Male Teacher	Female Teacher	Male Student	Female Student
Overweight Authority figure Not "with it" No life Not as smart as students Likes wearing vests or sweaters Bad tempered Boring Ignored by students: more of a nuisance Or there is always the opposite stereotype: Nice, but ineffectual Still not as smart as students Doesn't notice when students are up to things Lets students get away with things when they are caught Still ignored by students, despite being well-liked	Tough Shrieky Not "with it" No life Portrayed as being smart, but is still constantly outwitted by students No fashion sense Boring Ignored by students: more of a nuisance Or "Bombshell"  Subjected to sexual innuendo by male students Or Nice, but ineffectual Talks in a childish or perky manner to cynical students (even in secondary grades!) Doesn't notice when students are up to things Lets students get away with things when they are caught Still ignored by students, despite being well-liked	"In" crowd Always dressed in the coolest fashions Athletic, attractive Smarter than teachers "Hip" talkers Constantly talks back to teachers Usually plotting to outwit teachers Obsessed with the opposite sex, cars, and rock music School seems secondary to social life  "Out" Crowd Big, tough, stupid bullies Nerdy, "brains" who lack social skills and are the brunt of much of the "cool" crowd humour	"In" crowd Impossibly thin, always well-dressed in clothes that teachers certainly couldn't afford! Smarter than teachers "Hip" talkers Use flirting methods rather than rudeness to outwit teachers Obsessed with the opposite sex, fashion and shopping School seems secondary to social life "Out" Crowd Nerdy, unattractive girls Smart "teacher's pets" Cruel, conniving In-crowd-wannabe's (usually attractive girls, but not as attractive as the show's main characters - much of the plot usually revolves around these girls trying to steal the cool girl's boyfriends)

TV Teachers & Students: Overview of Portrayals

 

Teachers

Students

Generally, TV sitcom teachers seem to be set up in adversarial roles. They are seen as obstacles who have to be outwitted, rather then as individuals who are on the side of their students. TV teachers in dramas, such as Dangerous Minds are depicted as individuals who care about their students, but they are still seen as "the enemy" by the kids and the plot is based on these teachers having to "earn" their students' trust. Specialised teachers also fall into identifiable stereotypes: the phys-ed teacher with the baseball cap, tacky sweat suit, ubiquitous whistle, loud voice and "rah rah" mentality; the spaced out, nerdy science teacher with the thick glasses, frazzled hair and oversized lab coat; the principal (still predominantly male) who is depicted as the ultimate authority figure, to both students and teachers.

Actual learning is the lowest priority of TV students. Ask your students to consider how much of their day is spent in the classroom, and compare this to how much time TV students spend in the classroom. The focus of these shows is on the social life of the kids; teachers and schoolwork are incidental. Grades are seen as conflicts. Very few "cool" students are seen trying to improve their marks for their own sakes (especially in sitcoms). Usually, attempting to get better grades is in response to parental pressure, to impress a member of the opposite sex, or a reaction to the threat of losing a position on an athletic team - seldom for the student's own sake. Relationships are everything. Much of the plot in school-based sitcoms revolves around "the dating game," with sexual innuendo rampant, even among junior high school students.