Simply being anxious to speak to a teacher is totally okay, but to be afraid is a different story. Students learn valuable things in adjusting to an educator’s particular style, but why are some students afraid of their teachers?
There are students who are naturally difficult and there are also those whose reactions to fear are just an effect of what they see and feel. Studying with a fear of teachers makes them feel uncomfortable and is extremely tough on their part.
Fear is caused by many reasons and teachers are in a more powerful position in this scenario making it extremely important to pinpoint the exact cause of the agitation.
It’s normal for students to feel intimidated by their teachers. However, it can affect their daily activities and halter their progress toward effective learning. The good news is you can help erase this fear.
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>>>You might want to read more about helping students with anxiety? Look at these 12 dynamic tips.
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Why Are Some Students Afraid of Their Teachers?
1) They are pressured by their grades
There are students who get too anxious about their bad grades and worry about what their teacher could tell them, or do to them. Much more if they fail – they think of themselves as failures.
This kind of fear can be due to a lack of preparation or laziness that they dread being blamed and criticized. Cases like this tend to greatly affect overachievers or learners who do not believe in themselves.
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2) Disorganization or feeling overwhelmed
Late or incorrect assignments, cannot stay on task, or often forgetting devices needed for school, are the traits of a disorganized student. This causes them to feel more stress during class hours.
Knowing how frustrating their actions are and the resistance they feel to talking to the teacher for fear of rejection is a type of mental exhaustion that when not remedied can take a toll on the student’s relationship with the teacher.
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3) They are slower to learn
Today’s learners are expected to follow the pace of learning. But when students find themselves slow to cope with fast and modern-based lessons, they get distracted and lose focus.
What happens next is students start to withdraw from the scene, lose the will to participate, and are even hesitant to try for fear of mistakes. They get afraid of not giving out what is expected of them. Little by little, this behavior leads them to be afraid of their teachers, as well.
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4) The teacher is strict and serious
Chances are that the teacher only wants the best for the class. However, being too serious can make one appear horrible and too controlling. As a result, students feel uneasy and discomposed. Students are very sensitive to how teachers treat them, and being very strict is something many if not all learners resent.
Students who are a bit touchy, slack, resistant, and star students dislike strict and serious teachers.
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5) The teacher is a bully
Plain ridicule, shaming in front of classmates, belittling them, or singling someone out for punishment are top reasons why students get frightened. Sarcastic jokes about a child’s work and using racial slurs are also forms of bullying that drive a learner’s interest in school away.
The worst thing is parents may be hesitant to complain about this teacher’s behavior for fear of worsening the situation for the child. This results in the student keeping the problem to deal with by himself.
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6) A teacher yells at them
When someone shouts at you, how would you feel? What effect will it have on you? Questions will start racing on your mind – why does he or she need to shout at me? Have I done something extremely rude?
The same goes for learners. They are in the school to study. Some are even always excited about things for the day. So when a teacher shouts at one of them – it shakes all of their worlds. They may not be directly affected but they too can absorb the torment felt by that student.
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7) The teacher is weird
There are body languages that are bothersome like intense eye contact or a grumpy look. Teachers may unintentionally make students feel uncomfortable, but the gestures are sending the wrong signals.
A weird teacher also tends to have her own world other than teaching so students find them hard to understand too. Even if a teacher’s behavior appears friendly, it’s different when fear is causing trouble in a learner.
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You will enjoy this video about Good Teachers vs Bad Teachers
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Conclusion
A teacher may not be aware of who among the students are in this struggle.
If you realize someone is having issues, figure out at once how to push a friendly and constructive day-to-day correspondence. Go back to your goal of making the learning process interesting and that there is no need to be afraid of teachers.
It may require an extra effort, but the moment you feel the students have started to decompress by speaking up for what they feel rather than keeping it to themselves, you’ll be happy that they have overcome the fear of teachers.
Thank you, teacher. You are always the best!
What are your thoughts? You might have already solved a situation like this? How nice if you could share them with us in the comments.
