Every student learns differently. Unfortunately, schools do not pay enough attention to this when assigning students to their teachers. Some students retain information and learn more efficiently in a traditional classroom environment with a strict teacher and clear expectations. Others prefer a more laid-back classroom environment with a chill teacher who does not enforce much on their students.
Every student deserves the opportunity to know what their teacher is like before they start a class and choose the teacher who fits their demands rather than being surprised with a random teacher that they cannot change.
When students are placed in a class with a teacher who does not match their needs, it can heavily affect their grade. A student who thrives in a structured environment may feel lost in a laid-back class, while a student who learns better through self-studying and fewer rules may feel overwhelmed in a strict classroom environment.
Freely offering different learning environments to students can help each student perform at their best. It should be the bare minimum for schools to ask students what classroom environment they perform best in.
My best friend in high school, Johnny, struggled in our AP U.S. History class last year because our teacher had a very laid-back approach to teaching. He would only give us one homework assignment a week, would grade our assignments on completion rather than accuracy, and would allow students to talk during lectures, which did not fit Johnny’s preferred learning experience at all.
Moreover, our teacher would not teach us everything that would be on the tests, which would require us to self-study. As a result, Johnny struggled to stay focused and could not retain information as well as he wanted. While most of my classmates, including myself, performed well in this environment, Johnny failed several tests and got a C in the class even though he performs well in his other classes. His experience showed me that some students require more structure to better understand class material.
To solve this problem, schools should let students know how a teacher structures their class before they sign up for it. Students who took the class in previous years with a specific teacher should be able to leave reviews of how the teacher taught the class.
This is also seen in college professors, but it should be offered to high schoolers as well, especially in college-prep schools like mine. Students should also be able to tell their counselors what environment they prefer so that their counselors keep that in mind when creating their schedules.
Schools should prioritize having two differently taught versions of the same class so students have more options and are not surprised when they get to school on the first day, and so they do not realize they are in a class that is not for them.
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