“Dear Aquinas, I have a teacher who rushes through notes in class and doesn’t give us enough time to copy the notes down before moving on. I find myself ending up with sloppy notes which are impossible to read or missing out key information for upcoming tests/quizzes. Other students tried to talk to the teacher about it but nothing has changed. What would you recommend me doing? Should I talk to the teacher again? Find a strategy which allows me to copy the notes down and be able to read them?” Thank you! – Emily Martinez

Dear Emily,

Thank you for reaching out to me. I’m happy to give you some advice! This sounds like a tough situation to be going through. If I were you, I would take the time to go talk to the teacher privately after class or after school. I think a one-on-one conversation might appeal to the teacher more and cause a change. If you don’t think this will work, I would suggest you to see the teacher privately and ask if there is anywhere you could access the notes yourself at home. Teachers often share their powerpoints with their students, so I think this might be a solid possibility for you. In the case that the teacher doesn’t have materials for you outside of class, I would simply pay close attention in class and later, do personal research at home. I would suggest watching a couple YouTube videos, maybe even read something that will help you learn the topic yourself at home. You can take notes based on your own research, and for tests/quizzes, you can study with other students to combine your knowledge.

Until the next question,

Aquinas