School is a lot of things: It can be fun. It can be educational. It can be rewarding.
It can also be ridiculous. Dumb punishments are a thing, people. (I remember receiving several days' worth of detention for not having a hall pass, myself.)
Today's burning question came from Redditor Southsidevixen, who asked the online community: "People of Reddit, what was the dumbest thing you got punished for in school?"
Let's just say it's amazing how brazen some of these teachers are!
"I was suspended for three days..."
In 7th grade I found a notebook in the hallway and turned it in to my teacher. I was suspended for three days because there was a drawing of a centaur holding a pitchfork and they deemed that as gang related(!?!?!). This is in Atlanta, so, no gangs matching that description here.
"Was in the bathroom stall..."
Elementary school. Was in the bathroom stall taking a dump during lunch. Someone runs in and starts kicking all the stall doors in to where it becomes a pain for kids my age (at the time, obviously) to open them. Kerblam, door swings in toward me just a bit and gets stuck. I'm trying my best to get the damn door open to no avail. Don't remember how long I was in there alone just crying, but one of the lunch aides comes to lock the door to the bathroom for the day, hears me, gets me out of there, then proceeds to yell at me for being in the bathroom at that time. She goes so far as to take me to the office to have my mother called in, which they do instead of letting me explain myself. When she shows up and I explain myself to her, she gets irate and tears everyone in the school office a new one.
No matter what I did from then on, I never had my mother called while I was there.
"We got 25 questions for homework."
We got 25 questions for homework. I did 24 questions but didn't understand question 25, the teacher gave me "20 lines signed by my parents" for not doing my homework.
"Flipped the monitor screen..."
Flipped the monitor screen upside down (CTRL + ALT + Arrow Key), got banned from using any school computer for the rest of the year.
"One of my teachers..."
One time my best friend at the time and I (both female) exchanged a hug at recess because we were in different classes. One of my teachers sent us "to the wall" where we had to stand for 30 minutes alone, because she claimed by hugging we were trying to turn on our male friends. We were in grade 6.
"In 6th grade the teacher ripped up my assignment..."
In 6th grade the teacher ripped up my assignment in front of the class and gave me detention because I didn't wait until I was home to do my "homework."
"My teacher bent down and whispered..."
8th Grade. Our school had a weird layout where you had to walk through classrooms to get to another classroom. As I was passing through one, I was telling my friend how this new video game is "Freakin' Awesome!"
Teacher pulls me aside and asks what I said. I told her I said it was "Freakin' Awesome" and she scolded me for using a substitute for a bad word. What.... dis aint even my teacher and she's telling me I can't use a substitute? I asked her, "What about darn or heck? Aren't though they technically substitutes?"
She got all red in the face and huffy and said, "GO TO THE PRINCIPAL'S RIGHT NOW FOR TALKING BACK!" I told her I would be late for class which is right through that door! She didn't appreciate the added defiance and grabbed my bicep and dragged me into the classroom. She told my teacher what I said and yelled, "Discipline him however you feel is necessary." My teacher nodded and she huffed out of the room.
My teacher bent down and whispered that she gets grouchy in the mornings. Just be careful what I say when I pass her and that was that.
"They said I needed a hall pass."
Trying to go to the library during lunch.
They said I needed a hall pass. Fine, I went and got one. Then they were upset because the hall pass didn't have an "end" time on it, but the teacher who gave me the pass was the same class I'd return to after lunch (it was a split period class) ... and when I tried to show them my schedule to prove that they sent me to the principal's office for "insubordination". I just wanted to do some research for a paper!
Joke's on them, that teacher ended up just giving me several pre-signed passes because in his words "that is just really dumb."
"One day after a weekly assembly..."
My school forbid students from dyeing their hair. One day after a weekly assembly, they decided to do a spot check. No socks? Punished. No school badge on your breast pocket? Punished. See my hair is black. But when exposed under the sun, it turns dirt brown. They did a spot check under the sun that day and guess who got punished for "dyeing their hair". This was 10 years ago.
