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I read an article in one of our Jewish publications about a rebbi who took a substitute job for just a couple of days and was taken by a student and took special interest in helping him get to camp and how that affected his life. The same publication has a serial story, one of the story lines of which has a character that terribly mistreats one of hers students. Now that school is back in session, I would hope all teachers would keep in mind that playing favorites is wrong and singling out others for bad treatment is even worse. You don’t know what kind of impact this has on a class. Think of the kids who would crave singular attention and never get it, and how mistreatment can destroy a child for life
I’m surprise this post generated no comment. Is it that playing favorites or torturing non-favorites is acceptable behavior?
No, it’s that you’ve said a lot, and other people have nothing more to say. And most of us are not teachers.
Not only directed to teachers, but to parents of children who are aware of it, But OK
What Rebyidd said.
So did that rebbi who took a special interest do something wrong by playing favorites?
Playing favorites is okay, because it generates healthy competition among the students.
Does a parent do wrong by playing favorites? My point is that taking special interest in one student when there are other students who can also benefit from the special interest is questionable. The story I cited referred to this rebbi raising money so this student can go to camp. What about other boys in the class whose parents can’t afford to send them to camp. How does taking special interest in one student over others affect one’s self esteem. I know I felt bad when some students were favored, and I am sure I was not alone.
Sometimes there is no competition say between an extremely bright boy who the rebbi favors and and an average or poor student.
It’s great that a rebbi raised money so that one of his students could go to camp. Maybe there were reasons why the rebbe felt that this student needed it.
BUT – The rebbi should have made sure to do it in such a way that NO ONE – not even the student himself – should have realized that the money was raised by the rebbi. Otherwise I’m sure other students would have felt bad about it. Especially the other kids who would have loved to go to camp but couldn’t.
