Meeting new teachers and taking new classes are two of the greatest challenges you will face in middle school. Depending on your school’s schedule you might change classes and teachers every semester (twice a year). At first you may feel like your teacher, classmates or the curriculum are not a good fit for you. Before you head down to the counselor’s office to request a transfer (change of classes), give yourself and your teacher 2-3 weeks to settle in. Here’s a few questions to think about during the first weeks of school that will help you decide if your classes are a good fit or if you should consider transferring to a new class.
1. Does your learning style match your teacher’s style of instruction?
If class time is spent discussing ideas and you learn best by writing information or by seeing it presented in pictures or diagrams, than transferring to another class where the teacher presents information in a more visual way might be a better match for you. The opposite may also be true.
- People learn in a variety of ways.
- Think about how to use your strengths when your teacher’s style is not a perfect match for your preferred learning style.
- Drawing pictures to illustrate ideas helps visual learners remember information. Using an audio recorder may assist audio learners.
- While writing down key phrases during class helps read/write learners.
2. Do you feel challenged or overwhelmed by the homework, tests and projects in any of your classes?
- Feeling challenged means the homework, tests and projects require you to think in order to learn.
- Having challenging courses is good. Remember, you are in school to learn new information. Hang in there and your effort will be rewarded.
- Feeling overwhelmed, on the other hand, happens when you have given your best effort and you still don’t understand the material, or continually score low on projects, tests and homework.
- Feeling overwhelmed or stressed is not good for your mind or body.
A word about tutors. Visiting a tutor occasionally can be a wonderful opportunity to review or relearn challenging information. If you need a tutor every week in order to complete homework and study for tests this may be a sign that the class is too challenging for you right now.
3. Does your teacher keep the class engaged and focused or does the class seem out-of-control?
Engaged and focused means people are participating in a way that shows interest and respect for the teacher and classmates. Out-of-control classes make learning more difficult for you because teachers tend to spend more time trying to control behavior and less time on learning activities. In the end, you lose out.
4. Do you leave class each day knowing what your homework assignments are and how to get started? Writing down assignments and due dates is your responsibility; however, your teacher should provide you with opportunities to practice what you will be doing for homework and what you will be tested on. Homework should give you the chance to practice what you learned in class.
5. Are your classmates encouraging or distracting?
- You have the right to learn, as do your classmates. If your classmates become distracting to the point where you find it difficult to stay focused, it’s definitely time to talk with your teacher about your concerns.
- Often changing your seat in the room helps to cut down on distractions. Although sitting in the front row may not be your favorite place to be you may find it easier to concentrate.
- If your classmates continue to be distracting after having spoken to your teacher it may be time to transfer to another class. You do not need to sit in a class everyday where your classmates continually distract you.
Read the follow-up article, "I'm ready to change classes, now what?"