"I was in math class..."
Yawning.
I was in math class and while the teacher was doing a problem, I yawned. Not loudly, not exaggeratedly. I just covered my mouth and did a silent yawn.
Teacher saw and literally stopped teaching and stared me down. I turned red and just sat there and she squared her shoulders and said, "since you aren't going to apologize for disrespecting me, you can get out of my classroom. It's too boring here anyways for you, I suppose". I was confused and asked why and she said, "you're just too smart to be here, so get out".
I went to the office and couldn't tell them why I was in trouble. When the teacher called down she said I yawned and looked bored. The principal wasn't very happy with her reason and scolded her before sending me back to class but still. What the f*ck?
"There were these two sisters..."
Giphy
There were these two sisters who bullied me and my best friend for months, we went to the principal many times and nothing was ever done about it. One day they were following us around after school talking sh*t and finally I turned around and said something along the lines of them being fat and to leave us alone (I know it's a sh*tty comeback especially compared to all the things they were saying but whatever) My friend went home and minutes later they jumped me from behind in the main lobby and I got a two day suspension for instigating the "fight."
"There was this terrible teacher..."
For answering a question incorrectly.
There was this terrible teacher who would make you stand up in the class and say "I'm a twit" if you answered the question she asked you wrong. It's a terrible thing to instil in kids, to be afraid to make a mistake and to attempt to humiliate them for trying.
"I was forced to write the two boys..."
Getting beat up by two other kids in the bathroom.
When I was in 5th grade, we were doing our end of year testing, so we were supposed to be well behaved and serious. They gave us a bathroom break, so a large group of boys all went. When I came out of the stall, one kid grabbed me from behind and held my arms behind my back, and another kid kept punching me in the stomach and chest. My teacher came storming in, everyone dispersed, and she grabbed me by the arm and dragged me back to class.
I was forced to write the two boys, who beat ME up, an apology letter. She threatened to "have me expelled from the entire school district" if I didn't, and never gave me the chance to explain myself. Me being a 5th grader, I thought I had to listen to her, and I was always too afraid to tell my parents out of fear of getting in trouble. The two boys never got in trouble, I was the only one who did, and I was never allowed to explain my side of the story.
"I'd shave in the morning..."
Not shaving (Catholic school). Boys had to be clean shaven every day.
I'm Greek. The company that makes brillo pads pays us royalties.
I'd shave in the morning and have a five o'clock shadow by 10am. Shortly after lunch I had legit stubble.
Two detentions and a forced dry shaving before I went in one morning, presented myself to the Dean of Students to show how nice and cleanly shaven I was and then reported back after lunch with an almost beard.
Punishments stopped after that. I don't know what I would have done if the DOS had left the school before graduation. I guess go through it all over again.
You say Fish?
Giphy
I was around 8 at the time, sitting in our school assembly, with everyone singing Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer. Little me thinking I was hilarious, sang out "used to laugh and call him names, like fish face," and then laughed at my amazing wit. My teacher instantly gave me daggers, and tells me I have after school detention. So I'm annoyed sitting in detention, forced to write out the lyrics to the song over and over, thinking wow this woman is passionate about Rudolf. After 45min i mustered up the courage to ask what's so bad about saying "fish face," as it turns out she thought I said "f**k face." Still had to stay in detention for another half hour. who_datboi
It's not the Same....
5th or 6th grade, I told a friend i liked a girl or had a crush on this girl, he wrote her a love letter signed my name and slid it in her locker. The next morning i got called to the office my teacher was there, with another teacher holding the note, asked me why i done this. I didn't do that I said, they got my notebook to compare the handwriting, COMPLETELY DIFFERENT but they insisted it was identical, I gave up after about 30 minutes and accepted my punishment of 1 day lunch detention (eat lunch alone) whatever... 2 days later i found out who did it... ha ha ha good times. tedstone
Don't Shoot!
