Types of Students
As a teacher, I have seen different kinds of students: the quiet ones who won’t speak a word unless asked, the noisy kids who make the classroom look like a public market, the giddy girls who go to school to see their crushes, and the show-off boys who likes going around the institution’s premises just to brag about themselves. As much as I try to appear like I don’t know the cliques, I just can’t – maybe because I have been there and done that, kids.
Warning: This list includes some general observations. May or may not be applicable to everyone.
1.The GCs a.k.a. the Bibo Kids – These are the intelligent students who hang out at the corridors holding their books, notebooks, or any type of reviewer before the exams. They tend to always be ready for action of each other and see everyone as competition. They are generally inclined with anything that’s related to getting the top score in every quiz.
2.The Jocks/Beauty Queens – These are students who actively join beau cons (beauty contests) and sports activities but do not necessarily do well in class. We regard to them as eye-candies and often extend our patience in excusing them from the class whenever there are extra co-curricular activities that involve them.
3.The Ch(s)eatmates ¬– The students (most of the time friends) who share the answers to almost everything: homework, group activities, quizzes, and even major exams if the can.
Oftentimes, these kids are seated at the back part of the classroom, and are basically not noticeable. (But then again, we teachers know what you do so expect the unexpected as they say.)
4. The Rulers – Includes student government leaders, school paper editors-in-chief, club presidents, etcetera; who think that they are more privileged that the other students and do not realize the fact that they are servants too. They don’t get the point that Spiderman’s Uncle Ben is right when he said, “With great power comes great responsibility.”
As a teacher, I have seen different kinds of students and know that no matter how hard I try to evaluate and re-evaluate them, more and more groups will bud from the already existing factions. The abovementioned groups are actually those we had when I was a student, and which have survived over generations as I have noticed in the past advisory classes I have handled. As a teacher, I care about what they learn at school more than which group they belong to – because I know that it isn’t the cluster in which you fit in that defines who you really are as a person. We all go through phases and meet different faces as we grow. For now, I let my students discover who they are and who they want to be as I present to them the lessons that will equip them for the future.