Article: If you are a student who is experiencing issues with a teacher, your first move should be to talk to them about it. Ask to speak to the teacher privately after class. Calmly explain to the teacher what you think they’re doing that’s inappropriate. Give the teacher a chance to explain themselves and improve their bad behavior.  Start the conversation with something like, “I want to speak to you about something that is upsetting me.” Remember to stay calm. Practice what you want to say ahead of time. A simple conversation isn't always going to be an option. Sometimes the misconduct is too severe to approach the teacher with. If you feel uncomfortable or afraid to speak with the teacher, don’t do it. Understand that in order to terminate a teacher, one of the following must be proven: immoral conduct, incompetence, neglect of duty, substantial noncompliance with school laws, conviction of a crime, insubordination, fraud or misrepresentation. The teacher’s conduct must fall under one of these descriptions.  “Substantial noncompliance with school laws” means that the teacher frequently breaks the school districts rules. Examples: not allowing a student to practice their religion and not treating all students equally. “Immoral conduct” is any form of sexual contact or abuse to the students, indecent exposure, stalking a student, extreme obscenity, having a weapon on school grounds, having an explosive device, having drug paraphernalia, and/or selling drugs to minors.  “Incompetence” is when a teacher is extremely ineffective at teaching. “Neglect of duty” is when a teacher fails to teach at all. Both have the same end result – the students don’t learn anything. If you do decide to make the complaint, report only the facts. Never do anything that could leave you open to charges of slander or libel. Start keeping a list of negative incidents and examples of the teacher’s misconduct. Be fair in your evaluation. Keep track of the date and time each incident occurs. If there are any other witnesses, write their names down.  Make sure your teacher doesn’t see you doing this. If you have to, jot down notes that only you could understand, then write the full incident down after class.  Remember it is very rare for teachers to get fired due to the financial cost of dismissal. In a detailed study made in 2016, the study showed: "Across the country, most districts and states continue to confer lifetime tenure on teachers, weak teachers still take years to dismiss if they achieve tenured status, and any attempt to dismiss an ineffective veteran teacher remains vulnerable to costly challenges at every stage in the process—from evaluation, to remediation, to the dismissal decision, and beyond. Consequently, in most districts and schools, dismissing an ineffective veteran teacher remains far harder than is healthy for children, schools, taxpayers—and the teaching profession itself." Write down the events truthfully. If there is a way for you to safely record audio or take photographs/video of the incidents when they happen, do it. This will help your case whenever you take your complaint to school officials. In some states it is illegal to record another person without their knowledge and consent. If the teacher is doing something so bad that you think there will be a court case about it, your proof may not be admissible in court.  However, your proof will definitely get the attention of your school officials, and they can begin monitoring the teacher. Firing a teacher can be a long and difficult process, so the sooner school officials can begin their investigation, the sooner that teacher will be out of the classroom. It would probably be helpful for you to take a friend, parent, or guardian along with you when you do this. Bring your list of incidents and any proof you’ve gathered to this meeting and present it to the principal. Calmly explain your side of the story. If you tried to speak with the teacher about this problem, make sure to let the principal know that. If there were any witnesses, make sure you provide those names.  Make sure you give the principal copies of your evidence, whether it’s video, audio or photographs. You should keep the originals, just in case. Keep this evidence private. Report only the facts. After you’ve provided all of the information you have, ask what steps are going to be taken against the teacher. If this is the first time this teacher has ever been reported and the misconduct isn’t dangerous, criminal or immoral, the principal will probably tell you that they’re going to start monitoring the teacher and/or give the teacher a warning. The school board is required to go through a very particular process in order to dismiss a teacher, and those two things are the first step.  If the teacher is fairly new at your school (usually if they've been there less than 3 years), it’s possible that the teacher might be dismissed immediately.  Request that your report remain anonymous whenever possible. While the school board carries out their investigation, ask to be placed into another class with a different teacher. You shouldn’t have to endure any more of the misconduct.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Speak to the teacher about your concerns. Make sure that your complaint about the teacher is valid. Keep track of any incidents. Gather proof. Report the misconduct to the principal. Ask what happens next.