whats the right way to correct an adult?

Question

my algerbra teacher sometimes makes mistakses and whenever he does i raise my hand and say 'excuse me i think u did tht wrong.i think it should be...' but when i correct him like tht he gets really offended and he take pts off of my conduct grade( bc he says tht i distract the entire class when i do tht). should i just not say anything the next time he messes up? bc i dont know a more polite way to tell him

Answer 1

You can correct him after class when everyone else has left.

Answer 2

There's definitely no polite way to do this in front of the class. Put yourself in the teacher's shoes - everyone makes mistakes, and to be corrected in front of the entire class, especially if it's always ONE student doing the correcting, can be quite embarassing.

You might try this, however:

The next time your teacher makes a mistake, copy the problem down exactly as it was presented to the class, so that you'll have a record. Then, find some time alone with the teacher to present the mistake, so that the teacher can let the class know if the solution was incorrect, etc. I had a college professor who constantly had this problem. It was pretty hard, but because her mistakes were large enough and in an area people were pretty familiar with (basic computer programs like word processors, etc.) there were several people bringing corrections to her attention and not just one.

If this doesn't work, and the mistakes are frequent, then log the mistakes as presented to the class while correcting your own work. It may take a while, but this should be presented to a principal, assistant principal or someone with the authority to approach the teacher or reassign someone who can teach the class correctly.

Best of luck!

Answer 3

I think as a student you have the right to learn the correct information. This is for your sake as well as the rest of the class. I had the same situation in college. You know, now that I think of it, almost ALL the professors in the math department had this kind of attitude about being corrected. Maybe it's a math instructor thing *shrugs* I don't know. However, as I'm sure you probably already know, since you seem to be fairly good at algebra, that there can be more than one way to get to the right answer. If your instructor is insistant that it can only be done HIS way, I would suggest talking to him after class, showing him YOUR work and asking him if your calculations are also acceptable on a test if it can be proven that you arrive at the right answer every time. Don't correct the teacher during class. He's right. This IS disruptive. That's not to say you shouldn't ask questions during class, but you need to address your concern in the form of a question, where it shows that you are trying to learn the information, rather than implying that you know more than the instructor. If your instructor has a problem with students asking questions during class, then that's when HE needs an attitude adjustment. If he feels that way, then he shouldn't be teaching, but that's just MY opinion. I've corrected some of my math professor's mistakes as well, but it's usually in the form of "excuse me sir/maam, I didn't get the answer you did. Can you rework that problem for me?" Usually they will look over their work and find where they made the mistake. Or, if they don't or won't rework the problem during class, talk to the instructor after class and show him how YOU did it and ask him if it would be ok to do it that way for a test. I know how frustrating it can be, math instructors tend to be a little anal retentive. If you get no resolution, I would take it to the chair of the math department (if you're in college) or, also, if you're in college, bite your tongue till the end of the semester, and then when they give you your student survey to evaluate the professor at the end of the year, you can let them have it. If you're still in high school and under 18, I would suggest having your parents speak with the principal.

Answer 4

It is not the student's place to "correct a teacher". If you catch an algebra mistake (miscalculation) you could ask the teacher to go over it again for you as you do not see how he reached his answer. The teacher will likely catch his own mistake by reviewing his own work. If not, you could ask him why the answer is as shown, and not "________" Then you are demonstrating an eagerness to learn, an intelligence, without distracting the class or making anyone feel as though you are trying to show off as a "smart@ss".

