Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Change of teacher--help, please!

As I've mentioned before, I'm going into an honors English class. I met the teacher whom everyone thought would teach that class, and I liked her.

Now, there's a different teacher on my schedule--same class, though--and I don't know ANYTHING about her or her methods. I sent her an email with some questions, but how should I practice self advocacy in this situation? And I know this is a weird question, but will the book I carry into class on the first day make any impression? Thanks in advance.

You might begin by speaking with someone other than the teacher to get the back story.

Example of who you might make an appointment to speak with - If your school assigns guidance counselors, or has a coordinator for gifted/advanced academics, either of these may be an appropriate person to discuss schedule changes with.

Example of back story - was there such high demand for the course that a new section was added? Is the original teacher also teaching a section of this course? If so, you might ask whether a schedule change is possible. If asked for a reason, you might state that your learning style seems compatible with her teaching style. If you are told the original teacher's section is full, you might ask about a waiting list (as there are frequent schedule changes during the first week or so of school, which may free up a seat in that class). If there is a waiting list, once you are added, you might ask what number you are on that list.

Then again, the original teacher may have taken another position, requested a leave of absence, moved out of State, etc.

Be sure to say "Thank you" or "Thank you for your time" and "I appreciate your help/insight/assistance." (Choose any one, or another great fill-in-the-blank word which seems to match the situation.)

That is a GREAT question. Because people are different, there is not one definitive answer. For example, this may depend upon how observant the teacher is. This may also depend on whether the teacher is looking for ready conversation pieces to strike up a friendly ice-breaker type of class discussion. It may also depend upon what else is transpiring that day, which might distract the teacher. That being said, there is a saying that "You don't get a second chance to make a first impression", so I'd suggest bringing the book which might make the best conversation piece with the teacher or other students.

Thanks. I'm probably not going to get out of this class; I've disliked teachers before and dealt with it. But I'll definitely ask why this happened.

You might simply ask "what" happened. For whatever reason, that wording does not seem to put people on the defensive, although simply asking "why" may tend to draw a defensive reaction from some people.

Leading with a question of "what" happened may get a conversation going... it is possible that "why" would be learned during the course of the conversation, or could be asked as a follow-up question. "How" makes a good follow-up question, and you may wish to ask "how" before asking "why".

For example: In the spring I enrolled in XYZ course, taught by Ms. ABC. Now I see my schedule shows XYZ course taught by Ms. CDE. Would you tell me what happened?
Possible follow-up: Could you tell me how that happened?
Possible eventual follow-up: Can you help me understand why that was done that way?
Possible further follow-ups, open-ended questions: Who made the decision?
Would you point me to the policy/practice statement that covers this?
Would you point me to the process for requesting a class schedule change (or switching to another section, or fill-in-the-blank with whatever process you are seeking information about, access to, or transparency of)?
What are next steps?

Sometimes you may only get a deer-in-the-headlights blank stare as a response. Having some paper and a pen or pencil with you, and jotting simple notes such as the date, time, and who you are speaking with may help elicit a more "professional" response.

Remember to stay even keel, not emotional.

One more tip: If your goal is to gather information, to understand what occurred, and to learn whether what occurred is in keeping with policy... then be mindful of the flow of information during your meeting. For example: Are they providing you with information? Or are you getting nervous and spilling your guts? Remember: you don't need to explain yourself. The school needs to explain their process, so that it is transparent. After asking a question, sometimes it helps one to remain in silent expectation of an answer if one poises his/her pen or pencil to jot notes.

Sorry it took me so long to respond. I'm just getting more confused with my schedule...

To make a long story short, my paper schedule has me in web design, which sounds like an amazing class, and algebra is early in the morning. But on my more recent online schedule, I don't have WD at all, while algebra is in the afternoon. I just...don't have a clue what classes I'm actually supposed to take...or if I have enough credits now. We'll probably find out what's really happening on Monday, but this is really dampening my enthusiasm for next year.

It does give you the perfect fit excuse for opening a discussion though.

True.

These are questions which the school should be able to answer definitively.

In the meanwhile, does your school have a list of graduation requirements, prerequisites, etc, posted on the internet (such as on the school website, or district website)? Does your state department of education list high school graduation requirements on its website?

You could make a list of any requirements you find, then match the classes you've taken so far to this list, noting the semester or term in which you took each course. Your list could be handwritten on paper, created as a typed document (for example, Word) or it could be keyed into a spreadsheet (for example, Excel). Then make a copy, in case it becomes helpful to use your work as a discussion aid. (Keep your original. Do not give your original away or leave it with the school/teacher/guidance counselor/gifted coordinator, etc.)

You might also want to make a copy of other documents you may have:
- any list you found showing graduation requirements, prereqs, etc,
- the list of classes you originally requested or enrolled in (your paper schedule),
- your current class schedule (printout of your online schedule).

Having done the research and documented your findings may help you be prepared for your meeting/conversation/discussion: You will have something to compare with what the school tells you. Why is this important?
1) Most schedules are computer generated. It is possible that no person has looked at your schedule to ensure that it creates a path to graduating on time.
2) Some schools/teachers/guidance counselors/gifted coordinators may care about each individual student and take time to help a student optimize his/her schedule, while others just want to clear their "inbox" of tasks.
3) It shows you care and are willing to put in effort to increase your opportunities for success.
4) The earliest requests for schedule changes may be most likely to result in getting the desired class/section and/or getting the student on to the waitlist (to provide a seat in the class/section if another student drops that class/section from his/her schedule).

How large is your school? Smaller schools might be more flexible switching classes, although larger ones may have more sections and teachers.

Do you know what you were supposed to take? Depending on your grade level, most subjects should be fairly certain -- eg, you should already have history in there, although it might be regular rather than honors and you'd need to change those details.

Make a list of what you expected to be signed up for, plus one or two alternates if that's full. Don't bend on core classes; they should have plenty of room.

You also said: It might be my timid personality talking, or differences between individual schools, but this doesn't seem like the best idea. At some schools, upperclassmen can occasionally request a specific teacher or two, but otherwise I think that might give the wrong impression. Just because you don't know the teacher doesn't mean she's not a good teacher; furthermore, school administrators won't admit to hiring a bad teacher, so they wouldn't let you avoid it barring extraordinary conflict.

Lastly, some counselors are too overloaded to listen to what they see as students' complaints, so it might be better to get a parent to ask if they won't budge and you're in completely wrong classes. Your counselor might think you can just be dismissed because of your age, unfortunately. On the author hand, they might think that if your parent asks you're immature, so maybe you can't win. YMMV.