Teachers playing favorites is fine… to a point

Madison Szczepanski, Staff Writer|January 9, 2017

Most students have their favorite teachers. What is more commonly denied though, is the concept of teachers having their favorite students. The so-called ‘favored student’ could be the student with a steady A in the class or it could be the kid who always has the witty comments and makes everyone laugh. It could also be the person that you can tell has a real connection with the instructor. Teachers will try to deny that they have favorite students, for the sake of fairness, but everyone knows that almost all teachers have those few pupils whom they have a liking for over others.

A teacher having favorite students is not wrong; it simply shows that the teacher doesn’t only have a mind for giving out homework and test, but that the teacher has an interest in creating relationships with their students. It can also spark a feeling of competitiveness among students to improve their test scores in order to catch the teacher’s attention, which brings a benefit to the student himself. The moment that it can be too much though, is when a teacher begins to blatantly favor one student over all the others in the classroom by giving them special assignments or more leeway on due dates… or something of that nature. It can become annoying for the non-favored students to sit back and watch as the “favorite” gets away with certain things.

When a student is attempting to become the favorite student by doing things other than being academically ambitious, it can be bothersome as well. Some students will bring their instructor coffee in the morning or bake cookies for them. There are people that may do this because they already have established a connection with the teacher and are doing it out of kindness and as a thank you. But when it is done with an antagonistic attempt against other students, it becomes aggravating to peers.

Teachers are supposed to help every one of their students succeed in their class. If a student feels uncomfortable approaching their teacher with a concern about their grade or to ask for help because of the fear of seeming weak and being looked down on by their instructor, it becomes increasingly difficult to do well in a subject. The student who excels is typically already comfortable opening up to the teacher, so they wouldn’t be as nervous to ask for help and communicate with the instructor.

Favoritism can be beneficial or damaging to students grades and/or their self-esteem. The constant need to be liked and appreciated is crucial, but not to the point where other students feel belittled by certain students being favored.