NEVER say "I think you did it wrong." You aren't there to evaluate his work you are there to learn it. You are also there to learn conduct or you wouldn't be graded on it. Part of this is learning a little diplomacy. No one ever wants to be told they've done anything wrong. School, work, home, socially, or anywhere else. It is always kinder and more diplomatic to ask for further explanation and give the other person a chance to correct themselves. The words you were choosing are judgemental and ill-received. Try not to flat-out tell people they are "wrong"... ...Unless you have a PhD and are teaching a class. :-)

Answer 5

This teacher has a problem. Not just that he's not a good teacher of algerbra, he's a bad teacher all around. People in his postion shud teach behaviour by example and the subject at hand. I would take him to the board of education. If your under 18 then your parents shud do something. If the BOE fails to do anything i'd file a law suite. I had a teacher that used to make mistakes all the time, but he did it on purpose so that a student could point it out. That way he knew who was paying atention and others that didn't notice the mistake could learn where common mistakes could be made. Personaly i think your teacher shud lose his job. this isn't a problem that isn't gonna be resolved by a talk.

Answer 6

Your best approach if you feel the wrong information is being passed is to 'wait' until class has finished for that period and approach him when no one else is within earshot to give this man the respect of privacy and of course yourself if you are indeed wrong.

Rather than excuse me Sir but you are wrong........is not going to benefit you either lol, we are all human and no one is tolerant of being told they are wrong.

So your best idea is to explain that your awareness on this particular point has you confused as you had understood it to be like this... 'whatever it is' and now you have trouble seeing it from this new perspective, could he please explain what it is that you are perceiving to be a misunderstanding. You will get your answer as he is now back in the role of Teacher, by way of you validating his authority on the subject (lol). Then you can share what you do know and get to the bottom.

Also too, sometimes its a good idea to agree to disagree. If you feel you are being legitimately misled (maybe he is not well) you could take it to your parents and ask them to organise a meeting between them you him and the Principal of the school...and clear it up honestly for once and for all. That is when you present the problem of questions distracts classmates. You are there to learn and ask questions that is your job and responsibility to self as a student. He is the Teacher and his responsibility is to his students whom ask questions.

If he is a voluntary teacher on no pay...well you get what you pay for however, I am sure this is not the case, so he also gets paid for answering your questions, I am sure your parents pay the schools fees and he also gets paid by the school.

Harriett Potty

Answer 7

You are learning a valuable lesson. Many times in life you are just in situations that you can't say anything. This is one of them.
Keep quiet in class. But keep track of the mistakes -- and tell your parents. Especially if he puts questions on tests and then only accepts the incorrect answer (which makes the right one wrong ...) Your parents might want to let someone know about their concerns about the way you are being educated.

Answer 8

I used to correct my spelling teacher in 7th & 8th grade that way. He just shrugged. If your teacher is wrong consistently, you might want to make sure someone in charge of him knows he's not doing his job right, but you'd want your parents to be the ones to talk to the management. They'll just think you're being a brat. I understand how frustrating it is when someone who is supposed to be teaching YOU doesn't know the stuff as well as you. I'd skip it at the time, but make sure your parents know what's going on, it'll save your conduct grade, and maybe get more done about it.

Answer 9

There is no polite way. Don't tell him at all. No matter how you tell him, he will always be offended. I mean, you are the student, and HE is the teacher. Just let it go. It's not worth hurting your grade. You know he is wrong and that is all you need to know.

My father corrected a teacher when he was in school and the teacher failed him because of it.

Answer 10

I think with teachers its difficult. Teachers dont like to be corrected in front of other students because it discredits them. Also, makes them look bad.

It is important that they know that what they are teaching you is not correct. But the proper way to handle this is to let it go.

If you let it go, and have proper documentation of what was said in your notes, at test time, you can correct him, on your test paper. Allowing you to have more points, improve the teachers opinion of you and it will be a win-win situation.

But I think that you need to be careful about correcting the teacher in front of the class. Do it after class, or just wait until test time.

Answer 11

If your always trying to correct him in front of the class, because you want to make him look like a tard-then, yes, you do deserve points being taken away. Have you ever thought you were technical in something and people believed you, until someone corrected what you thought you knew? ...it's embarrassing. So, listen hear, you are not being professional calling him out like that, have one on one with him-or else-you know what happens, and don't blame anyone else but yourself for not listening.