Unsolicited Advice

Dear Cordelia,

One of my teachers noticed that I had been having a rough time and offered to lend an ear. I took them up on the offer, and ever since then, I feel as though the teacher is getting too close to my personal life. They continue to give their opinion on my family and in a way "parent" me. I feel a bit uncomfortable, what should I do?

~The Anxious Student

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Dear Anxious Student,

This is a situation that is a bit hard to give advice on without a bit more context.

I would recommend first talking to either a parent or guardian. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to them about it, speak to your guidance counselor. Sometimes talking through the situation with another person can help give perspective on a situation and make you understand a bit more how best to proceed.

After that, I recommend speaking to the teacher. I would explain that you appreciate them taking the time to check in on you, but you wouldn’t like their advice in the future on things that do not relate to your class. Then, if they retaliate in any way or the situation only gets worse, you have proof that you spoke to someone else before talking to the teacher and you can take the next steps with your counselor or parents in your corner.

I hope this helps! Please email me back to let me know how it goes!

~Cordelia Cross