The cream of the class...

In any class there are children who behave well and who don't behave. I don't call them good children and bad children, because its not the 'children' who are good or bad but its 'their behaviour' which is good or bad. Teachers often forget to make this important distinction or do not make it visibly enough. So many children grow up thinking they are good or bad in themselves. So it is important to point out the difference over here.

But there is a third, smaller category of children. Some children are academically good but they give hard time to teachers otherwise. They finish their work and get into some unrelated activity in class. Like, they start a game when they quickly finish maths work. They are not shy of suggesting or giving opinions. Like, they give me reasons why I should not be teaching Maths but Science today. They argue back making weird exceptions to your point. Like, one child asked me if veins have valves to stop blood flowing downwards then are there valves in arteries going to brain ? They play on words. Like a child told me in Maths class that this is an example example. These children are typically not toppers in the class. Neither do they seem to care much.

Usually they recognize smartness in others and are sporty about it. The sheer fun of playing around with ideas is greater to them than personal grudges. They are the ones who, I hope, will grow-up and question the system. They will think out-of box. With right opportunity and guidance, they would become leaders, entrepreneurs, inventors, inspiring educators. According to me this third category of children are the cream of the class, however difficult they may be to a teacher.