What kind of questions are you afraid to ask a teacher?
- Listen to learn the answers to some common student questions.
- First, try listening without reading the transcript. After that, listen again to check for any words you might’ve missed.
- You’ll also find a quiz at the end!
Transcript:
Have you ever been working with a teacher and found yourself in a difficult situation? Perhaps, they’ve raised their prices and you can’t afford to take classes anymore. Or maybe you feel like you’re not making progress and don’t know how to tell them you want to try something new. In today’s episode, I’ll be addressing some common questions that students are often too afraid to ask. Stay tuned.
So, before we begin. I want to give a bit of background about myself. I’ve been working as an online private English teacher for the past 4 years. So far, I’ve taught over 200 students from around the world. I’ve also taken quite a few private lessons myself, when attempting to learn Hindi, Spanish, and Greek. So, I know how it feels to both be a teacher and a student. The idea behind this episode came from some of the comments I’ve seen on the online discussion forum, Reddit. Specifically, those from students who are unsure of how to bring something up with their teacher and are asking for advice on how to do so. So, I thought I’d pick a few of those posts to share and give you my perspective.
“I want to find a new teacher, what should I do?”
First up, is a question about leaving your teacher. A student says that they’ve taken about 30 lessons with a teacher, but the prices of the classes have increased, and they feel a bit stuck with the lessons. They feel bad for dropping the teacher and don’t know what to say or if they need to give some kind of explanation. They ask, “how do teachers feel when a student stops taking lessons with them?”
Alright, so my take on this is that most private teachers will expect students to come and go. It is just part of the job when you aren’t working for a school or university. However, it really depends on your relationship with the teacher and how long you’ve taken classes with them. For example, if you’ve been using the same teacher for a year and have taken many classes, you probably have a friendlier relationship with them. In that case, things might be a bit more awkward. I’d say, perhaps you could take less lessons with that teacher, but do so sporadically as you transition to another. If you’ve only taken a few classes with the teacher, no explanation is necessary, and you can safely assume that the teacher will understand that it just isn’t a good match.
Be realistic when planning with your teacher. Do you have time for homework? Do you have the energy to take 3 classes every week? Be honest with yourself.
One thing I will say though is that it is very important to be clear and direct when planning with your teacher. If you’re telling them that you plan to take multiple classes for several months, they will likely start writing lessons and gathering material for you. If you have no intention of actually booking those classes, it wastes a lot of the teacher’s time, so it is better to only commit to what is realistic for you.
“My teacher often goes over the lesson time, should I say something?”
Ok, so the next post talks about a lesson running over time. The student says that their teacher often continues to teach past the end of the lesson time. They say that the teacher usually ends up teaching 10 to 15 minutes extra, and they don’t know if it is rude to end the lesson or if they should pay the teacher extra for going overtime. They ask, “is it rude for me to stop the lesson and tell my teacher that I need to go?”
So, as a teacher, I must say, timing a lesson is incredibly difficult. You may have an exercise that you think will take 10 minutes to complete, but in reality it takes 30. Or on the other hand, you may think a task will take up the majority of the lesson, and it is completed within a few minutes. That being said, I believe there is a way to approach this without being rude or feeling like you’re taking advantage of your instructor.
In the case that you have plans after the lesson and need to finish on time, the best thing to do is state that at the start of the lesson. Simply saying “by the way, I have a dinner to go to right after this, so I might have to leave early” is enough. This lets your teacher know in advance and allows them to plan the lesson accordingly.
60-minute lessons work for most students.
In the case that the teacher is going overtime, and you’re happy to have the extra instruction, then you can simply thank your teacher and go with it. Usually this happens at the end of lessons when there is a focus on language production, or speaking. It is a struggle for most language teachers to get their students to speak so when we finally get a good conversation going, and we don’t have another student waiting, going an extra 5 minutes or so to finish up isn’t a big problem.
“I’m not happy with my teacher’s style of teaching.”
The next question is about what to do if you aren’t happy with how your teacher is …teaching. This Reddit user complains that their teacher is not using the target language enough in class and not correcting their mistakes. They ask, “how do I go about communicating this with my teacher without seeming rude?”
This one is a bit tough. I’d say if you only have a few small problems with your teacher’s method, then it’s worth reminding them during the lesson. Simply saying, “could you write that down for me?” or “can you send me your notes?” Sometimes, while you’re teaching, you might simply forget, or you may think the student understands something clearly and didn’t require any written feedback.
However, in this specific case, I think it would be time to find a new teacher. Speaking as much as possible in the target language and giving feedback are essential parts of any lesson. If a teacher is failing to do so, it’s probably just best to move on.
Communication is key. Before starting lessons, make sure you discuss your goals with your teacher, so that you can plan a program of study together.
I will say that private 1-on-1 lessons are unique because they revolve around the student’s individual needs. So there needs to be open communication between the student and teacher about the goals of the lesson. Keeping in mind that your teacher is a trained professional, they should still be open to new ideas and addressing areas that you may want to focus on. This should be an ongoing conversation between student and teacher. There is nothing rude about saying, “I think I want to focus more on writing for now” or “can you help me find some material to review this grammar point next week?” If your teacher isn’t receptive to that, then you definitely know that you need to find a new one.
“My teacher raised their prices, how much should I be paying?”
Lastly, on my list, is pricing. Some questions I’ve seen are, “what do I do if I can’t afford my teacher’s new prices?”. “Does a teacher’s price reflect their quality?” and “How much should I be paying for lessons?”.
Well, without going into a 1-hour speech about it, teachers in general are underpaid. Like artists, most teacher’s won’t last long if they don’t have a real passion for teaching that goes beyond simply making money. Some factors to consider are the teacher’s home country and cost of living. A teacher working in the U.S. is going to have a far higher cost of living than someone living in a less developed country, and their prices will reflect that.
Other factors are the experience, degrees, and certifications of the teacher. As a teacher develops in their career, their rates will slowly rise to match their qualifications. Good teachers always remain students themselves, and will be attending courses, seminars, and conferences to develop their own skills. This will cost them not only time, but money. This can also be seen in their prices. Lastly, I’d think about the preparation that is going into your lessons. Is the teacher simply having a chat with you for an hour, or is the lesson much more structured? Are they using a coursebook or are they writing their own unique lesson plans? Teacher’s also must consider how much time they are using on a student before and after their lesson.
In 2022, the average yearly college tuition in the USA was between $10,740 and $27,560. So, a 4 -year degree will usually cost over $100,000.
Ultimately, it is up to the student to decide how much they are willing to spend on their education. Trying out multiple teachers will help you decide what works for you. If you’re in a situation where price has become an issue, and you’ve been regularly taking classes with a teacher for a while, I would advise you let them know. Instead of simply ending your lessons and finding a cheaper instructor, they might be willing to work with you to make things more affordable if you’re having some economic difficulties.
