In this article, we explore some signs that could show your teacher hates you and what you can do to remedy the situation.
You may not be the teacher’s favorite student, but no one wants the teacher to be indifferent towards them or show outright dislike for them. Sometimes your attitude can cause the teacher to hate you.
If you are ill-disciplined and a nightmare in class, the teacher may hate you, affecting your academic performance and making the class unenjoyable for you.
It can be hard to determine if your teacher hates you. However, there are signs you can look out for to determine if the teacher really hates you.
Signs Your Teacher Hates You
Here are several signs that shows a teacher hates you.
1. Calls On You Constantly
If a teacher constantly calls on you even when you have not raised your hand, they probably hate you. In addition, they may want to embarrass you in front of your classmates if you do not know the answer.
If your teacher hates you, they will call on you constantly, especially when they see you do not know the answers to the question, to embarrass you.
However, constantly calling on you can be a double-edged sword. Sometimes the teacher will constantly call on you to get you to engage more in class.
2. Never Picks You in Class activities.
If you notice your teacher picks everyone in the class but never picks you during class activities even when you raise your hand, it could be a sign the teacher hatesg you and do not want to engage with you in class.
Sometimes this happens if you are a bright student who often challenges the teacher. They will not want to call on you as they are tired of you challenging them, and they may even call you a know-it-all.
It is very discouraging when a teacher refuses to call on you and engage you in class. It may even send you into a cocoon where you do not want to engage with other students and teachers, affecting your performance.
That being said, never being called should not discourage you from engaging with other teachers as most teachers appreciate and encourage students to challenge them in class. On the contrary, it creates a more fun learning environment and gives room for growth.
3. Ignores Your Questions
If a teacher ignores your questions in class and even refuses to acknowledge your presence, it is a clear sign they hate you. A teacher will ignore your questions to avoid engaging with you.
For instance, when I was in college, a professor could not stand one of my friends; every time she raised her hand to ask a question, the professor ignored her.
My friend had to ask someone else to ask questions on her behalf. When someone else asked a question, she could gladly answer. No one knew why she hated my friend, but it was clear as day she hated her.
4. The Teacher Avoids Eye Contact With You
If your teacher hates you, they will avoid eye contact with you when talking to you. Anytime the teacher talks to you, they will not look at you directly and may even talk to you when doing something else, the teacher does not give you their full attention when speaking to you.
It can discourage students when a teacher does not want to engage with them. When you talk to someone, you want their full attention and will not want to engage with someone who will not give you attention.
This will discourage you from engaging in-class activities or even asking questions if you have any.
5. They Talk To You In A Dismissive Tone
One of the tell-tale signs a teacher hates you is if they talk to you in a dismissive tone. Talking to you in a dismissive tone is a sign the teachers do not want to engage with you, and may dismiss you whenever you try to ask a question in class.
A dismissive tone is very discouraging to a student. So, when your teacher dismisses you in class, you will not want to ask questions or raise your hand in class, which will, in turn, affect your performance.
6. They Single You Out
If your teacher helps your classmates but singles you out and does not want to help you, they hate you.
The teacher will always criticize your performance more than those who did worse than you; it is a clear sign they hate you.
Moreover, if the teacher helps other students when they make mistakes and ignores you when you ask for help, they hate you.
Sometimes the teacher will call you out on small mistakes and punish you when they let other students get a pass for the same or worse mistakes.
7. You Get A Lot Of Punishments
One of the signs that your teacher hates you is if they give you more punishments than other students. The teacher will always find something wrong with you, and they will send you home more times than your peers.
Moreover, if you are in elementary school, you will find that the teacher will send you to the principal and ask you to bring your parents more often than other people.
You may also notice you spend more time in detention than your peers because every small thing you do will make them give you a bigger punishment than the mistake warrants.
8. They Are Annoyed With You
If the teacher always seems to be annoyed with you for no reason, they hate you. When you hate someone, everything they do, no matter how minor, will annoy you. So, if your teacher is upset with you, it is a sign they hate you.
So, if you ask a question in class and the teacher seems frustrated, they may hate you. This hate could also manifest if the teacher appears angry when you make simple mistakes.
9. They Laugh At You
According to the Victoria State Government Department of Education, teachers have a duty to protect their students.
If your teacher joins other students to laugh at you when someone is picking on you, they obviously hate you.
A teacher who joins other students to laugh and pick on a student is encouraging the students to pick on their fellow students.
It is unethical for a teacher to encourage bullying in school, and such a teacher may face disciplinary consequences.
While intentionally laughing at you is rare, it could be a sign that a teacher hates you.
10. Unfair Grades
When a teacher hates you, they will try to fail you in their class. You will find that even if you had a perfect delivery and your answers were correct, they will still find a way to deduct points from you.
