During my stint as "teacher's pet" at the dojo I have been discussing, i made the mistake of relating some comment one of the other students had made (about something that happened at a seminar) to the sensei, because i thought he would find it amusing. instead, he said "XX shouldn't say things like that" and dragged XX in for, you guessed it, a one hour lecture on the inappropriateness of gossiping in the dojo. I was horrified. Several months later when I relayed another thing someone else said, sensei got all bent out of shape and told me that he was going to have a word with that student. By this time I was no longer teachers pet and told this student someone might want to have a word with you. This student never did get a talking to, but his attitude was "ha! let him talk to me". It may be possible that the sensei's girlfriend is not seeking this result, on the other hand, she may be enjoying her priviledged position. The effect it had on me, perhaps a deliberate effect, was isolation from the other students. Not cool.