Communicating With Your Teachers

Don’t be afraid. Most teachers are nice to you. However, some teachers prefer you to go to the labs for each subject for help. You can email your teacher. You should follow the formal email format. Be polite to your teacher. (Always include thank you in your email). You should set a time to meet with your teacher. Most teachers post their schedule on the class door or on their website, so  you should check it before you email them. If you do not have free block, you can set an appointment during 1st block or after school.

Student B

Having good relationship with your teachers will make your life so much easier. If you have any difficulties in class, talk to your teachers and they will help you to find a solution.
Different teachers have different ways to approach. Some teachers prefer formal emails over face-to-face talk, while some other teachers are the opposite. For instance, when I missed a quiz or test, my English teacher prefers to talk with me to set up a makeup date, while my history teacher always asks me to send her emails.

For emails, you want to be very formal and follow all the rules. Address the teacher with prefixes they prefer, remember to identify yourself, and use “Best regards” rather than “Hugs”. Also, teachers don’t want you to write a long paragraph explaining why you caught (or pretend to?) a cold or why your doctor appointment just HAS to be at the same time of your test. Keep your reason in a sentence and focus more on how you plan to make up for what you missed.

Student C

Some teachers are busy during the school days, so it is better to send him/her an email to make an appointment if you want to talk to your teacher face to face. Also, be sure you check the email every day since some teachers may prefer posting the notifications through the emails. Teachers usually want you to have a clear title for your email so that they could quickly understand what you are trying to say; if you want to write a email to your teacher, a clear title is usually a good start.

Student Y