I was into serial killers as a teen. In a "it's interesting how the human brain works" kind of way. Someone mentioned a rather famous one, randomly, while we were on break in a class. I said "oh yeah he's super interesting" went into no details. The teacher says "who is that you're talking about?" I said "oh, he was a serial killer, known for killing young boys." Boom. Trouble. Name written on the board as a trouble maker, sent to the principal's office.
I was also sent to the office by the same teacher because a new student was threatening to shoot me in the head. After she verbally threatened me for awhile she started making shooting motions with her hands when the teacher wasn't looking. Finally i said to her "stop threatening to shoot me!" And yep, said the word "shoot" so I got sent to the office. My explanations didn't matter to them. Rainingcatsnstuff
You're Wrong Dear....
Giphy
One time my teacher was explaining a math problem on the board and she made an arithmetic mistake. I raised my hand and pointed out the mistake and she looked at her notes and verified that she had transcribed it correctly. I tried to argue that just because it's written in her notes doesn't mean it's correct and that she should investigate here and now. Unfortunately I was just a kid and couldn't explain that very well. She thought I was being rude and sent me into the hall. RRuruurrr
Curious to hear from those who lived to tell their distressing stories, Redditor mind_guardian asked:
"For survivors of attempted kidnapping. How did you escape?"
The following Redditor had very close calls.
Spontaneous Escape Plan
"Guy at a club and his mix of friends was insistent about coming back to a party, I politely declined. Didn't think much of it. They got increasingly aggressive about it, to a physical extent, and I left. Walking back home, I realized they were following me in their car."
"Dashed down the road through the mid-path of a packed apartment complex and just started yelling like crazy."
"No one actually responded or poked their head out or maybe they just didn't hear me. But it sparked the escape reflex of the creeps and I hid in a bush until my heart slowed down. Jumped the fence of someone's property -risky in its own right- wandered through a field, avoiding the main roads, and circled back to a side-street to home. Lucky I knew the area better than they did."
– Dangercakes13
Offering A Ride Home
"I don't know sure what this was, but i was riding my bike home alone, cutting through a deserted middle school and high school parking lots during the summer time. A man in a station wagon pulled up and offered me a ride home. I never stopped pedaling, just said no I'm fine."
"He pressed several times saying he could fit my bike in his car, it was no big deal. I kept saying no. He gave up and left. Don't know if it was just a genuinely helpful guy (this was the late 70s or early 80s so it wasn't yet completely extinct practice that strangers might offer each other rides) or a potential kidnapper."
– DiligentAdvantage475
Up In The Treehouse
"My mum was always paranoid someone would kidnap us kids from the yard. We used to play outside while she worked from home, we were 10, 8 and 6 at this time. She paid our neighbours teenage daughter to sit in the yard and watch us. Mostly she just ignored us and read a magazine with her headphones on and Walkman playing, but she was nice to us. I remember thinking this was stupid and mum was right there anyway so why did I 'basically a teenage' need to be babysat lol."
"One day we were all up in our tree house being jerks to our babysitter and unplugging her headset cord while she was trying to nap. A man and woman came into the yard via the side gate. They started talking to my youngest sibling trying to get her to climb down. The babysitter screamed for help but no one came. She ended up throwing the ladder from the treehouse over our back fence into her own yard and made us all climb into her yard with her dog who was going insane at the fence."
"We ended up locked in her house and she called the police. My mum didn't hear any of the commotion from inside the house and she won't speak about it even now that we are all adults. Never complained about my babysitter after that though."
– Dark_Valefor
The Creepy Customer
"I don’t remember how old I was, just that I was small enough to fit into the kids seat on a grocery cart. This was the early 90s and my mom had taken me grocery shopping with her. I was sitting in the grocery cart while my mom was focused on picking out produce only a few feet away when an older woman swooped in between us and started pushing the cart away quickly. I recall her smiling at me and trying to make me feel comfortable while also making the 'shh' gesture with her hand."
