Nadira Berman

Meeting with Teachers: How to Take Advantage of the Opportunity

Do you have one class that you dread going to everyday? Do you feel completely lost and confused when it comes to the material? Never fear! Meeting with your teacher may be the solution. If you make the most of the meeting and it goes successfully, you will feel a lot more confident in class.
 

Don’t be afraid

The first step is having the courage to set up a meeting.

Don’t be afraid of your teacher. Don’t worry that they will judge you for understanding so little. They will be happy that you are taking the time to meet with them. It shows that you care about your performance in the class. It makes you seem thorough and responsible. This display of responsibility may even boost your grade a little bit.
 

Go over the material beforehand

Don’t show up to the meeting unprepared. You don’t want to waste any time because you probably won’t have very much of it. Don’t ask about general, broad topics because then your teacher might not actually give you the help that you need. Go through notes and circle the specific topics that were confusing to you. Try to formulate specific questions that you can ask. Make a written list of these questions so you don’t forget any of them.
 

Take notes

During the meeting, go through each question with your teacher, crossing them off as they are answered. Don’t count on your memory alone. Take notes on the answer to each question. They will come in handy when you are studying for a test. Although you may understand a certain concept in the moment right after your teacher explained it, you might forget after a few weeks go by, especially if you had a hard time understanding it in the first place.
 

Don’t give up

I know that it’s tempting, but if you don’t understand something, don’t nod and smile as if you do. Don’t give up! Tell your teacher that you don’t understand. They are there to help you. The meeting is a waste of time if you leave without actually getting help.
 

Say thank you

Saying thank you is important, whether it boosts your grade or not. Tell your teacher how grateful you are. Think how lost you would be without their extra help. You want to maintain a good relationship with them, just in case you need help again.
 

Author

  • Nadira Berman

    As a Summer Marketing Intern, Nadira is excited to help high schoolers prepare for the SAT and ACT. As a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania, she is considering studying economics. In her free time, she reports for the school newspaper and styles photo shoots for the school’s fashion magazine. Besides fashion and journalism, her passions include bagels, smoothies and Netflix.

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