By Grace ’24
Whether it’s in person, or during COVID, meeting with your teachers is crucial to maintaining an understanding of the course and keeping your grades up. Especially if you’re new to Harvard-Westlake you may be feeling slightly lost on how exactly to reach out and set up times with your teachers. It can be overwhelming and nerve-wracking, and rather confusing, specifically for those of us who either would prefer to be back on campus or are still unaccustomed to our new normal. However, meeting with your teachers is undeniably important, and has been strongly reinforced and recommended by everyone. So now that you’re interested, you may be open to trying, but lost on where to start. Well, this is where this post will come in handy.
First, how to make it easier on your teacher. It is crucial to always make sure you view your teacher’s schedule before ever suggesting a specific time or period. Although meetings may come up that you are not aware of, this makes it far more likely you will succeed in claiming that time spot, and makes life far easier for your teachers that receive dozens of similar emails. They will appreciate this, and this allows a heightened chance for that period. Also, make sure to never suggest a singular period. It’s better to have a few options so that the unnecessary back and forth emails of trying to find a date are alleviated. This way, you know that you aren’t wasting you or your teacher’s time, and will have a meeting set up quickly.
Next, the actual meeting. For me personally, I believe it’s important to have a set of questions to ask your teacher so you can be prepared for it. Once again, this is another tip to consolidate and save time. This allows you to ask everything you want to, without that awful feeling of ending the conversation and then remembering an additional conversation. Make sure to take notes and pay attention during the meeting, as it is important to retain the information or it will all be in vain. And lastly, enjoy your time! It’s great to get to know your teachers online before you see them on campus, and create a more comfortable future environment.
