A “good student” is described in many ways. Through common sense being a good student means to be a student who is your perfect little quiet, listening, attentive student who studies hard and participates in class all while getting everything in on time. The issue with this is it’s unrealistic and almost never in the case realistic or achievable. In real life all the students have lives outside of the classroom varying in intensity and maturity needed. Some students may be able to go home and continue being a kid while others go home and have to grow up and take on responsibilities.

Through Kumoshiro’s story about M he shows what a “bad student” is. Now in all reality M may not have been the best student by common sense standards but who’s to say it wasn’t being caused by a factor out of her control at home resulting in poor behavior at school. Being a good student by these standards is easier said than done but people who are more likely than not to benefit are those that are upper-class families, who have good relationships with each other. The benefit of beginning upper class means when you’re in school you don’t have to worry about getting to and from school, because regardless of whether you’ll have a way to get to and from. You also can concentrate on school because you don’t have to worry about if you’re going to eat that day. Also having good healthy relationships with your family when you get home means you can get help with work, you will be able to talk openly about emotions and won’t have to worry about getting into a fight when you get home.

The “good student” is shaped by decades old definitions of students that they built through barbaric means of teaching. We no longer beat kids into line during class or need to teach them to go work in lines in factories. Nowadays we understand every student is different with their different needs and that hitting them with a meterstick won’t do any good, but will only make things worse. Now the aim is to tailor to each student to help them reach their goals and learn the material at their own rate.