Dealing with a really bad chemistry teacher.

Chuchoter

I'm in 5th year and my chemistry teacher is really awful. Half the stuff she teaches is totally irrelevant to the course, confusing and the things that are on the course she does not seem to know herself. She keeps doing all the experiments wrong and can't answer basic questions. She'll spend 20 minutes explaining stuff and then says actually sorry girls thats wrong. I can't move teacher, anyone any ideas? :S I'm using the Chemistry live book, which can be very dense and hard to read.

babyoncocaine

I had a similiar experience with one when i was in school as a student there is not much you can do about it,unless she sticks her hand down ur leg or something..:(

Coeurdepirate

crayolastereo wrote: »

I'm in 5th year and my chemistry teacher is really awful. Half the stuff she teaches is totally irrelevant to the course, confusing and the things that are on the course she does not seem to know herself. She keeps doing all the experiments wrong and can't answer basic questions. She'll spend 20 minutes explaining stuff and then says actually sorry girls thats wrong. I can't move teacher, anyone any ideas? :S I'm using the Chemistry live book, which can be very dense and hard to read.

If I went to an all-girls school (and if I were a girl ) I'd genuinely ask if you were in my school. My chemistry does that constantly. It's so sickening.

Jaafa

Join the club my friends. Such is the life of a chem student.

We must endure.

grinds

This might help you out... An Irish site that helps you revise organic, atomic theory and chemical equilibrium.. Not a replacement for a good teacher but might help you out... They are adding more topics all the time: The Big Test

Also try break Chemistry down into topics. Some topics come up every year and are easy enought to get high marks in.
-6 organic chemistry experiment
-Thermochemistry
- Rates of reaction
- Q.3 experiments

The above topics are easy enough and you are guaranteed to get asked a full question on each every year.. That's minimum half your paper in the bag if you know the above topics well

Good luck!

Fad

Rapid Revision Chem is the dog's bóllocks, it covers everything except Bohr's theory really well (It just doesn't quite go into enough detail on the theory).

Experiments aren't hugely useful other than to reinforce colour changes you are suppose to know.

Chemistry Live is fairly easy to read. Read through it, then the Rapid Revision and you'll be flying!

Basically what I'm doing in college now, read the relevant parts of the book (If I have the time), read lecture notes, then make my own notes.

Finally, learn organic chem! It's pretty handy and really really interesting.

grinds

Fad wrote: »

Experiments aren't hugely useful other than to reinforce colour changes you are suppose to know.

Probably the easiet place to gain marks is through knowing the experiments well. You are guaranteed to do welll on Section A and will also pick up alot of experiments that are repeated in section B.

Divide up the experiments into Organic/Titration/Others. Know them inside out. That's going to get you almost half your marks. Then pick up the rest on topics like thermochemistry, rates of reactions, chemical equilibrium etc.

Know the questions that come up every year. Pick one e.g. Organic experiments (6 experiments) and know it well. Move through the course this way and you will do well. Don't dream of trying to read a textbook from cover to cover.. You'll lose motivation very quickly. Pick your topics and become an expert in each one... You probably could do with some guidance from a teacher or tutor but your in control over how well you get on and have loads of time to get on extremely well.. Good luck!

Fad

grinds wrote: »

Probably the easiet place to gain marks is through knowing the experiments well. You are guaranteed to do welll on Section A and will also pick up alot of experiments that are repeated in section B.

Divide up the experiments into Organic/Titration/Others. Know them inside out. That's going to get you almost half your marks. Then pick up the rest on topics like thermochemistry, rates of reactions, chemical equilibrium etc.

Know the questions that come up every year. Pick one e.g. Organic experiments (6 experiments) and know it well. Move through the course this way and you will do well. Don't dream of trying to read a textbook from cover to cover.. You'll lose motivation very quickly. Pick your topics and become an expert in each one... You probably could do with some guidance from a teacher or tutor but your in control over how well you get on and have loads of time to get on extremely well.. Good luck!

I wasn't saying that you dont need to know them, just that doing them wrong in class isn't the end of the world, because LC chem experiments are so painfully simple that you dont actually learn a massive amount through doing them. Still was my favourite part of chem class though!

grinds

Fad wrote: »

I wasn't saying that you dont need to know them, just that doing them wrong in class isn't the end of the world, because LC chem experiments are so painfully simple that you dont actually learn a massive amount through doing them. Still was my favourite part of chem class though!

Apologies! You're right... some of them you don't need to have seen but it does help... Just know a diagram, a few precautions and a simple description on each one.. Also know what to do with the results. Look back at the papers, the experiments are quite similar and the same questions keep popping up

Fad

grinds wrote: »

Apologies! You're right... some of them you don't need to have seen but it does help... Just know a diagram, a few precautions and a simple description on each one.. Also know what to do with the results. Look back at the papers, the experiments are quite similar and the same questions keep popping up

Titrations (A/B and redox) and organic are the absolutely ESSENTIAL ones!

grinds

People tend to focus on the titrations and organic to a huge degree and often forget the remiander. Don't forget q3 comes from the remainding experiments which leaves around 7 experiments. For these experiements you get a guaranteed questions and you will probably use one in Section B. Basically all of the experiments are essential in my experience if you want to score high on the paper. Know them all well and you have around 50%+ of your marks in the bag as they feature quite heavily on Section B in recent years

Fuinseog

crayolastereo wrote: »

I'm in 5th year and my chemistry teacher is really awful. Half the stuff she teaches is totally irrelevant to the course, confusing and the things that are on the course she does not seem to know herself. She keeps doing all the experiments wrong and can't answer basic questions. She'll spend 20 minutes explaining stuff and then says actually sorry girls thats wrong. I can't move teacher, anyone any ideas? :S I'm using the Chemistry live book, which can be very dense and hard to read.

why not work with the teacher as opposed to against her. we all make mistakes. nodody is perfect.
how do you know the material is irrelevant?

Chuchoter

Because she says its not on the course.

I'm all up for a few mistakes, not so much incompetence.

Zhavey

You sound like your in my 5th Year Chemistry class, your not alone. I have the excat same type of teacher.

Maybe its just a thing with chemistry teachers...

Chuchoter

Does anybody know if finding chemical formulas of compounds (ie give the formula for Magnesium chloride) is very important? And also the ones for the transition metals?

rebel10

Listen, if the problem is serious, and many students in your class are feeling the same way, why not just say it to her? Explain nicely that her teaching methods are confusing and often times seem irrelevant. If nothing improves, ask your parents to call into the principal to ask them to speak to the teacher.
I am a teacher, there was a maths teacher a few years ago that got into alot of trouble because two mothers complained that she wasn't teaching the class. That they were unable to do the work. The principal hauled out the teacher and basically warned her that she better improve. In the end, it turns out that when the other students in the girls' class found out, they themselves complained that it wasn't the teachers fault, but the two girls were constantly disrupting class, messing and were generally not interested in learning. The parents removed the students from the school as they could not accept these descriptions of their angels behaviour.

Basically, just make sure that if you complain, that others in your class feel the same and it is justified.