"Teachers' Pets'" lives are not easy-here are 10 reasons why

having a "Teacher's Pet" when you were in school? I do. And honestly, I couldn't help but dislike him and be in awe of his wisdom at the same time. He always at in his seat at the front of the class. I tried that once, but that never made me any wiser. It did him for our fourth-grade teacher, (a) Mrs. Rosa Bowling, always called on him to get answers for her questions while I and the rest of my class just sat quietly and played the role of less-than-intellgent kids.

Don't feel sorry for me. This was, I thought, my lot in life in grade school. As the school year wore on, I grew used to this know-it-all and how much he knew. Yes, I did try to study and read as much as I could, but that did not increase my wisdom. I guess this "Teacher's Pet" had a gift for knowledge.

In my high school

years, I was subjected to yet another "Teacher's Pet," and although he was super-smart, he never flaunted his knowing all things about all things we had to study. My older age, I suppose, helped me to look over this guy with a computer for a brain.

I did have a moment of poetic justice. Seems that this "Teacher's Pet" did not think going to college through and over-loaded himself with various classes of higher learning. Question: How much higher than an "A+" can one get? Anyway, this guy did not fare well. He did as most "Teacher's Pets" do. He washed out and had to return home.

No. I did not gloat. Funny. I did feel sorry for him. Why? I may never know.

I thought it might be nice to write a piece in honor of all "Teacher's Pets" everywhere, so here it is. The 10 confessions why a "Teacher's Pet's" live is not easy.

10.) "I have grown to hate the daily beatings given to me by the students in my class who despise me for being the "Teacher's Pet." I try to reason with these students of whom most are students who have been kept back for two years running, but since they are all bigger than I am, I just take the beatings and try to get home without calling 9-1-1."

9.) "I hate those awful, demeaning nick-names: "Brownie Points," "Suck Up," and "Teacher's Lap Dog," but is it really my fault for being so intelligent that I always make high marks on my work?"

8.) "I dread going to class each day for how the less-than-intelligent students line up at my desk (before our teacher arrives) to take their turn to slapping me for passing the mid-term exams with no problem. I tried to make them laugh hoping that laughter would defuse their anger toward me, but "Toby "Teeth" Junnstein," the leader of these malcontents just called me their "punching bag" and let me have it causing me to have a severe nose bleed."

7.) "Some of these hateful students even put a tube of Super Glue in my desk before I got to class and since you cannot see this glue, I just sat down--and stayed sitting down when the bell rang. Oh, the hateful students had a great laugh (at me) for falling for this prank. Even our teacher asked me why I was so smart in book knowledge, but so ignorant in everyday common sense."

6.) "I am growing very afraid to raise my hand when I know the answer to the question being asked by our teacher for last week I raised my hand to answer a math question, and hey, was it my fault for being the only student who knew (and always knows) the answer? I heard one of the angry boys whisper, "watch this jerk raise his hand next time when I throw fire-ants on his arm."

5.) "What am I to do, act dumb? I would do that to save my hide, but I want to get to college and well, if students there are like these in high school, playing dumb may not be a bad idea."

4.) "I did try to get my parents to legally change my name, but when we arrived at the probate judge's office, the clerk poked fun at me and made me cry because she said that her son was one of the failing students in my class where I am known as "Teacher's Pet."

3.) "I begged my parents to allow me to wear a disguise to class to keep from being harassed for being so intelligent, but thanks to the always-contentious teacher, I had to pull off my big glasses and nose disguise to the delight of my mean classmates. Toby "Teeth" Junnstein," said, "hey, his real face looks even worse than the mask! Boy, did I feel low that day."

2.) "There was this one time that one of the dumber classmates (who could easily get jobs without a work permit) hid my desk and I was forced to stand for the entire class time. I thought that our teacher might side with me and punish the troublemaker, but she confided in me after class that she would have stood up for me but she feared for her life since "Teeth" Junnstein's" wife and two children were moving into a house next to hers."

1.) "I think that I have the solution to my daily harassment by the upset classmates. I will tell "Toby "Teeth" Junnstein," that I will be his 'pet' and do his homework, get groceries for his wife and children, wash their car, clean their house and other chores if he will tell the rest of his bully classmates to just leave me alone. And if he agrees, I already have myself a new moniker, "Toby's Pet."

How do you like my new name?

Good night, Portland, Oregon.