My teacher is murdering my self-esteem.

[Luka-chan]

So a lot has been happening to me recently.

My implanon rod has been screwing up so I've had my period for nearly three weeks and my doctor has given me useless medication for it, I've been struggling at school because I've been so worried about my period, I get sick every morning at school and nothing fixes it, and to top it off I missed a psychology SAC to see a psychiatrist about my depression.

 In the past my psychology teacher and I haven't really gotten along, even though it was never my fault.

Every time I speak to her, she looks at me like I'm just a walking piece of scum on the earth. She glares at me when she walks past me and she's just a horrible person towards me.

It's making me feel like I'm just a waste of time.

Today, I'm too sick to even walk around and I'm too scared to ask her if I can go to sick bay because she'll treat me horribly.

What do I do? I don't want to be around her and it's making my school time miserable.

[Julia03]

Hi there

I am studying teaching at university at the moment. If the actions you describe from your psychology teacher are deliberate, then she is ignoring every piece of advice shoved down her throat when she was in university to obtain a teaching licence. That being said, we have been told that any discomfort or awkwardness we put onto our students may be purely accidental - i.e. your teacher may not know she is making you feel this way. Regardless, it needs to stop, because school should be a safe place for everyone and teachers should be at the forefront of this safety. 

I would suggest that you speak to another teacher at the school with whom you feel comfortable and accepted. You don't need to describe to them exactly what has been going on inside your psych classes if you don't want to, but just explain that you have not felt emotionally safe in the class and that you will be speaking to the psych teacher about it yourself. This creates a (hopefully unnecessary) fallback in case your psych teacher does not change her behaviour towards you.

Next, inevitably, you must speak to your psych teacher. If you really don't feel like she will hear you out, or that you are afraid you won't be able to confront her on your own, take another teacher or a parent/guardian with you. But you must keep your head (don't yell or argue - in this situation it will rightly be perceived as childish). Try to be succinct when you discuss your concerns - if she knows she has been treating you this way, she won't need you to dictate examples; if she doesn't realise she has been treating you this way, she will probably ask you for further examples. Writing your concerns on a list will ensure that you don't miss anything you want to address.

You can say "When I see you in the hallways, I feel... Because...", or "When I am in your classes, I feel... Because..."

Ideally, after this conversation her behaviour should change toward you. If it does not, the trusted teacher you spoke to should be able to recommend the next step.

Don't feel like you need to allow this to continue because 'it's easier', or because you are afraid to say something. Life is full of situations requiring you to stand up for yourself and school is a safe practice ground for it. You will feel better and more confident having addressed this.

Let me know how you go, and good luck - not that you need it 🙂