Teachers: describe your favorite students

[Anonymous]

it's funny- I work in a small schools and every teacher has different favorite students year to year (meaning we don't all have the same favorites). The only things I can think of in common with some of my all time favorite students are that they are kind to ALL their classmates. Other than that, the students that stick out really are different from each other, some behave like angels, some really struggled with behavior, some excelled academically while others really struggled, some are outgoing, some are very introverted, some just liked to blend into the bunch and fly under the radar.

[Anonymous]

Not a teacher but it's clear that some of our kids are 'favorites' and some aren't. It seems that my kid who struggles a bit but is a delightful, humble, incredibly hard-worker (with a sense of humor) is a favorite. As is my super introverted, quirky, relatively 'smart kid' who has the occasional clever 'zinger' is also a favorite of a small number of teachers. My super-smart, literal kid is no one's favorite - I think she annoys them all!

[Anonymous]

Middle school teacher here -- my favorites are all over the map in terms of your standard MS tropes -- e.g., cool kids/academic stars/ jocks/artsy types, etc. -- but the one consistent characteristic is kindness. It's really hard for me to like the mean kids.

[Anonymous]

Man, OP. What a great question. These responses are awesome.

[Anonymous]

Lots of different favorite kids, but they were all kind.

Smart and kind.
Funny, lively, and kind.
Sweet, shy, and kind.

Etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not a teacher but it's clear that some of our kids are 'favorites' and some aren't. It seems that my kid who struggles a bit but is a delightful, humble, incredibly hard-worker (with a sense of humor) is a favorite. As is my super introverted, quirky, relatively 'smart kid' who has the occasional clever 'zinger' is also a favorite of a small number of teachers. My super-smart, literal kid is no one's favorite - I think she annoys them all!

OP I have a child like your not-favorite, and when he finally had a teacher who genuinely liked him it changed everything. I really hope your daughter gets that chance!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't even be able to start to answer this question, honestly. There are so many different types of kids I have enjoyed ... there is no one mold. Some of my favorites have been ones who struggled, didn't know how to ask questions, and were reluctant to do work, while others were proactive, smart, and eager to come to school each day. It's about seeing the light within, and that looks really different in different kids.

Sounds like you are a great teacher who sees it as your job/mission to see the light of each kid. Some teachers view it as the students job to make the teacher see their light. In my experience teachers with the latter point of view tend to have a type—the helpful rule follower, the artsy kid, the sporty kid, etc. Teachers who view it as their job to see the kid and get to know them tend to love teaching a range of very different kids. The most popular teachers are often the ones that are able to connect with the most students. I’ve also noticed that those teachers tend yo bring out the kindness in their students.

[Anonymous]

I like the weird ones. They’re my people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have enjoyed different students for different reasons, but my favorites are the ones who have some sort of wall--it can be coolness, shyness, lack of confidence, overconfidence, hostility toward the world in general, disinterest--that they eventually let down when they see I'm not there to judge them, I'm there to help them along their path. It's a great feeling to connect with students in that way.

Love this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't even be able to start to answer this question, honestly. There are so many different types of kids I have enjoyed ... there is no one mold. Some of my favorites have been ones who struggled, didn't know how to ask questions, and were reluctant to do work, while others were proactive, smart, and eager to come to school each day. It's about seeing the light within, and that looks really different in different kids.

Where do you teach?

I’ve spent the past few years as an administrator but miss the classroom so will be headed back soon! If I say where I used to teach I fear I will out myself.

[Anonymous]

Good teachers are worth more than parents can ever convey. Thank you all!!

[Anonymous]

I love this thread, but I'm also a little terrified that teachers read DCUM.

[Anonymous]

I do.
It makes me a better teacher, to be honest.

People are blunter than they would be in an email which can be infuriating, or it can be an opportunity examine how your choices impact people when they are unflitered.

For example, my kid won an essay contest today.
I read a thread the other day that children of teachers should not be permitted to enter contests because the other parents assume there is a bias.

I know not everyone feels that way, but it helps to know that a small percentage of the room may feel that way, so I was sure to praise him in private, and praise the others in public.

My favorites are the ones who others find annoying. Some kids need to hear that someone is proud of them and sees their hard work and effort.

I struggle to connect with children whose parents challenge the staff on every small thing. I feel the more involved I get in the lives of those children, the more scrutiny I will be subjected to, so I keep it on a very surface level. Polite, sure, but I don't want to go the extra mile if I am going to be told I did it all wrong. This happens to teachers a lot, in my experience.

When parents help (coach, help with carpool, make cookies) I really try to remember to thank them, and I tell the child to thank their parents for helping the school. I don't think children always notice the selfless things their parents do, and the parents deserve that feedback. The volunteering parent doesn't make a kid a favorite, but kids feel "seen" when they know their parents are pitching in.

Kids that need to be a favorite (need extra attention) often seek out the adults who have extra space/time for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curious, outside-the-box thinkers who are kind.

This, but I would also add “well-rounded” and not too intensely focused on perfection.

Sometimes the single-minded focus on an A really becomes an obstacle to learning and it’s no fun to watch as an educator. I really enjoy the students who are academic risk-takers and see non-careless errors as a lessons learned rather than something devastating to their future. I currently teach a very bright student who is grappling with such high anxiety that I fine-tooth comb everything I write or say for possible triggers and have eliminated several challenging group or whole class tasks that mom identified as potential minefields.

Balance is really key. I was an anxious, grade-driven child myself. I think school would have been a lot more fun for me if some teacher had insisted I try the riskier topic or method and my parents had pushed me to develop non-academic interests after ES.

Did I read this correctly? You changed what you were doing/teaching for the entire class because of one child based on the mother's input?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The ones who open up a bit - I don't need the whole life story, but I hear a little about their friends and family and home life. It helps me who they are as people, and what their goals are. I am not in a private school, and college is not an option for some of my students, so understanding what is realistically next for them helps me prepare them for what's next.

I like the ones who pop in to chat during off times, the ones who come in to tell me they passed a test in another class. The ones who are cold and grumpy are hard to get to know, and harder to teach, and less enjoyable to work with.

Or they are shy. Or tired. Or stressed. Or any number of other factors. Not "cold and grumpy".

You don't sound like a kind or understanding person, or perhaps you expressed yourself incorrectly here.