For many students, their explanation for why they’re struggling in a particular class is some version of, “The teacher doesn’t like me.”
If that’s your reason, you’re facing one of two realities:
1. It’s true.
2. It’s not true and you’re either imagining the conflict or just inventing it as an excuse.
Either way, if you want your situation to change, you’ll need to make some changes yourself.
First, think about the type of student a teacher would enjoy having in class. To get you started, here are some things teachers notice about students. Are you doing all of those things? Every day? If not, get started and I’ll bet your situation changes quickly.
But if you really are doing your best and you genuinely believe that you’ve earned a seemingly permanent spot on your teacher’s bad side, ask if you can chat privately after class. Take responsibility for what you perceive is a conflict, and ask for advice about what you can do to make it better.
“I get the feeling that I haven’t been the kind of student that you enjoy having in your class. If that’s true, I’m really sorry. I was wondering if you have any advice about what I can do to make things better?”
That’s a mature student taking ownership of the problem and responsibility for the solution.