Word of the Week: Streber

It might take some serious brain power to think back to eighth grade. But we can all remember that one person in class. Every class has one. The Streber.

You studied all weekend for the exam, but when you finally got it back, there was a big, fat C on top. (The annoying teachers used red ink, right?) The Streber, of course, got an A. Even worse, he bragged about hardly studying at all over the weekend.

It doesn't help that he's the teacher's pet, but he's certainly not a genius. So what's his secret? He always follows the rules to avoid every possible conflict with the teacher - or, later on in life, with the boss. Like teachers, bosses also tend to favor the Streber.

While they may get good grades or have a positive standing with their supervisors, the downside of being a Streber is that you won't have many friends.