Gabe Karakostantis

WRDS 1103

Section 053

The Bad Teacher

As a wide eyed freshman in 2019, I found myself in the world of high school mathematics with

what might be the worst teacher ever. From the very first day, it was evident that he was not your typical

math teacher. Wearing Hawaiian shirts with one too many buttons undone which might be deemed

questionable according to the school's dress code. His manner of speaking, along with the rude tone and

loud tone made it nearly impossible to learn. The setting for our class was a basic 30 chair room in the

basement of our four story school. With about 30 students filled into the space, we all were about to go

through the worst math class experience ever.

His teaching abilities were low and the reason was because he did not care. Instead of carefully

explaining concepts, he handed out packets and offered minimal assistance. For every unit, he would just

say we are starting a new unit and hand us it. Questions were discouraged unless he sensed confusion, at

which point he would find the students (usually the quiet ones) and would take the opportunity to

embarrass them in front of their peers. One of his most cringeworthy habits was his out loud

announcement of quiz grades. As he distributed papers, he would hit us with phrases like "sheeshhhh" and

"yikes," creating an uncomfortable atmosphere for freshmen like me. On one occasion, my poor quiz

performance got him to say out loud, "Gabe, you are strugglinggggg," ensuring the entire class was aware

of my poor score. While embarrassment became a recurring theme in this math class, karma would soon

catch up to him. Over 100 complaints were filed against him during this semester at the school, me being

one of them.
 Classroom discipline did not exist as students openly vaped in his class and he did not care one

bit. During exams, he would start singing at an ear piercing pitch that disrupted concentration, leaving

students to try to block out his unpleasant tunes while attempting to solve math problems. His wardrobe

consisted of consistently tight clothing and his sporadic dancing sessions took his time rather than helping

students with their work. When we would ask for help, it always came with an eye roll and a sigh, making

us as the students almost feel bad for asking for help Despite his flaws, he managed to create humor in

the classroom at least initially. The random dancing and singing created laughter in the early weeks.

However, the amusement began to thin as these once funny behaviors became repetitive and disruptive.

In the end, my grade in this teacher's math class ended at a mid C, thanks to how he taught the

material to us. However, redemption came when it was time for me to take the state exam, where I earned

an A before the curve, exposing how poorly he taught me compared to the tutor I got when it got close to

finals time. I got the tutor in the final 4th of the year and my grade did go up. More than that, I learned the

material which is how I was able to be successful on my final exam. After the year, my parents were very

aware that it wasn't just me not doing well because of my own fault, but that it was all the teacher's fault.

During the meeting, he was very rude, wouldn't look at my parents, and was late, my parents were in

disbelief. As the year came to an end, so did this teacher's time at the school. With over 100 student

complaints, the administration took action and got him out of there for good and I haven't heard anything

about him since.