Favoritism at HC
Throughout our lives, we experience different relationships with different people. We may find we enjoy the company of some more than we do others. It’s just the way of life, right? We, as students, have favourite teachers. So that must mean that teachers have favourite students, right?
In class, you can often hear students complaining about receiving a 4- even though another student, seemingly, did the exact same thing as the first student and got a 4+, suggesting that the teacher must be demonstrating favoritism.
We as students are under a lot of academic stress. It is always prevalent and, sometimes, the predominant emotion in our lives. Having to worry about whether or not a teacher “likes” us is just an added weight on our shoulders, and can be detrimental to our work habits and participation in class. Students will often think: “What do teachers look for in a student’s personality?” “Does favouritism really affect my work?” “Is there actually favouritism or are we all just worrying about nothing?” I conducted an anonymous survey addressing both teachers and students to answer these big questions. I chose to survey all the students in my grade, and all the students from my house.
The results of the survey showed that students and teachers agreed that favouritism does exist at Havergal. However, students and teachers disagreed when asked whether they believed favouritism affects students’ marks, with students supporting the affirmative, and teachers supporting the negative. Some student responses were that favouritism makes them more reluctant to ask questions as they believe the teacher does not like them, that it affects marks negatively, or that it makes them feel discouraged. Some students said they feel they work harder if a teacher likes them as it gives them more motivation to do well in their class. Students who are “favoured” by teachers reported performing better, and those who aren’t expressed more negative results and feelings.
Teachers from the sample group believed that there is some favouritism at school, but the general consensus was that it does not affect marks or how an assignment is ultimately viewed. They mostly defined favouritism as how they distribute their attention in class. Some responses to the question “What causes some students to receive more attention than others?” were:
“Personality traits - Sometimes outgoing but sometimes also quiet, reflective— depends on a student, if students actually ask for help (They ask for it either explicitly or implicitly.
As a teacher, I am well aware that I am a fallible human being, and so I know that while I do try to make sure that I'm engaging equally and fairly with every student who takes my class, I know that I fall short.), and if students express openness to learning.”
From these answers, we can see an interesting perspective on how teachers view their students. It seems that when a student is expressing interest, openness, or offering input, they catch the teacher’s eye. This is understandable as it is human nature to feel more purposeful when somebody is showing you attention. Students can potentially help teachers feel more motivated, by showing them that we care about what they’re saying.
When asked how favouritism plays out in class, some responses from students were: Sometimes teachers will just talk with certain students more or be friendlier with them. Teachers telling you to stop talking while other people can continue. When teachers get upset with you in class. The teacher tells you to stop talking but you're literally not. When your work is the same quality as someone else's, but they get a better mark.
Looking at these student responses, the overall consensus seems to be that favouritism is mostly portrayed in how a teacher chooses to penalize different people. Students often compare themselves to others, so when teachers get angry, some students will measure the levels of frustration expressed to various classmates.
Overall, it seems that favouritism is prevalent at Havergal. Taking all the information in this article into account, you can make your own decisions as to whether your opinions on favoritism have changed. It's our job as students to express interest in the courses we take and respect our teachers. This way, the dynamic within our classes can be less focused on the differences in which some students are treated and move forward to build more cohesive student-teacher relationships.