-- Posted by Muser at 12:04 am on Nov. 18, 2008 We're being taught poetry at the moment, and she refuses to read through the poetry and explain the underlying meanings and metaphors, in fact she refuses to explain anything, she always dances around it. I even tried asking her out of class, and she says she won't attempt to explain because it conflicts with her teaching methods or some bullshit like that, and then suggests that if I do want an explanation I should read some aid notes. I asked where I might find some, her response only to be "oh look around, theres heaps". It pisses me off because shes oh so absolute with her "methods", like they're the best fucking thing on the planet. I have three specific qualms with this situation: Firstly, what the fuck? Secondly, why the fuck is she teaching the HSC? And thirdly, who the fuck employed this incompetent moron? Rant out, oh and suggestions about what I should do? -- Posted by isobel at 12:05 am on Nov. 18, 2008 All my english teachers were absolute morons. And they all hated me. -- Posted by matto at 12:07 am on Nov. 18, 2008 I'm soooo sorry.  Up until this year - my senior year - all of my english teachers in high school have been far short of satisfactory.  Fucking sucked, made me hate English.  But I finally have a guy who knows what he's talking about teaching AP Lit.  Don't let it kill English for you!!! English is awesome!! -- Posted by 9 Volt at 12:09 am on Nov. 18, 2008 Pff. I once had a fatass English teacher who spent 95% of our class time talking about his wife and kids, and silencing class clowns sitting in the back of the class, back in my old shit high school. And he gave us homework and tests as if he explained fucking EVERYTHING. -- Posted by rosebud at 7:34 am on Nov. 18, 2008 teaching poetry to teenagers is almost always an exercise in futility, she has probably tried and tried again and is sick of explaining every single god damn thing for no benefit whatsoever because every novel metaphor is going to confuse you unless you have it explained to you -- Posted by rosebud at 7:35 am on Nov. 18, 2008 i dont bother explaining concept anymore and i've only been an aide for two years, i just tell them what they need to know to answer the question -- Posted by Muser at 12:42 am on Nov. 20, 2008 Thing is though, I asked her a specific question, out of class, and she still couldn't give me an answer. Oh well, I went over it with my tutor this afternoon, and I'm begging to draw meaning from it so I think I'll get by. -- Posted by Birdo at 10:47 pm on Nov. 20, 2008 Most of my English teachers kicked ass. My poetry teacher actually specifically sat there with us to discuss possible metaphors and meanings behind a poem. I guess what you could do is when it comes time to fill out some kind of critical survey about the class for the school district, you could write a bunch of negative stuff about it anonymously. Also, she probably is just heartless and can't understand metaphors and is just an English mechanics teacher as opposed to a Language ARTS teacher. -- Posted by Muser at 9:39 pm on Nov. 21, 2008 I guess what you could do is when it comes time to fill out some kind of critical survey about the class for the school district, you could write a bunch of negative stuff about it anonymously. I go to a private school. In Australia. -- Posted by John Henry at 1:12 am on Dec. 16, 2008 Do you know why I can't write poetry any more? Because since my English class back in my teens, the thought of a class of 13 year olds breaking down, analyzing and tearing apart each sentence clouds my mind and destroys my freedom to escape into a care-free state of mind. I begin to write a sentence, and what should fill my mind? A teacher's voice! "Let's break down this sentence. What do you think the writer was trying to convey here?" I'll always be pissed off about what my teacher engraved in my mind, being a dominantly creative person myself. I am the grown creative result of the opposing method of teaching. I agree with your teacher's methods if they had considered this, and let the word spread.