How should I handle this teacher?

Question

I'm in Year 11 and my second year of GCSEs. I am the academic scholar at my school but have always loved History with a passion. I was always top of the class with my friend throughout my whole time at my school since Year 7. That is, until recently.

Our History teacher mysteriously left and now we have a new teacher. With the old teacher (and the teachers before) I was never less than an A grade, and normally and A*, but this new teacher has started marking me down to grade B/C. My friend who had also been at the top is now grade C/D. I am confused to say the least. I don't know what I've done differently from last year, though I must admit the past teacher was a little over-generous with his marking, but I don't think it was enough to make me three grades above what I am. I spent an hour working on this one question he gave us and used so many quotes (including the Hippocratic Oath in its original Greek with a translation)- I had never worked that hard before. And what happens? He gives me a B/C and says the work is irrelevant. He doesn't say how and I can't understand how it's irrelevant. Only the occasional line is irrelevant but I put those in as extra to show my opinion. I genuinely had to stop myself from crying in the lesson (please don't say I'm melodramatic). But what confuses me the most is how everyone else has stayed at the same grade, and some students have got even higher than they were before.

Also, today at our A-Level choices meeting he asked what I wanted to do when I was older and I said either Historian or History teacher. He looked so confused and surprised that I felt absolutely awful. My father thinks that something weird is going on, as does my friend's mother. We are both intelligent (please don't think I'm being snobbish) and always have been at the top, so we can't understand why we're suddenly down three/four grades.

Can you please suggest what I should do? I want to talk to the teacher and tell him how confused I am, but I don't want to come across as rude. Other people in my class (and even those not in my class) have said it's weird how low my and my friend's marks are now in comparison to before.

Please help because I'm really upset about this! History is the only thing I want to do when I'm older and now it appears I'm suddenly incapable of doing it.

Answer 1

The only way to know is to ask. If you don't feel comfortable asking alone, set up a meeting with your parents, yourself and the teacher and the principal of your school. Not all people that are in teaching positions are teachers. Either your former or present teacher was or is doing something wrong.

Answer 2

I dislike your initial premise that you need to "handle this teacher".

You are the pupil, he is the teacher- believe it or not, and I don't think you want to, he knows much more about history than you do at the moment at least. You seem to think you are entitled to good marks just because you received them previously.

The comment that some of your answer was not relevant really needs taking on board.

I do not think it is for you to argue with your teacher on your premise that you are brilliant and he needs to give you higher marks.

You do sound rather stuck up, and obsessed with marks- are you actually getting all you can from your school in the wider sense?

You will find in real life absolutely no one will care what marks you got in History- whether you can get on with people and are a team player and a decent person will count for far more.

I don't think I would want you in my A level class with your current attitudes.

That is the unpleasant part over.

Ask the person getting the highest marks for advice- compare their answers with yours and learn.

Take an old answer of yours (from the previous teacher) and a new one to an outside (history) tutor and ask for an honest opinion- if he or she feels both answers did deserve a high mark, then you may be justified.

This would be concrete evidence with which to very carefully approach the teacher.

It must be disheartening to suddenly do less well in a subject you like so much, but it may be your ability and aptitude are not what you thought they were.

You are good at many other subjects, so there are other choices.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Yes, it sounds like you don't know what the new teacher's expectations are and would like to know so you can continue to do the high quality work you've always done. Perhaps you can get a neutral third party at your school (a counselor?) to mediate a meeting between you and the teacher.



The teaching and grading styles of teachers vary from one to the next. Normally, after a week or two, students get a handle on what a new teacher expects and adapt. You're probably doing your work according to what the old teacher expected and will have to adjust to what the new teacher wants in his students' work. But you can't know what this is until he meet with him.

Answer 4

Hello from Indiana,



I'm in college now. I went to American public schools so if my advice is irrelevant I'm sorry. I would say your best bet is to just go to the teacher and try to talk it out with him/her. Tell him/her pretty much what you have said in this post. I would hope that a teacher would not discriminate against a student. Does your teacher grade on a curve? Perhaps you're so bright that you leave everyone else behind and if you teacher grades on a curve that could effect everyone else's grade. Try to talk to the teacher and if that doesn't help get your parents to talk to the teacher. If that doesn't work then move up the ladder. Talk to your teachers boss, the school's principle and try to get it worked out. If you putting forth the effort then you're grades should reflect it. You do run the risk of "pissing" your teacher off if you go above his/her head, but you have to do what you have to do.



I hope this helps. I'm a HUGE history buff myself. I visited the UK when I was 9 years-old. I was way too young to value all the incredible stuff I was seeing. I remember we were in this one village and my father (who lived outside of Oxford in the 80's while in the Air Force) said, "You see this wall that runs through this village, that wall was built by Romans." I would die to be able to go back to your country, but I cannot afford it. Times are tough. Just keep your head up and I hope everything works out with your new teacher. Keep your enthusiasm and you'll be just fine.



-Wes

Answer 5

I'm a history major and a junior in college so I understand your love for history. Your assignment is a bit too much though. We don't even do things like that. You don't haw to know dates usually till grad school. Anyways I would speak to your teacher privately or even your principal. I was valedictorian and I don't think you're being snobbish. You just care about your grades. Speak to your teacher and ask what you're doing wrong to him. If that doesn't work talk to your principal or even counselor.

Answer 6

I think you should ask a new teacher why are you getting this kinda grades. Or maybe the way of teaching is different.