So you have a problem…. Now what?
Despite your best efforts you’ve gotten into a bit of trouble with another student, your advisor, or some other staff member. You are probably wondering what to do now. Here are some sample problems and their solutions to help you.
PROBLEM: You are in a class with one of your friends, something which seemed like a good idea in the beginning, since you could study together, but now you realize you’re talking more than studying and are so distracted in class that you miss whole sections of lectures. You know your grade is going to drop and your parents will freak.
SOLUTION: Tell your friend you need to pay more attention in class or you’ll fail. If they continue to distract you, try sitting in a different part of the room next class period.
PROBLEM: You are positive you are being treated unfairly in a class. Every time someone whispers or passes a note, the teacher blames you. The worst part is, you were in class last year with this teacher and you were rude back then. Now you are older and wiser, but the teacher doesn’t seem to notice.
SOLUTION, STEP 1: Explain to the teacher that you are not misbehaving in class, that you learned your lesson last year. The teacher is still skeptical and tells you that old dogs don’t learn new tricks. Well that didn’t work, so move on to…
STEP 2: Talk to your advisor. Tell them about your problems with this teacher. They may decide to talk to this teacher alone, discuss similar problems with other staff members in search of a solution, or set up a meeting with the teacher, you, and possibly a parent. At this meeting the problem will be discussed and hopefully a consensus will be reached.
PROBLEM: Your advisor is not being a good advocate for you. You tell them about your problem with a teacher (a situation which is not your fault), but they are not interested in helping you fix the situation. They say with your history of trouble-making you are probably being treated in the way you deserve.
SOLUTION: Discuss the situation with your advisor, perhaps even bring your parents in. If this won’t work out the situation, find a teacher who you have a good relationship with and see if you can switch to their counseling group.
PROBLEM: You have been suspended for something that happened outside of school. You don’t think this is fair, since it wasn’t a big offense anyway.
SOLUTION: Depending upon what happened, the principal may be bound by Anchorage School District policies and may not have much flexibility in determining the consequences for your actions. If this isn’t the case, try all the steps above: talk to your advisor, talk to the principal, talk to the school counselor, and as a last resort go through the Grievance process.
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