"I did not feel comfortable and started making enough noise to alert my mom. She ran over and loudly yelled at this stranger that this child was hers. The most chilling part that I still remember was that she didn’t flee the scene and instead made a comment about how cute I was and calmly walked away. Before she disappeared down an aisle she took one last look at me and winked."
– gnophy
People who were actually abducted talked about how they got out of their situation.
The Elderly Hero
"It was the 90s in SE Asia. I wasn’t old enough to go to school yet so my grandma took care of me while my parents were at work. My grandma had a little convenience store and one day 2 men approached her. One was in his 30s and the other was an old short man with white hair. They were carrying those hand weave basket pig cage."
"They asked my grandma if I was for sale. She told them to bugger off. While my grandma was distracted, they snatched me and I was carried away. I was kicking and screaming until they knocked me out. One of the neighbors saw me and alerted my grandma. My grandma rode her bicycle down the main street looking for me. She argued and threatened them to get me back."
"If it wasn’t for my grandma and her stubborn fierceness, I wouldn’t be here. She passed away in 2016. Love you and miss you grandma."
– Sir_Blinklot
Dumb Cabbie
"My wife told me that when she was just a teenager, she got in a cab and the cab driver just abducted her. He didn't take her to her destination, instead he took her to a hotel room. She was really scared but she kind of started playing along a little and pretended that she was interested and into it. Then he lay down on the bed, and she said something like 'Oh, I'm hungry. Can we order a pizza first?' and the cab driver said okay."
"So she picked up the phone, while she was dialing he wasn't paying attention so she disconnected the cable. Then she said, you know, I think the phone is broken. Let me go to the front desk to tell them, and I'll order the pizza while I'm there. So he says, okay sure."
"She went to the front desk and told them what was happening, they called the cops, the cops came and hauled him away."
– humanefly
Fighting For Life
"Was drugged at a small town bar, went to the bartender and asked what drink she had given me. She recited what I had ordered. I told her I asked because I'm not feeling well suddenly and it was like the world was spinning on its head. I sat at my seat because she said she hadn't seen anyone near my table/drink. Cool, whatever."
"It's getting worse and I feeling the worst I've ever felt in my life. I don't really remember what happened but a guy had led me outside and we were getting in a car. I remember hearing 'bracele' and seeing handcuff clink on my tiny a** wrist. My first response was scream, kick, anything. I already felt like vomiting and pooping so in my panic of scream and writhing around (drawing a LOT of attention from a closed car apparently) I stopped for a second and hear 'finally you b*tch' before I vomited all of the back seat, myself, and I threw myself forward to cover him as well."
"At this point I had no control between vomiting and screaming as loud I as could to vomit more, my drugged self was like 'it can't get worse for me' and I literally pulled my pants down and shat as my body saw fit. Guy never left the parking lot because of the commotion I raised."
"I remember hearing people banging on the windows and the guy freaking out, so I started screaming 'help' the best I could. The guy was arrested and charged with attempted kidnapping and drugging me with meth and fet that they found on his person. Blessed be the big man 'mike' who carried my vomit poop cover self to the gym (next to the bar) where they let me shower and change."
– totallyoriginalacct
The Ultimate Betrayal
"My best friend tricked me into hanging out with her after I moved to another coast to be closer to her. Once I got there she introduced me to her 'friend' then slipped out of the house. When i asked about it he laughed and said 'you really thought she was your friend? She owes me money and you’re her payment. I’ve known about you for months. None of this was coincidental' then proceeded to pull up pics of me and conversations between them two."
"After a lot of initial crying and begging I told him I needed to go to her house to get my stuff and my phone. He told me he would get me all new stuff and I didn’t need it. Why would I go back to her. I immediately told him that he was right. I didn’t wanna go back to her. That he really saved me from her cause what kind of friend would sell me to someone. I told him that he was gonna take care of me and I knew that. I just needed my phone to let my parents know I was okay and wouldn’t see them for a bit or they’d get worried and file a report."
