How to Suck Up to a Teacher Without Being Called a Kiss Up

Ways to Better Grades While Still Looking Cool in School

Having a good relationship with your teachers or at least neutral ones, can make a big difference in your success (i.e., grades!). Believe it or not there are ways to get on your teacher's good side without drawing attention to yourself and turning into the class kiss up.

Nobody wants to be seen as a teacher's pet in school, but getting better grades are important and getting along with your teachers can greatly influence just how well you will do.

Follow these steps and you'll be getting better grades in no time!

Step 1: Show up (on time)


Probably the easiest step (for most of us) is to just show up on time to class. Yeah, showing up on time means you may not have as much time to talk to your friends in the halls or by the lockers, but to a teacher it means you're showing respect. And teachers love respect.

Showing up on time means you're not the one disrupting the class by coming in late. A sure way to draw negative attention is to arrive late, forcing the teacher to stop talking while everyone watches you meander (or rush) to your seat. If you want better grades, show up to school and classes on time.

Kiss UP Alert
Showing up too early and eagerly could result in the teacher's pet label so guard against that. Just show up before the bell rings and you will already be on the right track.

Step 2: Shut up


Don't talk during class and if possible, actually pay attention. (Note if you have problems paying attention, check out "How to take Good Lecture Notes" below, for some tips). Just being quiet and actually paying attention will not only earn you secret points with the teacher, but you might actually learn something and get better grades in school, too!

Kiss UP Alert -

You don't need to raise your hand for every question like the classic nerds and geeks on TV. That just annoys everyone.

Step 3: Turn in your homework (on time and completed)

Notice I didn't say your homework has to be perfectly neat or completely correct. Just trying your best and adhering to the teacher's due dates will make a HUGE impression. At many schools, you can get better grades just by turning homework in on time because lots of teachers mark off points when homework is turned in late.