Good Student vs Bad Student

This weeks topic of good students really has me thinking about what this means. I remember from previous courses, being told over and over again that there is no such thing as a bad student. When discussing the ‘good student’, we are typically thinking about a student who is always ready to learn, done their work on time, is respectful of their teachers and peers, and is always behaving in and out of the classroom. However, when we think of the ‘bad student’, we not only think about the exact opposite of a good student, but we also think about how we can control these students into behaving like a ‘good student.’

I personally believe that this is unfair of us as teachers to label these students in such ways, and to expect each student to be the ‘good student.’ Why are teachers and schools so focused on forming students to fit these molds? Forcing students to become the good student may encourage them to fight it and do their best to stand out anyways.