, if someone is misbehaving or being unkind, then telling their superior can solve the problem.
Principals are often busy, but you can make an appointment to meet with them.
Principals take such meetings seriously since it’s their job to root out problems.
When meeting with the principal, it’s a good idea to have a list of the problems that you’re experiencing with the teacher.
If you can record any of the instances, then that’s even better.
Having witnesses with you is a great way to prove to the principal that you’re being earnest and honest.
After you meet with the principal, they’ll investigate your accusations.
This usually means that they or another teacher will sit in on the class.
They won’t tell the teacher why other than it is an annual review.
Unfortunately, this sometimes means that the teacher will be on their best behavior.
Some principals might choose to record the class session without a representative there to try and capture the behavior you discussed.
Without a person there, the teacher might forget that they’re under review.
The principal might also speak to other teachers and students to determine if they’ve been experiencing problems, too.
If they find anything, then they’ll take the appropriate steps.
Otherwise, they can suggest alternative methods for handling the situation.
5. Switch Teachers
One thing you may be able to do to handle the situation is to leave the situation entirely.
In most schools, there are a few teachers who teach the same subject.
For example, there are several English teachers who mostly follow the same curriculum.
Larger schools tend to have several teachers instructing the same subject because they have a large number of students.
They can’t fit them all into a single classroom.
This can work to your benefit.
You might be able to join someone else’s class.
In some cases, you may need to switch with another student to keep the classrooms balanced.
However, switching teachers is a great way to handle the situation.
You won’t have to deal with the teacher that you dislike anymore, and you’re both able to walk away from the situation without making it worse.
You can start the transfer process by speaking with your student counselor or principal.
They’ll be able to shift things around on your behalf and make it happen.
Keep in mind that, because shifting classrooms is complex, they might first launch an investigation to determine if there’s a cause.
They don’t want students constantly switching classes just because they don’t like their teacher for a superfluous reason.
If you have a legitimate reason behind disliking your teacher, then they’ll likely help you out.
Switching teachers is a great way to handle a situation in which you dislike your teacher.
6. Switch Classes
You may find yourself in a situation where you can’t switch teachers.
Your school might not have more than one teacher for that particular subject.
The other classrooms may be too full to fit you.
In that case, another thing you can do to handle the situation is to switch your class.
This is possible if your school provides different tiers of the same subject.
For example, they might have basic English, advanced English, and AP or College English.
If you’re in advanced English, then you might want to consider advancing to AP English or dropping down to basic English.
It may not be perfect since you might not be challenged enough, but it’s better than struggling through an entire year with a teacher you dislike.
The good news is that it’s only for a year.
By the next year, you should have a different group of teachers.
This allows you to return to the original tier of class that you were taking.
If you were in basic English but you switched to advanced or AP English, then you might find yourself feeling like a fish out of water.
However, if you work hard, you can survive the year and return to basic English the following year.
You may even find that you prefer the other tier of class more.
If there aren’t any other classes in your tier available for you to switch into, then you might want to consider switching classes.
Doing so can help you avoid the teacher that you dislike while still advancing your education.
7. Journaling
Another effective way to handle a teacher that you dislike is to journal about it.
Sometimes we can feel frustrated and helpless because we’re bottling a lot of our thoughts and emotions up.
Journaling is a great way to release those emotions and thoughts.
It allows you to get all the feelings you have about the teacher down on paper.
Handwriting a journal is a lot better than typing a journal.
The act of handwriting acts almost like an exercise in a way.
When you’re done journaling, your hand may ache, which makes you feel as though you were productive or accomplished something.
Journaling can also help you gain some perspective.
When you read the journal later, you might realize that the issues you were having with your teacher were actually because of issues you were having elsewhere.
Maybe your parents were fighting and your teacher reminded you of them.
Maybe your teacher represented something that you weren’t comfortable inspecting too closely just yet.
Maybe your teacher was a symbol for a much larger problem that you, as a child, had no way of processing or understanding.
Journaling is great because it allows you to process what you’re thinking and feeling.
It gives you a chance to reflect on those thoughts and feelings and analyze them.
Through analyzing them, you might be able to make some realizations.
With those realizations comes acceptance and an ability to move forward.
One of the best ways to handle a teacher that you dislike is to journal about them.
8. Speak With Friends And Family
When you’re going through a tough time, you need a strong support unit to get through it.
Two of the strongest groups of people who can make up your support unit are your family and friends.
If you’re having a problem with a teacher that you dislike, then you should speak with your friends about it.
You may even find that they’re been having problems with the teacher, too.
This allows you both to release some stress and tension by talking about the situation.
You can feel remarkably better when you realize that you’re not suffering alone.
Your friends might even be able to give you some advice on how to handle the situation.
At the very least, they can provide a healthy distraction to take your mind off of it.
Your family is another great source of emotional support and guidance.
One of your parents may have even been in a similar situation once.
They can tell you how they handled the problem when they were your age.
If the problem is bad enough, then your parents can even go to the teacher or the principal on your behalf.
When parents get involved, the school tends to take notice.
Principals know that angering parents can be very bad for the school.
It can give the school a poor reputation and encourage parents to transfer to another school.
The principal will listen to what your parents have to say and then move forward with their investigations.
If the accusations are dire enough, then your parents might even manage to get the principal to fire or demote the teacher.
Speaking with your friends and family is a healthy way to handle disliking a teacher.
9. Therapy
All schools have a school counselor.
The counselor’s job is to help support the mental health of students in the school.
They’re aware that the school years are a time of great change for students.
They hit puberty and start to experience emotions and hormones that they might not understand or know how to cope with.
Besides mental health, they’re there to help with any number of problems that the student might face.
If you’re having problems with your teacher, then you speak with the counselor about it.
They can give you advice on how to handle the situation in a safe and healthy way.
They can also help you get in touch with a therapist who can further help you.
If what you tell them concerns them, then they might also go to the principal to launch an investigation into the teacher.
School counselors are there to help.
You should take advantage of their services to handle disliking your teacher.
10. Change Perspectives
Depending on the reasons that you dislike your teacher, the only thing you might need to do to handle the situation is to change your perspective.
While things certainly go a lot easier if you and your teacher have a friendly relationship, it isn’t necessary.
You’re there for one reason only: to get an education.
Once the school year finishes, you have what you need from the class and you’re able to move on.
If you can treat the classroom as a business transaction, then you can get through it.
Don’t make it a personal perspective.
Instead, adopt the perspective that you’re a customer and the classroom is the store.
Your teacher is the store clerk.
Whether you have to sit through the class for a few months or the whole school year, if you adopt this type of perspective, then you can get through it.
Conclusion
Disliking your teacher can make learning difficult.
All your focus goes on the teacher rather than what they’re saying.
It’s possible to handle the situation in a healthy way by following the tips above.
