I never understood that.

Why the fuck would you want to talk to the teacher? I mean, yeah, some folks do, but as a general rule of school, students don’t want to spend any more time around teachers than absolutely necessary. I don’t think that’s a wise choice, but it’s the default.

So, of course you want to ask a friend, or even a neutral fellow student instead. Number one, the teacher requires an extra trip to wherever the teacher is, your friend is right there. Even if you’re in the class, the teacher is waaaaaay up there at the desk or board, or whatever.

However, if you ask it a lot and it isn’t because you missed class, they may have a point. Because, damn dude, pay attention when the teacher is assigning the work.