"After much convincing he agreed to let me go to her house around the corner to grab my stuff and come back. I took off running once I got around the corner. Had to take 2 busses and 2 trains to get home. I haven’t had a close friend since."
– [deleted]
These Redditors recalled making a run for it before anything bad could happen.
Declining An Invitation
"When I was 8 years old (f) I had just moved to a new house that was directly across the street from the school I would be starting in just a month or two. I would sometimes go to the school and play by myself for a bit. One time I was headed back home when I was approached and surrounded by a group of boys in their early teens. They told me to come hang out at their house. I shook my head and tried to run home but was blocked. The second oldest pulls out a $20 and tells me that I can have it once we get to their house. I think for a moment and decline again but am blocked again from leaving. My heart is racing and I keep looking longingly at my house."
"The boy with the money holds it out to me and says to take it and he'll give me another $20 at the house, it's in his wallet, he forgot it. The oldest chimes in telling me I would be able to buy a LOT of candy with that money. I hesitate, and start to reach my hand out to take the money and then see my chance to run between two of the boys and escape. They yelled and tried to grab me but I made it home."
"I saw some of them on occasion but I always stayed far away and they seemed to have forgotten about me. I later learned that the house they were trying to take me to belonged to a drug addicted mother who was rarely home and her son's just did whatever they wanted."
– CMaya2006
Teacher "Dad"
"I was 12 and some guy was walking towards me after school. He said, 'Hey there kiddo, You remember me, don't you!? Mom told me to take you home!' I thought, 'B*tch, that's the oldest trick in the book!' My parents told me if this ever happened, one thing I could do was run to the nearest adult and yell 'Mom, Mom' or 'Dad, Dad' So that's what I did."
"A teacher was walking into the school and I said, 'Oh Dad, there you are!' The guy got TF outta there. I explained to the teacher why I did what I did. We didn't get his plate number sadly enough."
– SMG4-Is-My-God
"It Only Takes A Second"
"When I was very little my dad took my sister and I on a river camping trip for a few days. We got to the little rural town at the end of the river where a buddy left our truck and trailer at the boat launch for us. My sister was old enough to sort of help dad with loading the boat (hold rope so it doesn’t float away while we back up etc) but I was too little to really do much so I started wandering around looking for stuff. I found a dead bumblebee and I really loved bumblebees so I decided to bury it in a little grave to pay respects. I found a patch of flowers near the edge of the boat launch, by the woods. I’m crouched down, completely absorbed by my trying to make a little cross for a headstone out of two twigs and a bit of grass, when suddenly I hear my dad’s deep, booming voice scream."
“HEY!!!”
"He was a good ten yards away from me but it was so loud I could feel it in my chest and I jump and spun around towards him. He is already halfway to me, running. His face looks scary. He looks so mad, so focused, and he’s looking over my shoulder instead of at me. I run over to him, no idea what’s happening but scared that I’d at least get in trouble if I didn’t go over to him right away. He picks me up and puts both me and my sister into the truck to finish loading by himself."
"Apparently a man tried to take me. I never even knew he was there. Dad caught sight of him just as he began lunging towards me and scared him off. I wouldn’t have known until I was already gone if he hadn’t been so aware."
"Watch your kids, it only takes a second."
– CopsaLau
A Convenient Tool
"I was about 7 at the time, and at that time i thought it was cool to carry a pocket knife, well, one day i was riding my bike, and a man knocked me over covering my mouth, i grabbed my knife and stabbed him in the side and ran inside crying."
– Toaster_Ruler
Listen To Your Gut
"I was 19 walking to work in the early hours of the morning in winter. I knew someone was following me for a little while and I was just praying I was making it up. Suddenly all the sh*t I have even been taught about self defence came forward. He grabbed me and pulled me."
"There was a moment when I turned to look at him and he laughed and it was at this point I pissed my pants. I was walking as close to the road as I physically could without being on it and I pushed my head down and then threw it back as quickly as I could."
