I recently came upon a case of favoritism in my life…
It had to happen eventually but the idea behind it kind of irritates me. This is a conscious decision by an individual to be more lenient when it comes to the grading (in this case) than another student in the class. On the surface it seems unfair, yes, but in hindsight it teaches a valuable lesson. One thing that I have learned while studying business is that people like to work with people they like. Simple, makes sense. So why would we shun this in schools (along with a lot of other things)?
I know what you’re thinking; a suck up is the last thing we want to see in a classroom trust me. This is different though because I’m talking about a student who excels in a class and forms a relationship – strictly academic and professional – with their professor who is teaching them a valuable lesson. Anyone who comes prepared, participates and completes their work on time has a better chance of succeeding and thus getting on the professor’s good side. Will they give them a better grade for this? Maybe, but that’s not my point. When deciding how to grade said individual, the professor will consciously be aware of their aptitude and eagerness to learn and thus be somewhat biased as there is room for ambiguity. This is the way that the world works.
Now there are a lot of other cases were favoritism can be applied, so if you have ever experienced it, want to share your thoughts about it or just don’t agree with me, please comment below!
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