by Amber Alexander

Created on: April 19, 2007   Last Updated: May 02, 2007

You know what they say about opinions. Everybody's got one. Teachers are no exception. It would be nice if they could see every student as equal. If they truly, deep down believed that every student had the same potential. If no student ever got on their nerves or tested their patience until they wanted to give up teaching. Unfortunately it doesn't work that way. All teachers are human. All teachers have opinions about their students. Just as all students are human and are, in fact, definitely not the same.

Now, having an opinion and allowing that opinion to affect your behavior are two different things. It is a teacher's job to teach. Not to decide whether or not each individual student is worth being taught. High school years are rough on most everyone. Some more than others, but everyone feels that pinch on some level. These are years where students are searching to figure out who they are. And before they even have the answers they are suddenly expected to factor in things like career goals and college prep.

With all that pressure and all that uncertainty, high school students are particularly vulnerable. If the adults in thier life, including teachers, feel the need to box them in and give them a label, they may just accept it. You say I'm a troublemaker, that I have no motivation, that I won't amount to anything. Well, you're the teacher. So it must be true. The opposite can be true as well. A student that is subjected to much higher expectations than many other students, that is consistently expected to be the best, may burn out. They may choose to rebel and give it all up.

While it is not possible for teachers to actually avoid forming opinions about their students and their potential, it is important not to let those opinions be known to the student. Students that struggle should be encouraged but also held to the same standards as everyone else. They should not be allowed to slack simply because it's easier than actually making the effor to motivate them. Students who excel should be praised but not pushed. High school needs to be given the opportunity to discover who they are, not be given an assigned category.

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