"He fell and I ran in the middle of the road with my armsout screaming. Flagged down to cars. It was a very scary moment in my life and taught me a harsh lesson. Listen to your gut, even if you've done something 100 times if you don't feel safe you're not safe."
– Ok_Talk_90
These and hundreds of other examples on this Reddit thread reflect the sad reality of the horrors of the crime that still happen to this day.
Hopefully, what the survivors did to flee from their traumatizing situations can be a useful reminder to always stay vigilant, whether it is for yourself or your children.
And when all else fails, always scream and fight for your life before the situation can get any worse.
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Interesting points were brought up when Redditor onegrayhair asked:
"What culinary hill are you willing to die on?"
People shared cooking tips and how some foods should be prepared a certain way.
Poor Construction
"Nachos should be built wide not tall."
– DBroncos515
"I hate when the chips at the bottom don’t have all the cheese and toppings, but the chips on top have too much. Balance is key to a great plate of nachos!"
– yo_kashlee
Jaws Have Limitations
"We need to make burgers wider not taller."
– John_Lives
"If I have to disassemble a burger to eat it, it’s missing the point, isn’t it?"
– JediTigger
Just Let It Stew
"Homemade chili is almost always better the next day."
– burritokiller1971
"And most soups and stews."
– wjglenn
Add Some Zap
"Worcestershire sauce can work magic."
– dberis
Resourcefulness
"Being poor isn’t a culinary crime. It takes talent to make cheap food taste as good as my mom did."
– urbancowgirl42
People had plenty to say about rating recipes.
Unfair Critique
"When you're baking from an online recipe, don't change three or four ingredients "to make it healthy" and then leave a one star review about how bad it is."
– cliff99
Inaccurate Reviews
"Don't leave a 5-star review on someone's recipe while saying 'This was a great recipe... after I made these 10 changes!' At that point, you're not rating that person's recipe, you are rating YOUR OWN recipe. That person's recipe must not have been so good if you had to make so many changes."
"Also, don't leave a 5-star review on someone's recipe while saying 'This recipe looks great, I can't wait to try it!' Why skew the ratings when you haven't even tried it yet?"
– randomentity1
Snobbery Is Tasteless
"Being snobby about food to the point where you're hindering someone else's enjoyment is not a positive personality trait."
– swordcowboy
Taste Buds Don't Lie
"If it tastes good it tastes good."
– Danielwols
Some questioned others' capabilities in the kitchen while others straight up forbade them from doing something that is unfavorable.
The Complaint
"People who hate cooking with stainless steel don’t know how to cook with stainless steel."
– 3Me20
There's A Dress Code
"DON’T WEAR YOUR APRON INTO THE BATHROOM."
– andre3kthegiant
"I've called people out for doing this. It's disgusting. This isn't a hill to die on, this should be common sense. People be dumb."
– Aldayne
Cross-Contamination–Bad
"I had to call a girl out again for putting a container of raw meat on a cold station."
"She complained that I 'always call her out on that.'"
"Yeah no sh*t, you're the only one tryna catch state health code write ups.'
"e/ she saw the post and I made her cry, oops."
– ChefBoredAreWe
Don't Interrupt The Cook
"Get out of the kitchen if I'm cooking. Out out out I don't want your help."
– Justice171
Not All Salads Are Good For You
"I live in the Midwest, I love the Midwest but just because you call something a salad does not mean it is healthy and an acceptable side dish to your main course. Snicker-marshmallow-mayo-whatever is not salad."
– ArachnesChallenge
I don't consider myself a cook, but I do pat myself on the back for some of the dishes I do know how to make well.
One of those is Japanese curry. And while I can't keep from serving and eating what takes at least an hour-and-a-half to make, I do find that my leftover tastes infinitely better the next day.
I make a HUGE batch of curry sauce so I can continue enjoying it for the next few days. There's something about leaving it in the fridge and heating up portions at a time that really activate the spices.
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