What’s worse: teacher’s pet or teacher’s kid

By CAITLIN WILLIAMS

Everyone knows that if you are the teacher’s pet you are going to be picked on. You know all of the answers and exceed all expectation. You are mocked and made the butt of the classroom jokes.

Whenever you answer a question in the class, especially when you get said question correct, the whispers around the room go from a quiet church mouse to snickering weasels. You get picked on inside and outside of class. Classmates’ cruel teasing follows you everywhere you go while at school.

You are asked questions like: did you do your homework? Wait, you didn’t do tomorrow’s homework?

In addition, you know the sense of dread that comes with knowing that your parents will know about everything that goes on in your class.

If you are the teacher’s kid, I know your pain. I could not tell you how many times I was put in awkward situations because of being the teacher’s daughter. I remember one specific time where an acquaintance vented to me about this annoying teacher they had and how she punished him for talking while she was giving instruction.

When I asked who the teacher was, he responded with a curt, “Mrs. Williams,” He didn’t make the connection. Of course right after he said this, my face got hot with embarrassment. My friend immediately chimed in and told him that was my mom and to shut up.

While everyone has after school activities or is watching TV, the teacher’s kid is still stuck at school. While my mom was busy grading papers, I sat staring at the ceiling or worked on all of my homework for the next few days.

Family nights for most families are game nights or movie nights, anything fun as long as the entire family is together. And though that’s sometimes the case for families with a parents who is also a teacher, most family nights are spent on the floor of the living room or at the kitchen table grading our parent’s student assignments.

How do you spend your summer days? Beach or lounging by the pool? Summer concerts with all of your friends? You must not be a teacher’s kid. Beginning of the summer is spent helping your parent pack up their classroom and move it all either home or to their classroom for the next year. End of summer means unpacking all of it again, and helping them decorate the entire classroom and their bulletin boards.

Just because you are a teacher’s kid does not mean you held to the same expectations of course. Not only are their expectations for you higher, but you are also still expected to exceed them. Any sort of rebellion against the rules or the ways of the classroom, your parent will hear about it before you even get to the end of the day. “I just wish I could have heard what you did wrong from you, not from my coworker,” said parent.

But while you are learning in your next class, your parent is already hearing your daily behavior report for the day.