Hi,
I know this sounds really bad as not all teachers are rubbish - Most are pretty good! I have a excellent out-of-school music teacher. The problem is in school....
My Standard Grade Music teacher is a probationer. The year before we had a really good probationary teacher but now she's left. Anyway, this one is the worst teacher I have ever known! I know she's still learning but I feel as if I could do a better job than her. I have endless evidence to back up her bad teaching methods and she depresses me so much in music that I can't concentrate on my other subjects.
I think she knows that I don't really like her...none of the other people in my class do either.
I really want to complain about her but it would put me in a bad position in the music department. I don't find the head of department easy to talk to and there is no way I can move music class and just avoid the problem. I would like to complain anonimously but I don't think I can. Also, I think I would die if my teacher found out! I have to put up with her for another year (or maybe more!) and it would be so awkward if she knew I complained.
I really don't know what to do. What would anyone else do in my situation? Any help would be really appricated! Thanks.
xx

I've had a similar situation where last year, my music teacher (kind that he is, though...) kept keeping in the whole class because of a few people, and later on, he gave up teaching us. Luckily, the problem was sorted because he called my Head of Year in to have a chat with my class and see how they're doing with the coursework.

So far, so good this year - now people in my class know the coursework deadline is getting ever closer and are now getting on with the coursework. Of course, there are a few people who just mess around every lesson and get no work done.

Not sure if my threads will help, but have a read through this and this thread .

Car Expert

Difficult one. I can see your problem.

Try looking at it a different way. Your teacher is a probationer, and she is probably only too well aware how much she still has to learn. She is faced with a class of teenagers (I presume?) whom she probably realises don't like her. She also knows she is being judged on her skills as a teacher, and she is probably aware that she is not succeeding as well as she should. She might be only too pleased in fact to have a discussion about how the lessons could be improved. Could you all as a class ask if you could have a discussion, and try to reach some consensus as to how the lessons could be improved? If you do this, be aware that it is likely to have a better outcome if you all manage to refrain from saying what your previous teacher used to do!

Option 2 might be for you all as a class to approach your year-group teacher with the problem. He/she will know who is mentoring the probationer and might be able to have a quiet word.

Option 3 - could your parents have a meeting with the probationer (eg to find out how they can support you, what progress you're making, advice on buying a new instrument, or whatever), and use the opportunity to tactfully suggest a few things?


Not sure if any of the above is helpful - hope you get some replies from teachers who might have some better ideas!

I had a similar problem only that the teacher has been teaching too long and has a thing against people that are talented. He picked on those who found music easy and refused to accept our compostions claiming that we had copied them or received help from our private teachers. To cut it short, he was a bully who was power mad and loved nothing more than to see a musician fail. We think he was just intimidated...
We solved the problem by sending my mother (she's evil) to speak to the rector of my school and then sent her with some other parents to the head of education and head of secondary schools. The teacher is now on a "severe" warning and has since bucked up his ideas.

One problem I have noticed with a lot of classroom music teachers is that they graduate from universities tht are purely academic courses. This results in a poor, not very well rounded knowledge of music and hence bad teaching. One teacher I know of had to ask my cello teacher what "D.C al Fine" meant! And she had an honours degree! It just goes to show that if the teacher has not been taught music correctly in the first place, they are not going to be able to teach properly as they haven't got a clue themselves. If their musical knowledge is bad, try and find out what college/university they went to and, if you are going to do music, avoid it!

Due to the fact that your teacher is new to the teaching game they wouldn't get a warning. If you got your parents to drop a word in your headmaster's ear, they may be able to arrange help for the teacher to try and improve their methods. You never know, they may just need that little bit of help!

Since you're doing standard grade, do a search for Liberton High School's website. The music department has set up a large help database with sound clips and tests etc for anyones use. Its quite good when you're not being taught properly or don't quite understand something. Anyhow, good luck with your music and try not to let this teacher demotivate you too much.

Mazz

Thanks all for your help. I don't think anyone else in my class has enought guts to say anything. I might just have to put up with it and hope she leaves at the end of the year

I was going to say, your teacher probably goes home at the end of the day thoroughly depressed and dreading the following day in school.............I remember being a probationer - it is h*ll. You come out of teaching college raring to go but also scared as you don't have your tutors to help anymore and realising it's just you and a class of however many pupils - many of whom don't want to be there, and even with those who do, you're still scared of them.......your memories of school placements and the sheer h*ll you went through are still very fresh in your mind. Some people are just born to be teachers, but for others it's a case of gradually building up their skills and experience and it's a more long-term project.........as for me, I only lasted 2 full terms in the classroom - and I've been happily teaching piano instead for the last 17 years or whatever......(and it wasn't because of any lack of knowledge, by the way, Mazz - I was just not cut out for the riot control! )


By the way, some probationers can be absolutely excellent too - when I was an A level student, we had a probationer and she was amazing!!!! No idea what happened to her after she'd done her probationary year with us, but if she carried on like she was doing, she'd have been a superb teacher somewhere...... )

Hi,
If it really matters, you can get your good music teacher out of school to help you with some of the stuff that the bad one's ment to be teaching you.
Bye