Okay I love english and it takes alot to get me to hate the class but this lady has pushed me over the line!! This year our Jr. english teacher left to move in with her new husband, in her place we got an ex college teacher (this woman is 30 and has worked at 7 different schools what's that tell ya!!). This woman treats like we are 5 but gives us homework like we are in college!!! She gave my class a book for a book report (she insists we do them every 6 weeks!!), every other class got to choose but my class got a book forced on them!! Well this book was to hard to read for me, I didn't understand it so I asked if I could get a different book. You know what she told me? Just try!!! And the test she gave us over this unit was more like a elementary school history test then anything else!! Then when it came to the matching questions she phrased the definitions for words so bad you had no clue what ment what!!! Needless to say I didn't do the book report cause I didn't understand the book (there for you can not make a good report!!)!! And I flunked the test cause of the damned definitions and match up stuff!!! Not to mention some of the questions were about stuff we didn't even cover (what the hell is the Mayflower Compact???). Well now... for the first time in my life... I have a whooping F in english!!

I'm trying to keep up with the homework but I'm still missing assignments and my grade is not going up!!! I'm trying to talk my mom into just letting me go to the learning center for english and do my other classes in school (better yet why not do all classes there cause I hate this school!!!). My mother said she's thinking about it but if she says no what can I do?!

SDRAWKCAB-SDRAWROF

This is going to be a really stupid question, but have you spoken to the teacher about how you feel? I mean not in a way that completely criticises her teaching but like, telling her you're finding this new way of learning difficult?

ScottGem

First, a book report every 6 weeks does not seem out of line. Second, I don't see a problem in assigning a specific book. The teacher is trying to gauge how well you understand the material. And its easier if the whole class is working with the same material.

As for what the MayFlower compact is, that's elementary school history.

I suggest you try to work with the teacher instead of rebelling against her.

Oh, and lose the second line of your signature before we lose it for you.

BiWiccanAndProud

Yes I have talked to her as have many other people cause her teaching methods are too difficult for all of us. And scott she knew how well we understood the material... WE DIDN'T!!! No one in my class understood the book. I asked if I could change that way I could do the report but she wouldn't let me I can't write a report on a book I don't understand. And doing book reports that much is completely unreasonable she's going to make us do one around finals and she gives us like 5 assignments (THAT ARE MORE HISTORY THEN ENGLISH!!) and essays and reports ontop of that! My entire class has jobs so we don't have time for that many book reports! If it was two for the year I'd be fine but this is too much!

donf

BiWiccan,

Let me understand this you are a junior in high school and you don't know what the "Mayflower Compact" is? Shame on you and Shame on your previous History teachers.

Why don't you "Google" the "Mayflower Compact," show some initiative for pity's sake.
If your teacher has taught at the college level, then you are lucky. She's treating the subject matter with the dedication she should.

To much homework? Suck it up and do the work, you might be surprised at what you learn.

Back in my days at high school I learned what homework was. I went to a Catholic High School in the Bronx, NY.

Once accepted to the school, I was given a list of 50 books and told to read any 25 I wanted to and to be prepared to take tests on each of the books I read when school began in the fall.

We were actually tested on the books. Home work would take anywhere from 3.5 to 6 hours a night, more on weekends. We had Irish Christian Brothers and some lay teachers.

My first period was Latin 1. The Brother Dempsey would give us daily suicide quizzes. We would get 10 Latin words a night to memorise, give the derivative English word and it's meaning in both Latin and English. Any part of the word and associated columns were wrong we got 10 shots on each hand with a leather strap nickname "Black Bart" I received a 90 in Latin that year.

I was not able to finish High School at All Hallows which I wish I had, but I was working nights as an Usher at Radio City Music Hall and could not keep up with the work. So at the end of sophomore year I was sent to Theodore Roosevelt Public High School also in the Bronx. They made me a Junior and I graduated six months early. The only class I ever attended was Home Room. I'd check in with the teacher and then tell him that I was needed down in Handicapped Services for the day and he'd excuse me from classes and I spend the day helping the handicapped students and teachers.

Which school do you think actually taught me?

Again I say, suck it up and bust your butt to get the work done. Ask your teacher if do the work on the "Mayflower Compact" if she will still be willing to give you a grade. And apologize for not doing it in the first place!

Tuscany

As a teacher I can tell you that going to your teacher like Scott suggested is a great idea. But, when you go to her have specific questions for her. What about the book do you not understand; is it the language, the plot, or the vocabulary. If the whole class is reading the same book chances are it is built into the curriculum for your grade.

When reading the book keep a piece of paper next to you and write down any questions that you have. Then bring them to her and have her explain them. She might need to see you after school, but that is ok. Work with her instead of against her and you will find English much more enjoyable.

BiWiccanAndProud

It's the way the book is written!! It was the last of the mohicans and I just didn't get it it's too high a reading level for me. I can't make it up now cause it was a while back. And donf I couldn't look it up it was a test she didn't cover it. And this isn't even an english class anymore it's history more then anything! The only thing enlish we have done at all in the las 9 weeks was the book report and learning meanings of suffixes, roots, and prefixes. That's the ONLY english we have done. We've been learning about benjiman franklin, presidents, and a bunch of other people that I learn about in history! We take tests on them not on the actual literature! The only things we've read that had anything to do with writting was Mary Rowlandson (we covered her poetry and the meaning of it).

And Tuscany she doesn't know the curriculum here cause we've never read anything that difficult in any of my classes! We covered Romeo and Juliet in our freshmen year and last year we read Of Mice and Men. Even the other english teachers think she is crazy with how much she assignes us. The teachers aid who helps us during class thinks that her teaching methods are ridiculus!

SDRAWKCAB-SDRAWROF

Ok...as a student of university level english, yes the majority of it is related to history...there is a good reason for this. If you wrote something now, it would be based on what influences you at the time of writing it, thats where the history comes into it. For example, the date at which something was written and where it was set is history. I mean if you are meant to be studying purely english language I could understand, but general english is about time and the way in which authors were affected by things around them.

BiWiccanAndProud

No see that would be okay with me. I understand that but she is asking us questions that I answered on tests in elementary school (like where did the pilgrims land when the first arrived in america?). If she asked us questions about how the writtings influenced us and the writters that would be great to me, but it's like I"m reading a history test. And topping off all my chem homework, my math, and my english I can't do as much homework as she gives us (again I have a job, and I'm bad at math and chem so it takes me hours to do that homework!)

I just want to know what should I do if I can't go to a learning center for my english class instead of staying in her class? I can't keep up with this!

Tuscany

It sounds as if she is giving you background for your next topic. If you are questioning where she is going with it then ask. There are no stupid questions. It also sounds as if she is assuming that you have basic background knowledge in history. The Mayflower compact is a pretty basic concept from the 4th and 5th grade curriculum. Since you are getting older teachers are going to expect you to start thinking a little more critically and not so concretely.