Questions to Ask Teachers from Students
Questions a student can bring to a teacher, covering grading and expectations, getting help after falling behind, study methods suited to the subject, and where the material leads after the course.
The questions
Open any question for the note
What's the best way to do well in your class?
Why ask it
Ask in the first week rather than after the first bad grade. Teachers usually name the one habit students skip, such as doing the reading beforehand or handing in a draft early, and that is a better guide than the syllabus.
How do you prefer students to reach you: email, after class, or office hours?
Why ask it
Settles the thing that causes most friction later. Some teachers answer email at ten at night and some will not open it until Monday, and knowing which saves you from assuming you were ignored.
What got you interested in this subject in the first place?
Why ask it
A specific answer, a class they took or a job they had, gives you a hook for later conversations. A vague answer often means they inherited the course rather than chose it, which is also worth knowing.
What do students usually find hardest in this course?
Why ask it
Puts the difficult stretch on your calendar before you reach it. A teacher who has run the course several times can name the exact unit where grades tend to drop.
What should I focus on when I study for your exams?
Why ask it
Tells you the format as much as the content. If the answer is about definitions you prepare differently than if it is about applying a method to an unfamiliar problem.
How do you want me to use your comments on my work?
Why ask it
Most students read the grade and skip the margins. Asking signals you intend to revise, and the answer often comes with an offer to look at a second draft.
If I fall behind, what does getting extra help look like?
Why ask it
Asking while you are still keeping up is very different from asking in a panic. You also learn whether help means office hours, a tutoring center, or a study group.
What mistakes do you see students make that are easy to avoid?
Why ask it
This usually gets process advice rather than content advice: starting the essay the night before, ignoring the rubric, citing sources loosely.
Is there a book, video, or site you'd point me to if I want more?
Why ask it
Teachers hold recommendations they rarely get asked for. A specific title means they follow the field beyond what the syllabus requires.
Can you say more about the topic we covered last week? I keep thinking about it.
Why ask it
Naming a specific topic shows you were paying attention and lets a teacher talk about the part of the course they actually like. General praise for the class does neither.
How do you decide what goes into this course and what gets cut?
Why ask it
The answer separates what the department requires from what the teacher chose, which tells you where they will spend the most energy.
What's the best project you've seen a student do in this class?
Why ask it
Gives you a real standard to aim at instead of guessing from the rubric. Ask what made it good, not just what it was about.
How would you describe a strong answer in your subject?
Why ask it
Every field has its own idea of a good answer and it is rarely spelled out. Hearing it from the person doing the grading removes most of the guesswork.
Where does this subject show up outside school?
Why ask it
Pushes past the textbook example. If no example comes easily, the material may be more abstract than the course suggests, which is useful before you choose a major.
What kinds of work or further study does this subject lead into?
Why ask it
Teachers see where former students end up. Their answer is more grounded than a careers page because it comes from people they taught.
Do you have advice for sticking with something once it stops making sense?
Why ask it
This asks about the middle of learning rather than the start. Most teachers have a specific routine here: rewriting notes by hand, working a problem backwards, leaving it overnight.
How could I push myself further in this class?
Why ask it
Worth asking only if you are already on top of the work, otherwise it reads as posturing. Answers range from an extended assignment to a reading list to a research placement.
What keeps you interested in teaching this after years of it?
Why ask it
Invites honesty rather than a pep talk. The best sign is an answer built on something small, one good discussion or a student who came back years later, rather than a statement about shaping young minds.
What's one thing I could change this week to do better?
Why ask it
Small and immediate, which makes it easy to answer honestly. A teacher who has been paying attention will name something about your work rather than a general study tip.
Is there anything you'd tell me that I haven't thought to ask?
Why ask it
Leaves room for what does not fit your other questions: a changed deadline, a program you qualify for, an observation about how you write.
Talking to a Teacher Outside Class
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Where Each Question Belongs
- During class: clarifying something being taught right now, if the teacher takes questions as they go.
- The two minutes after class: one short follow up, or a request for a longer conversation later.
- Office hours: study strategy, extra challenge, career questions, anything that needs more than a minute.
- Email: scheduling, absences, extension requests, anything you want a written record of.
Making the Conversation Worth Their Time
Bring the attempt, not just the question
Show the notes you took, the paragraph you got stuck on, or the two answers you cannot choose between. Teachers can diagnose a specific mistake far faster than a general feeling of confusion.
Say how much time you need
Opening with "do you have five minutes" or "this needs longer, can I come to office hours" lets them answer properly instead of rushing you at the door.
Report back
If you try a study method they suggested or read something they recommended, tell them what happened. That single follow up is what turns a teacher into someone who writes you a reference later.
What Lands Badly
Asking what is already in the syllabus
Deadlines, weightings, and office hour times are usually written down. Check first, then ask about the things a document cannot answer.
Making every conversation about the grade
Arguing points question by question rarely changes a total and uses up goodwill. Ask what a better version of the work would have looked like instead.
Asking for help the day before it is due
A teacher can usually rescue a plan with a week to go and almost nothing with twelve hours to go. The timing of the request is part of the request.