I was a TOTAL teacher pleaser in elementary school and then had a teacher who so offended my sense of fairness in middle school that I lost all fear of challenging authority. In hindsight I don't regret challenging the teachers I challenged (the teachers I respected found me to be an active, respectful participant in class), but I probably could have let some things go that I didn't. Once a teacher lost my respect I looked for every loophole I could find--definitely more about my attitude towards the teacher than a reflection of my need for truth and accuracy
That is very much me! It was fifth grade for me, when I got a first-year teacher who was convinced she had been dropped into a school of savages who needed to be civilized (she was a "town girl" and doctor's daughter and we were a country school). We also had the school district superintendent's son in our class, and she was determined to build her career by sucking up to him as much as possible. We quickly saw right through her and developed a healthy lack of respect in a hurry!
