"Teacher's pet"

[Anonymous]

So what does one do as a parent when their 8y/o tells them things like the following:

- I think so and so is the teacher's pet.
-I don't know what to do to make the teacher like me. She doesn't laugh at things I do like she does with some other kids.
-I do raise my hand but the teacher never calls on me.

[Anonymous]

Low self esteem, lack of confidence and very jealous. Major red flag is the name calling. Take care of this now because it sounds like your kid is on the way to become a bully.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Low self esteem, lack of confidence and very jealous. Major red flag is the name calling. Take care of this now because it sounds like your kid is on the way to become a bully.

What???

OP - ignore this poster. I can't believe the level of insults she/he threw out you based on your really benign post.

The reality is that teachers have favorites. The good ones won't show it, but they all have the kids that for whatever reason touch their heart more than others.

I think the best thing to do is use it as a teaching lesson.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, it's hard to react without more information. Could be that you have a teacher who plays favorites. In that case, I'd want to know whether it's due to run-of-the-mill favoritism (not much you can do about it) or something more troublesome, like overt discrimination (in which case I'd complain to the principal). Or you could have a child who's already adept at playing you, in which case you need to ignore this and move on.

[Anonymous]

How's it the teacher's fault? She's supposed to know when to laugh at the kid's jokes?

OP's kid wants to be a teacher's pet. He/she did not get the desired level of attention and decided to blame this on other children. That's just wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what does one do as a parent when their 8y/o tells them things like the following:

- I think so and so is the teacher's pet.
-I don't know what to do to make the teacher like me. She doesn't laugh at things I do like she does with some other kids.
-I do raise my hand but the teacher never calls on me.

I think your child is a bit sensitive and it is important to him/her to have the teacher's approval, but he/she feels that someone else is getting more attention than he/she is. This could be because the teacher has a great connection with that student, or it may be that the student requires more time and attention than others.
I have also noticed that teachers rarely call on kids who usually raise their hand and usually know the answer...they want to hear from the kids who don't always speak up or the kids who will answer with something that needs a bit of correction or elaboration.

Honestly, I would brush it off, and see if it the kid brings it up again before I even thought twice about it.

[Anonymous]

Some of these reactions seem harsh, but it's not a bad lesson for a kid to learn in elementary school that not everyone will dote on her as much as mom and dad do. It may start to make her more independent and self-reliant.

[Anonymous]

OP here - the kid has not made a big deal of it - just casual phrases over time. (Some of you certainly are harsh and quick to jump to major conclusions without even knowing the kid.) Not trying to make a mountain over a mole hole, just looking for feedback based on others' experiences and trying to figure out whether it is even an issue or not.

[Anonymous]

Casual phrases over time doesn't seem to warrant a problem.

[Anonymous]

Children do know when a teacher does not like them and it is awful. I have seen this in my private school and think the teachers should be fired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what does one do as a parent when their 8y/o tells them things like the following:

- I think so and so is the teacher's pet.
-I don't know what to do to make the teacher like me. She doesn't laugh at things I do like she does with some other kids.
-I do raise my hand but the teacher never calls on me.

As a teacher I can tell you that pretty much every kid thinks the teacher never calls on them. When you have 30 kids, there are a lot of kids to answer so every kid feels like they never get picked even if you are rotating equally.

I don't find all my students equally funny. Some are really funny and a I laugh at them. Others think a fart joke told for the 20th time is hilarious and I don't so no I don't laugh or even really respond to their humor. it isn't my duty to find your child funny.

Yes there are always 'teacher's pets' but that doesn't mean I don't like the other kids. The teacher's pets are the kids are are super reliable, dependable, responsible. When you are dealing with a very hectic classroom, it is a lot easier for me to send the uber responsible kid on a errand and not the kid who will get lost, plug up the toilets, get into a fight, wander around for 20 minutes etc...

It would be impossible to relate the same to every kid. I try to be fair but fair still looks different depending on the kid. There are only a very small handful of kids over the years who I truly didn't like (a lot more parents who I truly disliked!).

Teach your kid that it is okay if not everyone likes her the way she wants to be liked. That her teacher may very well like her but in a different way then she is looking for. She doesn't need to be treated exactly the same as another kid to be liked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher I can tell you that pretty much every kid thinks the teacher never calls on them. When you have 30 kids, there are a lot of kids to answer so every kid feels like they never get picked even if you are rotating equally.

I don't find all my students equally funny. Some are really funny and a I laugh at them. Others think a fart joke told for the 20th time is hilarious and I don't so no I don't laugh or even really respond to their humor. it isn't my duty to find your child funny.

Yes there are always 'teacher's pets' but that doesn't mean I don't like the other kids. The teacher's pets are the kids are are super reliable, dependable, responsible. When you are dealing with a very hectic classroom, it is a lot easier for me to send the uber responsible kid on a errand and not the kid who will get lost, plug up the toilets, get into a fight, wander around for 20 minutes etc...

It would be impossible to relate the same to every kid. I try to be fair but fair still looks different depending on the kid. There are only a very small handful of kids over the years who I truly didn't like (a lot more parents who I truly disliked!).

Teach your kid that it is okay if not everyone likes her the way she wants to be liked. That her teacher may very well like her but in a different way then she is looking for. She doesn't need to be treated exactly the same as another kid to be liked.

Please tell us you don't teach reading or writing.

[Anonymous]

Why was a teacher of a class with 30 kids, some of whom are busy telling "fart jokes" and "plugging up toilets", reading this thread in the middle of a school day?

[Anonymous]

Teacher here. I am not teaching at the moment so it wasn't in the middle of my workday. I was typing with one hand/finger while dealing with a baby and while eating. When typing on blogs /forums/chat I make little effort to use perfect writing skills.

[Anonymous]

Why so harsh on the teacher? I think she's right. Teaching is hard and most teachers seem to really work hard at it. They are human. Having worked with kids in scouts and things like that, I can tell you that some of them can be very annoying, especially when they are trying to be funny (i.e. telling the fart joke for the 20th time). Of course the teacher won't laugh if your child is misbehaving or trying to be inappropriately funny. that would only encourage the behavior.