“His lectures are boring. Her tests are too hard. He assigns too many projects. She is too strict.”

It can be difficult to determine if these comments are legitimate criticism or unjustified complaining. Maybe Teacher X’s tests require overly complex applications of the material, or maybe Student Y needs to pay more attention to the lectures.

But to label all these comments as either one or the other is unfair to both students and teachers. Often, but not all the time, the fault is on both the students and the teachers.

Firstly, student reactions should not be ignored. Students are in the best position to evaluate a teacher because they are the ones that are in the teacher’s classroom, doing the teacher’s assignments and abiding by the teacher’s rules.

Teachers may not realize that the demands they put on the class cause excessive stress in students and that the stress hurts a student’s ability to understand the taught concepts.

Because students cannot understand any of the material, they do poorly on assignments and tests. Their grades drop, and they start to complain about the teacher not “teaching properly.” Then students get so resentful they start complaining about every aspect of the class, even if certain expectations (such as turning in your assignments on time) are perfectly reasonable.

Teachers, on the other hand, become convinced that their students are lazy and apathetic. The malicious, spiteful insults said about them by disgruntled students do nothing to change this opinion.

The mutually negative opinions teachers and students have about each other contribute to a miserable classroom environment for everyone involved.

Of course, there are times that a teacher sets blatantly unfair expectations and that students act entitled and immature. But in the majority of situations, the problem can only be resolved by students and teachers cooperating to address the issues.

Communication is key to defuse tensions. If students have an issue regarding some of the teacher’s classroom policies, they should request a private meeting and express their concerns.

Students should not be reluctant to start a conversation. If they express their ideas or suggestions in a constructive, non-confrontational manner, teachers are generally receptive and even glad that students are displaying a high level of engagement in their education.

Formal discussions are unnecessary. I remember that my freshman biology teacher, Rhoda Hahn, had a bulletin board in her classroom that students attached notes to, scribbling out short suggestions, often anonymously. And Ms. Hahn did, actually, try to implement those suggestions in her classroom.

These measures benefit both students and teachers. Students feel that their opinions are actually considered in the course of their education, inspiring positive feelings about their learning and motivating them. Teachers can accurately assess the effectiveness of their classes, improving their efficiency and lessening the stress they may feel from their students’ poor performances.

Of course, there are times that a teacher cannot change certain aspects, such as the general requirements of the curriculum. Rather than complaining, students should understand that in every class there are faults that they cannot fix, and accepting those faults is the first step to getting the most out of the class.

If students do not understand the material taught during class time, teachers offer morning and/or after-school tutoring. One big advantage is the smaller number of students, as the teacher can offer each student more personalized lessons.

If tutoring is still insufficient, there are several other places for students to get information. The Internet is probably the biggest and easiest one to use, but there are also the libraries (the high school’s and the city’s).

Teachers should try and meet students in the middle by providing a variety of sources to supplement the normal lectures and reading. Diagrams and pictures, extra texts, videos and virtual simulations are just a couple of examples of material that can help cater to a vast range of learning styles.

But the overall point is: solely blaming the students or teachers does nothing to solve the main problem, that students are not learning. And the only method of ensuring that students get their education is to start collaborative efforts and open up sincere discussion of classroom issues.