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That would be someone who was treated unusually well by the teacher, who would get away with stuff that if you were caught at, it would be severely punished and reprimanded.
I don't recall ever encountering that situation. However it looks like it could happen within the realm of possibility. Is there anything to be learned from this?
As I grew up in elementary school, our classes moved together. So basically, the same students I started with in kindergarten were in th 6th grade class.
We had 3 pets (not that the rest of us were treated badly at all). Kathy, Louis, and Diane. Diane turned out well, developing her own business as an adult. However, Kathy became a prostitute and Louis a used car salesman.
I am where I am today thanks to a few teachers I had in HS who helped me. I did not get special treatment in school but they helped me outside of school. Less likely to happen now because it would be look upon as a negative thing for teacher to interact with their students outside of school.
Pretty much all of my classes in HS did. A few did not. One teacher, I was the favored student. For me, that particular teacher thought I was not living up to my potential and took it on herself to change that. It worked.
I did have special privileges. There was a metal cabinet in her room I was allowed to use in lieu of my locker (you were likely to get bullied/beat up while at your locker in the hall - at least if you were me). I and friends were allowed to eat lunch in her room rather than in the cafeteria. I could take her car to go get supplies for my independent study in set construction, or other needs (like we should have pizza for dress rehearsal tonight - I can get it for free). I was allowed to get credit for an independent study in set construction (basically I would recruit friends to skip class and help me build the sets for the musical or later, for smaller performances). I would usually be called on to demonstrate in theater class and I taught a section of one class (stage fighting part of a theater class). IN English class once I demonstrated I had basically memorized a book that no one else had gotten past chapter two, nothing was said if I disappeared part way through the class, or went to the cafeteria to get the class a plate of chocolate chip cookies. On the other hand, if I got below an A or had something weird on my report card (like 42 absences in one class and three in most others), I got ridiculed.
Others varied. The basketball stars were favored by the teacher who was the basketball coach. Same for all the other sports and cheerleading. (In fact, I was probably favored by the drama/English teacher in part because I was a theater star). Some teachers favored those students who bought into their particular BS (like calling him "Sir") or who had taken more than one class with that teacher, or who were really good at kissing up. I was favored by the journalism teacher for a year because I was the only decent photographer, then when she found two others, she really cracked down on me (drove me out of the class/clubs). One teacher favored the hunky guys who would come to her apartment to party and for some "life education" in her bedroom, or so it was said. I did attend a party at her house where she and several students were smoking pot and she did disappear from time to time. I did not keep track of whether anyone else disappeared at the same time, but she certainly favored the hunky guys in class. I did not have interest in sleeping with her, but she gave us free wine, so we stopped by to visit her frequently.
There was also usually an anti-pet. The student required to sit in the front row right in front of the teachers desk. The student for whom there was zero tolerance. The student who would get called on for the questions no one could answer. the student who woudl never get better than a B no matter their test scores (class participation is subjective). Not sure how they selected the Anti-pet, but I can tell you it was not fun to be selected.
Last edited by Coldjensens; 12-05-2016 at 01:41 PM..
There was a Japanese girl in our class, who I now realize in hindsight, was under so much pressure from her parents to do well in school, that she routinely cheated on her math tests. Several of us girls noticed this in 4th grade, especially, and decided to report it together. The cheater burst into tears, and the teacher comforted her, and basically accused us of lying. It isn't fair to the other students if one among them is "allowed" to use notes, or whatever. It's not an even playing field, then.
In university I had several Asian friends, some of whom really resented the pressure to "achieve". It became a joke.
The only thing that should be mentioned is that some kids are friendlier to teachers than other kids. I think it's natural to be more friendly back. Showing favoritism is something else.
In general I don't recall very many other than one second grade teacher who doted on the girls in class. So all the girls were pets and never faced punishment. For a while they seemed to relish the idea that they could lie if they wanted to get the boys in trouble but eventually even most of them saw the unfairness of it. Most of the boys that year spent most recess periods doing write offs on the board.
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Originally Posted by Coldjensens
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There was also usually an anti-pet. The student required to sit in the front row right in front of the teachers desk. The student for whom there was zero tolerance. The student who would get called on for the questions no one could answer. the student who woudl never get better than a B no matter their test scores (class participation is subjective). Not sure how they selected the Anti-pet, but I can tell you it was not fun to be selected.
These we did have. Depended on the teacher but pretty much every teacher had a "anti" from elementary to graduation. Never could figure out why they picked who they did since there was no logic. One English teacher decided it was me one year. No reason for it, just because she could.
Most of the teachers that I had very blatantly chose teachers pets. The pets were usually (but not always) girls, and usually the quiet and compliant type. One of the rare male teacher's pets was the PTA president's son. It was very frustrating.
I was frequently the anti-pet, to use another poster's term. The worst was my AP Chemistry class in 12th grade (I've posted about this teacher in the past, but the teachers on this forum keep defending him). This teacher had several pets, and he spent most of the class time answering his pets' questions, even if they had nothing to do with chemistry. But if I would ask any questions, he would be extremely rude to me and threaten to expel me from his class. I would stand up to him, and ask him why he would spend half an hour answering another student's question, but not spend even 10 seconds answering my question. His answer was "I like her (or him), I don't like you". For one quarter, I got an A on every exam and assignment, but gave me a C+ for the quarter. When I questioned why he gave me a C+, his answer was "because I don't like you".
I think that in most cases, the other non-pets would accept their spot, metaphorically, at the back of the bus, while I would keep fighting. That was likely how I ended up the anti-pet.
well teachers liked me or tolerated me because i was quiet. i was so quiet it's like i was a ghost and people never even noticed me except when it was roll call, i also felt anxious about calling out 'here' or 'present'..uggh! i was extremely shy and had social anxiety. everyone thought i was smart. i never really liked school though, i just did whatever to get through it. i never tried to help teachers, do extra work (unless i had to if i was failing), be a tutor, or did many after school clubs, by the time 3pm showed up, i was ready to get the heck out of there.
Last edited by bewitchyou; 12-07-2016 at 09:45 AM..
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