Back in the past, we could hear people saying “Teacher’s pet,” or classmates bullying each other calling one “Sipsip” while the one bullied would already be shedding her tears in one corner of the classroom.
It has been a tradition that if a pupil is often called to do some tasks by the teacher or is given extra time by the teacher to finish a certain class work, some people would easily say that the teacher is playing favourites or giving favors only to the few he or she chooses.
However, we should come to realize that it would difficult to play favourites because once you are an adviser of a certain class you get attached to the whole class not just to particular individuals in the class. As a teacher, every child under your care becomes your favourite and if anyone says something against anyone – even in the most notorious and the most misbehaved pupil – you would feel hurt as a teacher as a mother or father would hurt if they hear something against their child. We tend to love the class as a whole, no matter how many times we say that we hate our class because of so much noise, laziness, lousiness and all, we still love the class as a family, especially if you have been with them for a year or more. By the end of the school year, you tend to have created a special bond with all of them – even with the ones who have religiously made you angry the whole year.
It may be that some pupils are asked to run errands more often than the others, not because they are the favourites but because they may be more responsible in attending to assigned tasks and some pupils are really very assertive and look delightful when they are asked to do something. Some pupils may be called more often to recite, not because they are favourites but because they are the ones who need more boosting and practice. Some pupils may be asked to be left out after the class is dismissed not because he’s the favourite but may be because he needs more time for coaching and remediation. Some pupils are scolded more often than the others not because they are the least liked by the teacher but may be because they more “spanking” and pangaral in order to correct their wrong ways or modify their value system.
For a teacher, playing favourites may not the right word but knowing better who needs help and who is independent; who loves errands and who doesn’t; who communicates more to the teacher and who is more reserved. And this skill makes the teacher – a mother, a counsellor, a psychiatrist, a friend and a teacher – all rolled into one.
By: Maricar S. Gerella | Abucay North Elementary School | Abucay, Bataan
