There are 944 students at Liberty High. Each one has their own unique background and story to tell. They are not just students, but humans that are experiencing the ups and downs of life while balancing the demands of school.

The Live Wire asked students to anonymously submit a response expressing what they wish their teachers knew about them.

It is important for teachers to realize some of the struggles their students are going through in order to provide support or resources for support. It also gives teachers an insight into what students deal with outside of school. Between jobs, extracurriculars, and family, it’s hard for teachers to know exactly what is absorbing time from their students’ day-to-day life.

Below are student responses to the prompt “I wish my teachers knew” organized into categories by subject.

Sports

“I wish teachers knew I was in sports outside of school and I am gone because of that.”

School

“I wish my teachers knew homework is for practice, not learning. That’s what classes are for.”

“I wish my teachers knew that only having a few things in PowerSchool for most of the trimester freaks me out. Especially if I didn’t do the best on them.”

“I wish that teachers knew that we have other classes, so having 5 tests in one day is very stressful.”

“I wish my teachers knew I struggle as a biracial child to fit in with other kids in the school.”

“I wish my teachers knew that kids in class are rude and make fun of me in a joking way and I don’t know what to do.”

Life

“I wish my teachers knew I have family members in the military that will be deployed.”

“I wish my teachers knew I am not the same as my sister.”

“I wish my teachers knew my mother passed away this summer and some days are harder than others.”

“I wish my teachers knew all of my best friends who help me with school and other things go to West.”

“I wish my teachers knew life is hard. Not just at school, but at home too. My mom was recently released from rehab and she lost her job. I have 2 jobs to help pay bills.”

“I wish my teachers knew that some people don’t always have transportation to school.”

“I wish my teachers knew sometimes … certain things are hard to learn about because they are against what I have learned in my religion.”

Effort and Learning

“I wish my teacher knew that in my Social Studies, World History, or even American Studies classes kids are not respectful when we talk about race and stuff.”

“I wish my teachers knew that I am always trying even when I seem like I am not.”

“I wish my teachers knew that I care more about learning the content of the class than preparing for the test.”

“I wish my teachers knew I hate group projects in my non-honors classes. Everyone relies on me to carry them and they take advantage of my hard work without contribution.”