“Can she just please grade our papers already?”
“Why won’t my students stop talking?”
“Eating a stinky bean burrito during a test? Not cool.”
We all have been in these excruciating situations, when that one little action makes us unreasonably agitated. Every Broughton student has their pet peeves, but they also have those small actions that they appreciate. In fact, every Broughton teacher does too, it’s just not always openly discussed.
I decided to investigate what students really want teachers to know and vis-versa. Below is a list of 10 key ideas from both sides. All quotes are anonymous to avoid the whole oh-no-my-teacher-is-calling-me-out-individually scenario.
Hopefully, with a quick walk in the other group’s shoes, teachers and students can better understand each other and coexist in peace for the next two quarters.
Dear Teachers,
1.) One little hole punch goes a long way. “It really bothers me when teachers don’t hole punch papers before passing them out, then get mad as a line of 26 students forms at the hole puncher in the back of the room.”
2.) We’re not the only ones who procrastinate.“It upsets me when teachers wait until the last week of the quarter to put grades into PowerSchool. Then you can’t do anything to improve your grade.”
3.) One-on-one helps. “When they answer my questions and go the extra mile to help me understand, I appreciate it. It’s been really helpful to me when I don’t get something in class, and sometimes one on one, that’s when I get it.”
4.) Let us urinate! “I’ve decided what college I’m going to, I’m a legal adult, but I still can’t go to the bathroom without asking.”
5.) Going over tests >>>. “I appreciate when teachers go over the test after you’ve taken it so you can get feedback and know what you did wrong.”
6.) Tell us a story. ”I like when teachers tell personal stories about their lives. I feel like I get to know them better.”
7.) Just call on me already… “When you’re the only person who knows the answer, then you raise your hand to say the answer, but they don’t call on you because you’ve already answered.”
8.) …But not if my hand isn’t raised. “I appreciate when teachers call on me when my hand is raised, but I don’t like when they call on me and it wasn’t raised. Like my hand wasn’t raised for a reason.”
9.) We like to feel validated. “I love when teachers write very supportive comments. It makes my little heart sing.”
10.) Shoutout to quick graders. “Fast graders. I love fast graders. You can see how your grade is altering and either improve it or retain it.”

Dear Students,
1.) Don’t ask for extra credit when you didn’t do your work in the first place. “It irks me because students expect to get extra credit when they didn’t fulfill the required requirements.”
2.) We’re your biggest fans. “I like when students invite teachers to things they’re involved in at school. For example, when a student has a part in a play at school and invites us to the play.”
3.) It’s not my fault you have to use a hall pass. “I’m just trying to follow school rules because I’m tryna do what I’m supposed to do. I don’t need attitude.”
5.) Ask deep questions.“I love when I get in-depth question that teach me something I may have never thought about.”
6.) R-E-S-P-E-C-T. “I like in general when students are able to approach teachers in a respectful way about their grades and do so in an emotionally mature way. I also do appreciate good puns.”
7.) We can hear your conversations. “You could be a really good student and then I hear about all the stuff you do on the weekends and it changes my opinion of you. We know what y’all do way more than your parents know because we can hear everything you talk about. We don’t need to hear it.”
9.)Why are you asking me this when it’s on the syllabus? “Read the stupid syllabus.”