I think your statement "I'm only as good as my Teacher Is" has elements of truth and -- well, call it "non-truth".  It isn't true that you are defined by your teacher's opinion.  I have an impression of your skill and your intelligence, and your frustration with a teacher who does not know how to motivate you.

Your conflicts -- with the teacher and your own self-image -- will not be easy to resolve, especially by yourself.  It is not easy to overcome  the bad image of yourself that your teacher is giving you.  I think it would be a good idea to look for assistance, perhaps by a school counselor, or a teacher you do respect, or somebody who you think will understand the situation and advise you effectively.

I know, I sound a bit like Ann Landers.  But you are in a situation where you have to advance yourself in spite of an unfavorable environment.  Apparently your teacher doesn't know how to help you, so you have to do it yourself.

Good luck.  If you want to reply, I'll check back in a while.  And "don't let the bastards grind you down".

We all had teachers who inspired us and others that made us go into therapy. I am fortunate that my English and Lit teachers were fabulous.

As for this particular teacher, consider these items:

• The teacher is new at the job and inexperienced at how to get the best out of her students OR she has been in the job for a hundred years and needs to retire.
• The teacher may be confined by the administration as to how she teaches. Not an excuse, just a fact.
• I would speak with the teacher directly at first. There may be some options to make you feel better about your experience in class. It does sound stifling but you seem to have a strong mind and will.
• Speak with a guidance counselor. There may be alternatives such as another class or some way to make it work for you. You never know until you ask. I had kids that hated English and/or lit because of the teacher. It was a completely different story one on one.

I'm with the others in saying DO NOT GIVE UP. The world needs good writers and your style is already coming through.

 I'm a determined student, and I wasn't expecting you to get the impression that I need only the best to achieve great things.  And I know that, ''Am I the only one that absolutely needs the best teachers to do well and succeed?'' says the exact opposite.  I was only trying to get across exactly what I was feeling, and why I was feeling this way.  I may not like the teacher, but I will eventually adapt to her teaching style and implant it in my head as something that I learned from the past, and how it has benefited me in a positive way.

But please understand exactly how important literature is to me.  Venting about my distressing situation on an English forum might explain to you how much I care.  I can't stand to see myself get a low grade.  I feel failure, and do everything I can do get the mark I rightfully deserve.  But as of right now, she isn't helping me with that.         

Thanks for your comments. 

I enjoyed reading your initial post and the discussion it provoked, and overall I'm sympathetic because -- probably like every one of the people responding here -- I can remember teachers who inspired me and teachers who didn't. I can also remember often enjoying classes that had a strong sense of community and disliking those that didn't.

At the same time, however, I honestly don't feel that same sympathy when I read your most recent comments about grades, including "I can't stand to see myself get a low grade.  I feel failure, and do everything I can do get the mark I rightfully deserve. But as of right now, she isn't helping me with that." Grades should not be taken as measures of overall success or failure; they measure (very imperfectly, at that) a student's performance in a particular course. Grades have no direct connection to someone's passion for a subject, and certainly no one student walking into a class deserves anything more than other students walking into that class. Everyone works and everyone earns (in the ideal world, at least) a grade that reflects their overall level of performance in that particular course.

You are right to conclude that teachers should help students reach their goals, including target grades. Like a number of others posting here, I would imagine that just about any teacher would enjoy talking with you one-on-one about your performance in the course and be willing to offer insight that might help you reach that target grade.

The above posts are giving lots of good advice, but what no one has mentioned is that if you choose to go to a college/university in 2 years, you are going to need the ability to adapt to all kinds of teaching styles and personalities.

Timed writing is not a bad thing.  In the "real world" you will certainly be under deadlines for almost anything you are doing.  Practicing now is only benefitting you.  Not to mention, I think every one of my college English exams had a time limit, even if they required essays.

I think you are right about the way a good teacher brings out the best in you.  I'm excited you've experienced that so young already.  Now it is time to learn how you can function and excel no matter who your teacher is.  Success (in life, actually) lies in being able to combine your strengths and weaknesses to those with whom you are working to produce great things.

I'm guessing that you must be in a high level class.  Your teacher is most likely concerned about your academic future.  The timed writings and the strict enforcement of discipline are probably geared to prepare you for standardized writing tests, such as the SAT or AP exams.  Doing well on these requires a different skill set than creative writing. 

Give your teacher a chance.  Sometimes the teachers who are the strictest, the ones we like the least, turn out to be the ones to whom we are most grateful.  It is these teachers who demand more from us than we knew was possible. 

By all means don't give up on your own writing.  Just recognize, though, that many different kinds of writing are required for the world today.  Try to glean from the class what is useful to you while at the same time continue to find your own style and other outlets for your writing. You might develop a Writers Club so that you and other interested writers can share and interact on a more informal basis, and you have more control over the kinds of writing that you do. 

The beautiful thing about writing is that it's personal.  I'm sorry you're having this experience and feeling this way, but what you do or don't do in this class or on these kinds of exams is not directly correlated to what or how you write when you're free to write whatever you'd like to write.  Use this time in this class to learn (or re-learn) some basic literary and writing skills, then unleash them on your own work outside of class.  You were very fortunate to have several "seed-planters" in your life, but not everyone is a seed-planter.  Sounds like you might have a "weed-picker" right now, but every garden needs that, as well.  Perhaps this is a chance to pay closer attention to the rules and guidelines of written work (the technical or mechanical aspects) rather than on the creative and expressive aspect of writing.  It's a shame there isn't a little more balance, but both components have merit if you want to be a writer.  This, too, shall pass; and you'll go on to be a writer despite any of these roadblocks in your way.  In fact, they'll make you stronger and more determined--I can already hear it in your writer's "voice."  Go make all of us English teachers proud!

P.S. Your tag line says "I'm only as good as my teacher is." That's just not true, and thinkingthat way limits who you can be and how far you can go. I think we teachers all hope--just like parents do for their children--that our students grow to be even better than we are in all the ways that count. You sound like you're on your way.

Well, first of all let me just say good for you for exploring your writing, and for having career and personal goals at such a young age  I am a teacher, and that is both rare and good to see.  Secondly, don't let one teacher discourage you.  Sometimes you'll have a teacher that just doesn't jive with your learning style or way of doing things, you just can't connect.  It happens.  It's even possible the teachers you loved intimidated a different students with a different style as well.

Sure, you need to pass the class, hopefully better than pass.  So ask for help, and do what it takes to get through it, even if you disagree with the teaching style or the expectations (as they are probably impossible to change). But don't let it get in the way of your writing goals.  One class does not an author make or break.  You'll get through this, sooner than you think, and then you get to make your own rules for writing.  Some of the greatest writers in history were very unconventional.  That could be you.