Dear OTR,

I feel like my teacher keeps targeting me. It had been my first day at school, I got lost and was a minute late. They refused to open the door for me until they were done speaking and refused to let anyone open the door either. 5 minutes pass by and they finally open the door and pull me aside to ask why I’m late. I tell them and they say I’m making up excuses and give me detention. Little did I know it was detention until 3:45. I couldn’t attend because I have to go to work and have other obligations. Then they yell at me saying that this class should be my only obligation. When I told them I couldn’t stay after even if I wanted to, the teacher started arguing with me and gave me the cold shoulder. This goes on a few more times because the teacher I have before them often holds me back without giving me a pass. The teacher is furious and keeps arguing with me, telling me I’m late everyday, which is untrue. They also keep getting me mixed up with another girl and every time I try to explain after they ask me too, they basically say that they don’t care and I’m getting detention regardless. That teacher also cannot teach, they give us a few examples and then give us a thick packet and we’re on our own. I ask for help and they refuse. They always tell me to ask my table mates even though they’re just as clueless as me. They then try to shift the blame on me for coming late, even though I’ve only come late twice. Am I in the wrong or are they?

Dear Target,

Okay, so let’s break this down. It’s your first day, you’re literally one minute late, and your teacher acts like you’ve just committed a crime against humanity. They won’t even let anyone open the door for you, and when they finally do, they publicly call you out like you skipped the entire class, accuse you of lying, and slap you with a detention. I don’t care if they’re the strictest teacher on the planet—this situation could’ve been handled with, I don’t know, some basic human decency. Detention until 3:45? That’s excessive, especially when you have other obligations. How do they expect school to be your only priority? Newsflash: life doesn’t work that way for literally anyone.

Then they keep mixing you up with another student, refuse to hear you out, and hand out detentions like candy. That’s not just frustrating—it’s plain unfair. Don’t even get me started on their so-called ‘teaching style’? They give a few rushed examples, hand out a thick packet, and then expect everyone to magically figure it out on their own? And when you ask for help they pass you off to your equally clueless classmates. That’s not teaching—it’s abandoning. That’s not how education should ever work. It’s not your fault the material is unclear, and it’s not okay that they’re treating you like this. 

While you admitted to being late twice, that’s not the real issue here. The problem is how they’re choosing to handle it: yelling at you, ignoring your explanations, and mixing you up with another student. Pair that with a teacher who struggles to actually teach, and you’re left in an environment that’s setting you up to fail.

That said, there’s one thing you could have handled better. If your previous teacher keeps making you late and you’re racking up detentions for it, it would’ve been smart to explain the situation to your current teacher early on—or better yet, ask your previous teacher to send them an email. Teachers, even the difficult ones, don’t appreciate being blindsided. It’s not your job to manage their communication, but taking the initiative could’ve saved you some of this headache.

So, what now? Start by talking to your current teacher calmly, explaining the situation (again). If they won’t listen, take it up the chain. Speak to your guidance counselor or dean and get your parents involved if necessary. Have your previous teacher back you up with an explanation about why you’re late. If the teaching quality is the real problem here, see if switching classes is an option.

Bottom line: You’re not completely at fault and your teacher is making things harder than they need to be. Don’t let them run you into the ground—school is tough enough without dealing with power struggles and poor teaching. You’ve got options, so take action and advocate for yourself.

But that’s just our opinion.