Trouble with disorganized teacher

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Mc_Jeff
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30 Jan 2008, 10:24 pm

The relevant background info. I'm fairly low on the Aspergers scale, about a 2/10, maybe 2.5/10. My biggest problems with aspergers symptoms are being unable to remember a string of orders (like, if someone assigns me 3 tasks, by the time I've done the first I've forgotten the others), and a complete inability to sort noises out in a place with a lot of background noise - like a classroom with lots of kids talking for example.

So I'm in a drawing class. I'm not a good artist but I'm in a tech school doing computer multimedia and so I need this class as a prereq. And my problem is my teacher. She started off the semester pretty well, but she got stuck with a particularly rowdy class... one of those types who can't resist yelling out some random comment every time anyone says anything, and a bunch who always have their cell phones going off with rap and metal ringtones.

Anyway, the problem is that I'm not getting the assignments. Like, two weeks ago, I thought I heard her say specifically that there would be no homework - so I didn't do any. Then I get in and she told us to hand in our homework. Again, she started out the semester handing us our homework assignments on dittos, but that abruptly stopped.

The class before last, she told us she was through taking late work and would not take another late assignment. So I didn't do the stuff I was missing. Now last class she told everyone to hand in all their makeup work - which I didn't have any of because I thought she told us we couldn't hand it in any longer.

So basically my problem is that I never have any idea what's going on because my teacher is saying one thing one week and demanding something else the next.

Anyone dealt with something like this and have some advice?



Mr_e
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30 Jan 2008, 10:32 pm

Does she have an online webpage concerning what is due when, similar to "www.teacherweb.com" or something like that? These days, most people at my school don't even bother writing anything in their planners unless it's unannounced or a sudden change. They just look up the teacher's page on teacherweb.com. However, if the teacher doesn't have an online homework page, then I would recommend talking to the teacher after class each day. This can be difficult not only in the sense that it's voluntary social interaction that may or not be truly needed but also in the sense that it would be a tacit admission of being unable to pay attention in class. I find though that the easy way to help the teacher overlook this is to show that you actually care about the class and care about learning (hence talking to her).

However, that does involve actually caring about the class. If you don't care, then you better be good at pretending to care.



CityAsylum
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30 Jan 2008, 10:54 pm

Yeah, you should write down what you think the assignment is (or isn't) before you leave class, and either check with her, or with another student to make sure it's right - even if you have to explain that it is a 'special need'.

At least she will know you are trying, and you will probably have a greater degree of accuracy in completing your work. It'll save you a world of trouble!



pineapple
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30 Jan 2008, 11:49 pm

I had a teacher like that. It's frustrating. Check with her after class to make sure you got the assignment right. It's her job to make sure you know what you're doing, and she'll probably think you're conscientious for asking. Or, locate another confused person in the class to ask-- there will probably be more than a few.



wolphin
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31 Jan 2008, 2:08 am

I'm absolutely awful at following read-out-loud directions. When I was diagnosed, I was so bad at that part of the diagnostic test I took that I scored 26th percentile under the category "following oral directions".

The psychologist specifically pointed that out to me and we talked about how that manifests itself in real life (i.e., if someone tells me a sequence of things to do, I have trouble figuring out what I really need to do when)



Mc_Jeff
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11 Feb 2008, 4:47 pm

Thanks guys.

I talked things over with the administration, and the end decision was to switch me into the much quieter and better behaved nighttime class. I'm not crazy about having to eat dinner early and then stay at school til after 10 pm, but it's not too bad.



ddrapayo
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12 Feb 2008, 3:11 pm

I have that problem. Especially in chemistry, when the teacher says no late work, but you need a certain amount of labs to take the regents. My other problem is I lose stuff, so since I bring my laptop to school per my IEP, what I'll do now is if I lose/forget my homework, I'll just pull it up on the computer, and if the teacher wants to collect it, I'll either print it out then or 9th period in resource room depending on what the teacher wants.
I have had some pretty bad teachers, however, I have only had one that I felt didn't understnad me. That would be my 9th grade English teacher. Although it might not be that she has no understanding of disabilities, because some other kids who are NT have had problems with her too.