Teacher Pets

One thing about people, they tend to form judgements based on appearance before they get to know you. They form first impressions. If you’ve ever applied for a job, or have been on the receiving end, you know this to be true. Unfortunately, this can happen at school too. Although teachers work hard to not have a favorite, it happens. We all have favorites, no matter who we are. So, how can you help your child when they are not the teacher’s pet?

One family had three daughters with very different personalities. The oldest was very quiet and shy, and was a hard working student. The second oldest was the social butterfly and often gets in trouble for talking too much. The youngest likes to talk your ear off. She wants to point out all the obvious things that are happening around you.

When your child isn’t the teacher’s favorite, or a teacher's pet, that can be a good thing. It's a shame when a child who is the teacher's favorite always gets good grades but is actually doing poorly. It's not fair to this child and the school system. It will all come out in the wash eventually. Just instruct you child to do the best he/she can in class and get a good grade. Don't worry about being the 'favorite.' It's not worth it.

You must also explain to your child that everyone has different personalities, and some people get along easier with others. Just because you see a child laughing with the teacher doesn’t mean that this child is the teacher’s favorite. And if the teacher calls on the same students to help all the time, it might just be because he or she knows that the student is willing to help.

If your child wants to interact more with the teacher, encourage them. If they are shy and not usually outgoing, give them ideas of things they can talk to their teacher about. Explain that it isn’t important to be popular but getting along better with their teacher is a good goal. Who knows? By interacting more with the teacher, your child might become the favorite. Teacher's pets can change anytime. Teacher's pets can be a fickle thing, changing from week-to-week, or even day-to-day.