For starters, this is not a representation of all parents and students. For every student that isn’t fond of their teachers, there are three that love them. For every parent that is hyper critical of teachers, there are three that have friendships with them. Setting aside a number of layers that also go into a student’s development (education system as a whole, home life, economic circumstances, and learning disabilities), having a “bad teacher” seems to be a commonly expressed factor in student underperformance.
As a tutor (teacher disguised as a peer), I become a sounding board for families. In some of these conversations students often cast blame onto their past teachers for the low marks in math and/or their lack of understanding of the material. What’s even more unexpected is the frequency I hear this same feedback from their parents. Their surprising willingness to turn a blind eye to the possibility that it was in fact the student’s engagement, attitude, effort, or even ability in the subject area that is the root for the underperformance.
All that being said, let’s be honest - no matter what profession there is always a bad apple here or there. Teachers aren’t perfect and should indeed be held accountable for their end of the bargain. If the lack of execution of their job requirements is evident, then by all means this “poor teaching “ opinion is justified. But just as it’s not productive to encourage blaming coaches or referees for lack of success in sport, blaming a teacher for less than ideal marks in school is missing the more likely root of the problem.
Learning is a choice and it takes more than just showing up and completing tasks. Unfortunately that’s often times all it takes to grab a B/C grade. But rather than admit to a lack of engagement, students will often line up the excuses: “they never said to do this, they only gave me one example, the test was different”. If the assignments/tests are different than expected, we hear the teacher did a poor job preparing them. And with the sympathetic nature of many parents, support of that feedback is common.
But is that really a good representation of learning throughout life. How often are life’s tests really the same as the “study guide”. Being present, doing more than what is asked, asking thoughtful questions. These are the avenues to learning. Putting yourself in uncomfortable situations and challenging yourself to solve a problem with only limited information must be considered in the process. The little things are the big things.
We undermine the impact that parents’ attitudes toward teachers or subject areas have on the student. If we entertain the idea of blame, irrelevance, or good enough, the risks are high. A mentality of complacency, rationalization, and resistance can be fostered in a sponge like mind that can carry over for years to come.
In the end it’s my opinion that teachers (myself included) are not responsible for student performance or quite frankly a student’s learning. What I do feel is our responsibility is to cultivate an academic environment that feels relatable, challenges students, sparks motivation, and invites curiosity. When those things align, I find that the lessons take care of themselves. That said, it takes a willing participant and a guiding force to help steer the ship. So although it’s possible the teacher was “bad”, I’ve found it’s more probable that maybe the student just didn’t buy in. That’s my rant. Thanks for listening.