Reflective Essay: Favorites In The Classroom

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Favorites In the Classroom Starting freshman year of high school, my biology teacher already expected the world from me. Prior to meeting me on the first day of school, he had looked at my test scores from the year before. Apparently I had one of the highest scores in the class, and my teacher concluded that I should be the brightest student. Seems logical right? Well, he paid a great deal of attention to me the first couple of months. Friendly conversation, jumping to answer my questions, offering after school help, and even extra credit that was not for other students. It was honestly kind of creepy but I cant say I didn’t take advantage of the special treatment. It wasn’t until about mid-year he realized that I was not good with, …show more content…
They can cause students to become anxious or hopeless when asking for help, not realize they need help or even start to resent the teacher and other students. In a different article called “Why Playing Favorites is Bad for Classroom Management” Michael Linsin, the founder of Smart Classroom Management, offers that, “[favoritism] causes hurt, confusion, and fist-shaking unfairness. It discourages teamwork and creates friction and jealousy among students. At its worst, it brings about bullying behavior,” (Linsin para 10). As a student I agree with Linsin. I have been in both positions of favorite and not. One is generally more difficult to deal with than the other, but they both have their …show more content…
I know just how challenging it is to not pick favorites; I have been a camp counselor for two years and have been in charge of my own cabin many times. It is so very hard not to constantly praise the best behaved and scold the worst, but it’s of paramount importance we do not, especially in the classroom. “Persistence and grades are higher for first-year [college] students from learning communities that provide a strong sense of community, in which instructors are engaged and approachable,” (Lichtenstein). Students need a place they feel welcome and cared about in order to gain the most adequate form of

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