Student VS Teacher

By: Veronica Nguyen

In a classroom setting, every student is accountable for their learning and the result of their grade. Every teacher is required to establish lesson plans, make sure that the class is learning at or near the same space.

It’s like an equation. You need an x and y variable before you can get your answer.

When a student is checking their grade to only find out that they’re failing, there are two sides involved. Is the teacher to blame for not teaching well enough? Or is the student to blame for not giving their all in class?

According to teenlife.ngo, CEO Ricky Lewis states, “In my experience talking and dealing with teachers, they are smart people. They have put in hard work in school and the teaching exam in their state.”

Ricky is expressing how teachers are there to do their job by putting in the grades and have put a lot of effort into their education to help other students with theirs.

However, when a student isn’t on top of their studies, it starts to reflect in their progress reports and even their efforts.

A common stereotype within Asian households is you’re expected to have good grades and nothing lower than an A+. In Teresa Hoang’s case, her mom reacted differently when she was told by Teresa that she was failing math.

“I told my mom I wasn’t doing so well, but she didn’t punish me or anything. However, math is important to her because it helps you to be successful,” said Teresa Hoang.

According to nbcnews.com, 24 year-old Shannen Kim said, “It was always just a given, like work hard now and get into a good college.”

Grades are a big focus in most Asian families because they’re known to be a big part of your identity. Your grades should always range from A+ to A- and anything lower is known as failing.

Not a lot of students build up the courage to tell their parents about them failing a class or classes because they could have a fear of disappointment.

The fear of disappointment can come from expectations given by the parents or family members.

Accepting that you’re failing in a certain subject is one thing, but being judged by your parents and family members is another.

You can be trying your best to show that you’re doing better, but the motivation can easily be lost if the family’s judgment begins to apply pressure on you.

According to the worldbank.org, “For students to learn, they need good teachers-but many education systems pay little attention to what teachers know, what they do in the classroom, and in some cases whether they even show up.”

When a teacher introduces a new lesson or assignment, they might understand it more than the students do consider they’re the ones teaching it. That’s the hard thing about being a teacher, you can’t get everyone to learn at the same pace.

Some aren’t fully confident to ask questions about the topic being taught and some might feel in competition with others if they’re the “only one” that doesn’t fully understand the lesson.

“I would say there’s three components of learning: the teacher, the student, and the material,” said Ms.Abee, a current math teacher here at Yerba Buena High School, “I wouldn’t disregard the teacher from being one of the factors.”

Ms. Abee always gives students a fair amount of chances to raise up their grades before calling parents because she believes there’s always room for improvement. However, if those chances are taken for granted, action needs to be taken.

Oftentimes, a teacher may not know about a student’s struggles until they lay their eyes on the class’s grades.

People in our lives want to see us succeed. We have grades, identity, interests, etc. that represent us.

Hispanic parents came over to the United States to pursue a better life. Therefore, they would want the same for their kids and that’s why they have the high expectations they do.

Melanie Farias, a junior at Yerba Buena High School, stated “I don’t think it’s necessarily the teacher’s or student’s fault. It’s 50/50 because every teacher has a different way of teaching and every student has a different way of learning.”

It’s a known fact that Asian and Hispanic parents share high expectations for their kids. However, in Melanie’s case, her parents tend to be more generous when they see an average grade on the progress report such as a B+ to a C.

Asian parents want the best for their kids just like any other parent would. However, the “best” for their kids can place pressure on them and force them to no longer be motivated towards school.

The teacher’s job comes with stress and so does the student’s.

Based on research done by educationdrive.com, data shows stress levels from teachers being high at the start of the beginning of the school year to lower stress levels towards the end of the school year.

The effort can start decreasing, both for students and teachers throughout the school year. The students will eventually get a grip on how the teacher’s grading works, but the student could stop turning in work for the teacher to grade.

The teacher can go from physically showing visual lessons to just giving out worksheets and not communicate with those who don’t understand the lesson given.

Teachers are given homework and tests to grade, instruct a variety of subjects, etc. Students are expected to be prepared for class, reach certain expectations, and obey rules.

For the teacher, they experience stress by making lesson plans and balancing out their life at school and at home.

For students, they have to live up to expectations given by not only the teacher but their parents as well.