# Fear of Talking to Teachers



## moneyformovies (May 27, 2014)

I'm not in university yet so this isn't too serious a problem, but I don't think I've ever gotten close to a single teacher in my entire life. The idea of talking with them just freaks me out and when they try to joke with me, I have no idea what to say back and end up just smiling and forcing a laugh. It really make me sad because I see all these other people who, despite being nervous, can still talk and hold legitimate conversations with their teachers. 

It's an issue that's really starting to get to me because so many people in uni are stressing the importance of getting close to your profs because of the opportunities that they can give you. Does anyone else feel this way? Are any of you guys good at speaking to teachers? Because I could really use some advice :blank


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## erick1 (May 31, 2014)

yeah me too got some problem with that too


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## Autumn26 (Aug 1, 2013)

I got the same issue >.< I feel so awkward around my profs mostly, I don't want to say the wrong thing and make them think I'm a total idiot o_o It really does make me worry about getting opportunities in the future D:

Most seem nice though. I just have to remind myself and they're just normal people and not big bad creatures I need to be afraid of lol


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## Zein (Jun 28, 2013)

I'm so awkward with teachers! I get what you mean about the joking...when teachers joke with me I just awkwardly laugh and never say anything back :teeth 

Anyway, I think you shouldn't worry about that too much. Just be polite and smile at them occasionally.


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## gideon ashl (Mar 24, 2014)

Yeah, I'm pretty easily intimidated by authority figures myself. I guess my advice would be to try and see them as regular people, instead of authority figures. For example, I had a prof last semester who taught a really challenging lit class, and I felt super intimidated around him. Then one day he told us an anecdote about telling a story about a squirrel to his 3-year-old daughter. It was such a cute thing that I couldn't be as scared of him as I used to. 

So I guess imagine your teachers as regular people. Think about them getting excited to see their favorite band in concert. Think about them getting pulled over for speeding. Think about them talking to their pets in a ridiculous voice. And look out for glimmers of their regular life that they express in class, the random tangents and stories that teachers sometimes tell. Once you change how you see them, they'll be easier to approach.


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## James56 (Jun 2, 2014)

oh gosh, I totally feel the same way. I never talk to any of my teachers because i'm so afraid of them


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## The Silent Juan (Jan 21, 2014)

I've never talked to any teacher, unless you count my drivers ed instructor, I am very scared too, get nervous... Start smiling and looking away.


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## hmweasley (Sep 12, 2013)

I was like that for most of my life. The thing was, until high school I went to an insanely small school where all the teachers were friends with all the parents, so the students all saw the teachers outside of school a lot. I did too, but I still had anxiety around them because they were authority figures.

In eighth grade, one of my friends came up to me and was like, "That was so weird. Ms. (teacher's name) just asked me if you hate her." I asked why she would think that I hate her, and my friend just shrugged and went, "I don't know. She said something about you never seeming to want to talk to her."

It was frustrating because that was, of course, my SA and had nothing to do with hating her. In fact, she was one of the best teachers I've had, so I hate thinking that she thought that.

It got better in high school during the last two years. Senior year especially I was a lot more comfortable around my teachers. Again, it was a small school, and we usually had teachers at least twice, so senior year I had already had most of my teachers already. I even had one teacher twice a day, and I probably talked to him the most. I was still uncomfortable around some of them, but it was definitely the most comfortable I ever was.

I've become more distant again since starting college. I have a handful of professors that I really love, and I interact with them fairly consistently outside of class because I have to for various reasons. Still, it's nerve-wracking every time I have to. I haven't really become entirely comfortable.


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