By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed.
Shocker, but not all teachers are organized. Some forget to post assignments. Some take forever to give feedback or grade essays. Some change due dates without telling anyone.
And while it’s easy to blame a bad grade or an unreasonable deadline on your disorganized teacher, here’s the deal: You can’t fix your teacher.
Your job is to protect your grades, your time, and your systems, even when your teacher’s chaos is making school harder than it needs to be.
If you’ve ever thought, “This class would be fine if the teacher could just get their stuff together,” I hear you. I’ve thought the same thing. But you can’t control your teacher’s habits. As much as you want your teacher to be better, you can’t control that. But you CAN control your response. And that response can make or break your school year.
In this blog post, I’m sharing how to deal with a disorganized teacher. I share six tips for controlling what you can, and protecting your grades while you’re at it.
6 Ways to Deal With a Disorganized Teacher
You may need to implement all 6 tips below, or you may only need a few. That depends on how disorganized your teacher is and how much that disorganization affects your ability to function in class. If you and your teacher clash personalities, read this post about how to deal with teachers you don’t like.
1. Accept the Disorganization. (Don’t Fight It.)
If you’re constantly expecting your teacher to change, to suddenly start giving clear directions, returning work on time, or updating the portal when they should, you’re going to stay frustrated.
Stop expecting things to be different. That expectation is draining your mental energy and keeping you in a loop of blame. (Yes, we know it’s their fault, but that doesn’t help you or change things.)
Instead, recognize the situation for what it is. Your disorganized teacher is not going to give you the structure you need, so you need to create it yourself. More on that in Tip #4.
This one mindset shift is powerful because once you accept that you can’t change your teacher’s organizational habits, you can start thinking about what you can do to improve the situation. And that’s where the magic happens, and that’s what you’ll find in the following strategies.
2. Over-Document Everything.
Disorganized teachers don’t mean to mess you up. (They’re humans too, and some humans just have different organizational skills than others.) But when instructions change mid-week or feedback never gets posted, you need “receipts” of the chaos.
Here’s how to protect yourself:
- Take screenshots of all assignment instructions or announcements.
- Keep a separate folder (digital or physical) for the class where you store all the screenshots.
- Write down due dates the moment they’re mentioned in class or posted to the portal, even if they’re “tentative.”
- Log any last-minute changes to assignments or expectations.
- If something’s said in class, summarize it and email it to yourself or drop it in a notes app.
It’s a pain, yes. But a five-second screenshot today can save you from a grading disaster later. Even if you never return to these screenshots or documents, you’re giving yourself security that if a teacher changes something last minute or forgets what they announced in class, you have evidence to back yourself up.
3. Ask Questions Early and in Writing.
A disorganized teacher doesn’t just misplace items or forget deadlines. They may also speak or teach in an unclear or disorganized way. In other words, disorganized teachers sometimes tend to create confusion, whether in their lessons, their assignments, or even in how they explain things.
If something doesn’t make sense – either about the content, an assignment, or a grade – don’t stay confused. And don’t wait until the day before something’s due to seek clarification. Disorganized teachers are less likely to notice your confusion or anticipate questions, so you have to advocate for yourself.
Ask clearly. Ask early. Ask in writing. If you have an in-person conversation, that’s fine, but always follow up with a short email like this:
Hi Ms. D,
Thanks for talking to me about the Book Analysis assignment. I just want to confirm what we talked about: It’s due Monday, not Friday, correct? And we’re focusing more on theme than on character development? Thanks for the clarification. Just want to make sure I’m on track.
This puts the responsibility for clarity where it belongs and gives you a paper trail of your conversation in case you need it later.
4. Build Your Own Structures and Systems.
If your disorganized teacher doesn’t give you structure, you need to build your own. Below are some ideas.
- Create your own fake due dates. I know this is odd, but it can work when a teacher has a habit of changing due dates without much notice. If you think an assignment is due Wednesday, get it done by Tuesday, just in case the teacher pulls a fast one.
- Check your student portal daily. Ideally, twice a day, log into your portal and scan the portal for any new assignments, schedule changes, or vague expectations you need to clarify.
- Use an assignment notebook. Your student portal isn’t sufficient as a homework planner because you can’t add your own tasks and work to it. Pull assignments from your portal and write them in your homework planner (just abbreviate them), along with your other tasks you need to handle as a student. This includes micro-steps to long-term projects, study sessions, etc.
- New to student task management? Start with these tips here.
The above strategies are not only essential for dealing with a disorganized teacher, but they’re what all students should be doing at the most basic level.
5. Create a Strategic Class Group Chat.
If your teacher’s disorganization leaves you confused, you’re probably not the only one. Therefore, it can be helpful to create a class group chat so you’re not dealing with the chaos by yourself. Use the group chat to:
- Confirm due dates
- Compare assignment instructions
- Share reminders or clarify what was said in class
This group chat can also serve as documentation that other people are experiencing the same problems. For example, if you think you heard the teacher say your essay was due Friday, but the teacher claims they said it was due Wednesday, you will have a “paper trail” (in your text messages) that other students also heard the teacher say Friday. This supports strategy #2 above.
6. Communicate When Something Goes Wrong.
Sometimes you’ll miss an assignment because it was posted late. Or you’ll misunderstand the instructions because they were incomplete or confusing. That’s not entirely on you, but how you handle it is on you. So that’s where good communication comes in.
Don’t go in hot. Don’t accuse. Instead, take a calm, professional tone that focuses on solving the problem, not blaming the teacher. Try this:
Hi Mr. B, I noticed the assignment was added to the portal late Sunday night. I wasn’t sure about the due date. I always try to stay on top of things, and I just want to make sure I didn’t miss anything or misunderstand the expectations. Thanks for any clarification.
You’re showing maturity, responsibility, and an effort toward clarity. These are all things that help you and your teacher. This type of message also gives your teacher a graceful way to fix the issue, which increases your chances of a positive response.
Related resource: Here’s my super simple tutorial for How to Write an Email to a Teacher.
Here’s another common example: You hand in an assignment on paper — physically give it to your teacher — but later they say they don’t have it. You didn’t keep a digital copy. You didn’t take a photo. It’s just … gone.
That’s frustrating, but your goal is to get credit for the work you already did, not to redo it. Here’s how to handle this situation in a well-communicated email:
Hi Ms. R, I’m following up about the assignment from last Thursday. I handed in the paper copy during class. I remember placing it on your desk. I don’t have another version, but I wanted to check in and see how we can resolve this since I did complete the work on time.
This kind of message communicates two things:
- You’re not backing down. You’re asserting that you did the work and turned it in.
- You’re staying professional. You’re not accusing, but you’re also not volunteering to redo the work.
If you’re dealing with a fair teacher, they’ll likely give you the benefit of the doubt, or at least find a reasonable solution. If you’re dealing with a less-than-fair teacher, then at least you’ve created documentation that supports your case if you need to escalate it.
And yeah, going forward? Take photos of physical assignments…just in case.
Bottom Line About Disorganized Teachers: Control What You Can.
You don’t need your teacher to be perfect. (They won’t be.) You don’t need their portal to be flawless or their expectations to be crystal clear every single time. (They won’t be.)
But what you do need is a set of your own strategies that don’t collapse when other people drop the ball. That’s what real academic independence looks like: handling your own business even while other people aren’t handling theirs.
And the truth is, once you build these skills for dealing with disorganized teachers, you’ve also built the same skills that will carry you through college, internships, and the real world, where systems break down all the time.
So yeah, it’s annoying. But it’s also training. And you’re going to be better for it.
