How to Get on Your Teacher’s Good Side 🍎

The new school year is creeping up. (Well, at least for some of you. If you start school in September, consider yourself lucky.)

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be dropping some advice to help you make this your best year yet. I’ll try to cover everything—from organization tips to study hacks to back-to-school essentials. But today, I want to cover something you might not be thinking about: your teachers.

It’s critical that you leave a good impression on your teachers as early as possible, especially if you’re an upperclassmen, because some of them may end up writing your college recommendation letters. But it’s also nice to get on your teacher’s good side in case you need to submit an assignment late or need extra help.

Now before I dive into this week’s newsletter, I wanted to announce an SAT Bootcamp that I launched with my brother, Mahad, and my high school friend, Dan, who is a literal genius (man got a 36 on his ACT). Be sure to enroll if you need help improving your SAT score this year!

Alright, let’s dive in.

Don’t Be a Teacher’s Pet

The truth is, nobody likes a teacher’s pet, not even teachers. While yes, you should be engaged in classroom discussions, you shouldn’t force yourself to answer every single question.

Here’s what I recommend: during the first few weeks of school, try to answer at least one question every other class, especially whenever nobody else is answering.

You should also try to ask a question a few times a week. However, don't just ask your teacher to define a term or repeat what they've already said. Instead, ask them a question they might have to think about for a second. These are usually the questions that start with “Why?” or a “How?”

If you want to go even further, you can email them a question after class. However, I feel most teachers have mixed opinions about the after-class email. Some might see it as a sign of thoughtfulness, whereas others might see it as a sign of laziness. If you take this approach, ask pointed, non-Googleable questions.

Find Common ground

Getting on your teacher's good side isn't just about being smart and getting the grades. It's about getting your teacher to like you as a person. This usually entails chatting with your teacher after class and befriending them like any other normal human being.

If you can connect over sports, great. If you can connect over a hobby, also great. Doesn’t matter what you talk about—the goal is just to make sure your teachers have a sense of who you are outside academics.

The teachers who write your letters of rec, for example, need to what you’re up to outside the classroom, what interests you, and so on.

Be a Genuine Person

Don’t force any of this stuff. For example, if you feel like you won’t vibe with a certain teacher no matter what, that’s fine! The goal here isn’t to manipulate your teachers into liking you—it’s to help you foster connections with teachers you’d naturally get along with.

Ultimately:

• Show that you care during class.

• Put in genuine effort towards all of your assignments.

• If you’re ever falling behind, be proactive and email your teacher in advance. (Instead of turning in something late without prior notice.)

• And then of course… connect with your teacher before or after class.

And it doesn’t hurt if you ace all their tests either, but for that, you’ll have to turn to my study tips, which I’ll be dropping all throughout the school year. :)

Best of luck y’all. You got this!

Sincerely,
Gohar

Do you feel ready for the new school year? DM me on Instagram (@goharsguide) to let me know!

If you want study help, come join my Discord! We have a global community of students helping each other succeed in school. I’d love to see you there.

And if you need help with the SAT, enroll in my SAT Bootcamp! You’ll how to crush every part of the exam with expert instruction from 99th-percnetile scorers.