Mastering High School: Asking Teachers For Help
Most teachers will gladly help you if you just ask.
Like many students, I feel weird, awkward, and guilty when asking teachers for anything. I don’t want to seem rude or disrespectful. I just need help or I’m upset about something and all my problems could go away if I just talk to the teacher. However, I’m scared of receiving the answer “no” or of ruining the connection I have with that teacher. Many students feel this way, and it’s not realistic.
No one wants to come off one of those students that doesn’t do the work the first time and then asks for extra credit. Personally, my primary concern is asking teachers for extra credit or an extra credit assignment when I know they clearly stated they do not do extra credit. I also do not want to waste their time and make them do extra work, especially when I believe that they are secretly hating me in the back of their heads. We all hate asking for help or getting an unfair advantage over other students, but our grade matters and by speaking with the teacher, we could raise our grades.
After all, asking teachers for help can really work in your favor. You might learn something for next time and your problem might go away. Trust me, you will be very surprised. Most teachers do not mind and will help you unless it would be unfair or they can’t. To tell you the truth, even if they do not help you with your situation, you will feel tremendously better afterwards because you will never wonder “what if”.
Most students, who are nervous about asking a teacher for help, are mostly scared of the few teachers that can be very serious and are terrifying. Whenever students need help, they stay clear of those teachers unless they do not have a choice. I am guilty of this, too. However, those teachers are still human, and they might be nicer than you expect. I have definitely seen this first hand. Most of those difficult teachers just have unfriendly personalities, but they are willing to discuss whatever you ask them.
When you consider the benefits and the likely support of the teacher, asking teachers for help is something you should not be afraid to do. They will most likely, if not certainly, help you any way they can. Asking teachers for help is something you will not regret. So, if you ever need help, please ask a teacher.