Tell-Tale Traits of a Memorable Student

Students that make a memorable impact on instructors tend to have similar traits to those teachers. The teachers of Springfield PB3, most of whom have extensive experience, recently completed a survey concerning their students. The survey, in vague terms, quantified the traits that appealed to teachers based on the students that stood out to them.

The main part of the survey surrounded the students who “stood out” themselves, letting teachers describe their students by choosing from a pool of common traits. Out of 26 responses, 80.8% of teachers agreed that there had been a student who stood out to him or her, whilst 19.2% disclosed that there had not been a student who stood out.

The 21 teachers who had agreed that a student stood out to them then proceeded to describe that memorable pupil. It appears that more than half of the students the teachers described were academically driven, while only one was a procrastinator. Being studious and diligent also seemed to appeal to teachers, as nine students were described to be. The same amount of students were also reported to have been considered “smart” amongst peers.

The traits “loud/extroverted”, “followed the rules” and “punctual” were also used to describe seven students respectively. Surprisingly, of these remarkably memorable students, eight were even described to be “rebellious”.

The survey also questioned a secondary issue, “How similar are teachers to the students they found memorable?” From the survey’s results, it was apparent that each teacher and the respective students who stood out to them had many of the same traits. Out of 21 teachers, only seven did not share any characteristics with the students who stood out to them, and ten shared more than two traits with their chosen students.

The results of this survey vaguely redefined the stereotypical image of a teacher’s “preferred” student. More importantly, it also showed how a teacher’s own traits as a student could affect the traits that stood out to them as teachers. The reason for the previous finding might be empathy, as briefly explained by a teacher who had done the survey himself. “I imagine teachers would be more inclined to take better care of students who acted similarly to them as a student, because of how much easier it would be to empathize.”

So, next time you find yourself dreading the inevitable doom of becoming forgotten, think about acting like your favorite teacher.