The Ohio State University R esearch in education has not often concentrated on what takes place in schools. Instead, it has focused on how schools should be changed the better. In doing that I believe researchers have disappointed teachers who must stand on the firing line day after day. This paper presents one example of a growing body of research that attempts to describe accurately and adequately some important things that happen in schools and classrooms. My purpose here is to describe briefly a stereotyping practice young students employ frequently, called labeling. My broader goal is to describe and explain what it means to be a student. I call this goal the search for a theory of studentship. For example, when the bell rings in the morning, what are students thinking about as the teacher takes roll? What part do recesses play in determining how much work a student chooses to do? Or, how important are those peers around the student as he or she goes through the day, from math to recess to reading?