Classroom environments have a heavy impact on students. Most cases (studies) show that teachers set the classroom tone. 

“If you make a joke he’ll make one back. If you’re not in a good mood, he’ll try to put you in a good mood. He just teaches really well. If you have questions he’ll go deep into explanation to try to help you,” freshman Kaydence Sodder said.

Students are very impacted by their teachers, positively or negatively. Not only academically but also emotionally. Great things can come from teachers while students can feel alienated and isolated by teachers. 

“So then it makes it hard if they’re not motivated to be here, it makes you not motivated to be here, and then the class just is terrible,” Sodder said.

When teachers have something going on in their personal life, they might not have the luxury of being able to take time off. This can affect their teaching and their relationship with their students. 

“I mean, it affects everyone. Everyone has a personal life and people do get frustrated. People do get angry about something, but I do think some teachers will hide it well, but also some teachers just need time off and you can tell,” sophomore Emalee Bake said.

Teachers can not control everything and the best they can do is try their best to accommodate for their students. 

“A good teacher is a teacher who allows students to figure it out a little bit by themselves instead of doing guided stuff the whole time, and doesn’t assign way too much homework and drown their students in work,” sophomore Gabby Abanishe said.

Every student can learn differently. Some can benefit from independent learning, while others do not. 

“A good teacher is someone that is willing to help you and make sure you do good in their class and a bad teacher just talks and wants you to do stuff on your own,” Sodder said.

What might seem to be a great teacher to one student could be a bad teacher to another. Being a “good” or “bad” teacher is sometimes about the right fit between teacher and student. In particular, a match between a teacher’s style and what the specific needs of the student are from a learning perspective at that time. What may not work one year for a student, may work the next year as maturity and personal growth are another factor. Another component of compatibility is around the issue being strict versus leniency.

“I missed a day ’cause I hurt myself in school. I broke my ankle. Normally he doesn’t accept late work. But he was kind enough to help me with my late work when I wasn’t here,” freshman Damontae Bamlat said.

Teachers giving students grace or trying to understand why an assignment wasn’t turned in on time can be beneficial because students’ life circumstances can be hidden.

Some students will not perform as well in a class as they could potentially because they don’t get along with the teacher. This can, in return, be detrimental for these students’ futures.

“F’s, because I wasn’t getting the respect. You got to respect me first if you want me to do what you want me to do my work, so I just didn’t do my work,” Bamlat said.

People will forever be impacted by each and every one of their teachers no matter if they are “good or bad”.

“When people are 60 years old, they wouldn’t appreciate their teachers, but when you really think about it they taught you so much. Because you’re in 12th grade and then  you go to college and after college, you’re done with school, but you learned so much. I’m glad that teachers are a thing,” Bake said.