For instance, sometimes you may have submitted the same assignment as your friend (especially in group discussions), but the teacher will find a way to lower your grades. This will confuse you as you do not know what you did wrong.
The teacher will not be lenient with you even on small mistakes they could overlook in other students’ work. It is quite discouraging to keep getting lower grades when you know you deserve better.
11. They Deny You Bathroom Breaks
When a teacher hates you, they will deny you bathroom breaks even when you do not ask for breaks often. The teacher will permit other students who request bathroom breaks but will deny you when you ask.
Related Readings: Signs your teacher has a crush on you
What To Do If Your Teacher Hates You
When you realize a teacher hates you, you will want to do everything possible to get back into their good graces. If you are wondering what to do if your teacher hates you, here are some tips you can apply.
1. Reflect On Your Behavior
If your teacher hates you, and you do not know why, you should take stock of your past actions and behaviors towards the teacher or in their class.
Ask yourself some hard questions.
- Do I come to class on time?
- Do I turn on my assignments on time?
- Do I participate in class?
- Do I talk back in class?
- Do I pay attention in class?
- Am I disruptive in class?
- Am I performing poorly in their class?
- Am I challenging them?
These questions will help you ascertain why the teacher may hate you. In addition, reflecting on your behavior will help you know what you can do to get the teacher to like you.
2. Approach The Teacher
When you think the teacher hates you, you should approach the teacher and ask them politely what you did. For example, Yvonne Nelson-Reid, Ph.D., says, “My philosophy has always been to teach my kids to work through conflict with healthy communication.”
So, If your teacher hates you, approach them and talk to them politely. They will tell you what you are doing wrong that annoys them and makes them hate you.
We all have different personalities and will not always click with everyone. However, with communication and compromise, you will understand each other.
When you speak your truth respectfully, you will come to a compromise to help you have a better learning experience.
3. Recognize It Is Not About You
Sometimes your teacher may hate you for no reason. If you are sure you have done nothing to warrant your teacher’s hate, cut yourself some slack.
The teacher may be going through personal issues outside of school, which are making them irritable.
Other times the teacher may have some challenges in class that have nothing to do with you, making them grumpy and frustrated. So, it is not always about you.
4. Consider They Are Pushing You For A Reason
Sometimes you may think the teacher hates you because they pick on you and call on you every time in class. However, it would be better to consider why the teacher is doing this apart from hating you.
Sometimes the teacher keeps calling on you to help you participate better in class. For example, if you have a low concentration span, your teacher may keep calling on you to keep you attentive.
Moreover, the teacher may have higher expectations of you and will try to push you hard to realize your potential. You may look back at this and realize the teacher had your best interest at heart.
5. Apologize
If you did something to annoy your teacher or make them frustrated, you should go to them and apologize.
An apology goes a long way. First, the teacher will know you are sorry and willing to amend your ways.
Show the teacher you are willing to do better and offer a sincere apology; the teacher will accept the apology and let go of their hatred for you.
6. Participate More In Class
A teacher may hate you because you do not participate in their class. If the teacher doesn’t like you because you did not participate in class or disrupt class activities, they will like you if you start participating more.
Be more serious in class, participate in class activities, and help your classmates more.
7. Seek Third-Party Support
If your teacher hates you, you should seek third-party support from the school counselor or a trusted teacher. They will help you make sense of the situation and help you how to handle the situation.
If you reach out to the teacher and nothing changes, you may talk to your parents or the principal. Let them know how the issue affects your mental health and performance.
8. Switch Classes
If, even after involving the third parties, you do not get a solution, you can ask to switch classes. Again, it would be best to involve your principal in enabling a smooth transition to another class.
However, this should be a last resort when things don’t improve, even after involving the principal.
Related Readings: Signs Your Teacher Has a Crush on You
Parting Shot
Having a teacher hate you is very discouraging and negatively affects your performance. Many signs will show when a teacher hates you.
Some signs your teacher hates you include; they pick on you, calling on you constantly, ignoring your questions, they talk to you in a dismissive tone, or do not pick you to answer questions at all. Some teachers ignore your questions and even avoid eye contact if they hate you.
Moreover, a teacher who hates you will give you unfairly low grades, will be annoyed with you all the time, and may even deny you bathroom breaks.
If your teacher hates you, you will want to get back to their good graces. You can do many things to achieve this; you can have a conversation with your teacher to understand why they hate you, and you should also reflect on your behavior to know what you could have done that led to the teacher’s hatred towards you.
Moreover, you should apologize to the teacher and try to participate more in class. You can also involve third parties like your parents on principal to help solve the issue. Finally, if all else fails, you can ask to switch classes.
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