Secret student: six things I'd never dare tell my teacher

This week's Secret Student gives their verdict on peer assessment. Photograph: Alamy.
Student: "Can you repeat the answer?"
Teacher: "Well if you were paying attention, I wouldn't have to repeat myself would I?"

It might just be me, but this has to be one of the most annoying sentences ever to leave a teacher's lips. Most students aren't machines and at times we'll will zone out, sorry. But getting you to repeat the answer should not be too much of an ask. Yet some teachers seem to hate it when this happens. I can understand it is annoying but even so, just repeating what you said because a student didn't hear you shouldn't really cause such a contemptuous response.
Teachers who forget to teach

Most teachers are great, but there's the odd one that spoils it. I remember spending a whole term going through physics papers and being told to look up the answers for something we hadn't been taught for homework. I learned nothing in that term except that Google is a better teacher than Mr Physics.
Ridiculous sanctions

My school is part of a federation of other academies and because of this, it's not unusual for teachers from another branch to come in to do a "teacher swap". With the rules being different at every academy, it can take a while for teachers to adjust, which is fine as long as students aren't worse-off because of it.

But there have been countless times where my peers and I have been sanctioned for writing in blue pen. The fact that in my school you're allowed to indulge in a little blue ink means that when teachers pick us up on it we just find it amusing – even more so when a friend's parents received a letter informing them of his terrible doing in school.
Placing the naughty kid next to you because you're a good student

All classes have well-behaved students and less well-behaved students and I accept that some students are difficult to deal with. I would like to think that I'm rather well behaved but while placing the tricky students next to me might help the teacher, I don't learn as well and often find myself in trouble for being at the scene of a crime. Finding yourself in hot water for not having enough equipment even though you donated half your pencil case to the injudicious juvenile on your right who was lumped on you by your teacher is not fair.
Extended deadlines

It's a constant dilemma: at the weekend, playing your favourite video game will earn you double points, but you have homework to do. You take the sensible decision of doing your homework – and doing it well – only to find that when you get to school your teacher decides to extend your deadline.
Peer marking

On the theme of marking, I would much prefer to get my work marked by a teacher than Joseph Barker who has been picking his nose for the last half an hour.

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