JOIN
OUR EMAIL LIST!
SIGN UP

Teachers Share Their Best Stories About Kids Crushing On Each Other

Free-Photos/Pixabay

Childhood and adolescence can be hard: you're trying to figure out how to get through the world and navigate school at the same time. It gets even more difficult when you start to add romantic feelings to the mix.

Teens, especially, have a tendency to be both obvious in their affections (to an outside observer) and completely oblivious to the advances of others.

Reddit user u/Conduit3 asked:

"Teachers of Reddit, how easy is it to tell if a kid has a crush on somebody, and what are some entertaining stories surrounding that?"

10.

Used to be a Calc 1 teaching Assistant -- this really smart kid kept coming up to the TA sessions because he very obviously had a crush on a girl (who would also show up to after-hours). They would both be the only two people in the sessions. When they needed homework help, I'd ask them to solve the problems together and come to me if they had any questions (while I pretended to catch up on work but actually played GTA on my laptop). Sometimes I'd overhear them talking and getting to know each other -- it was cute. He sure did make my life a hell of a lot easier.

-M0shka

9.

Right now I have two kids in my 1st period that just don't leave each other alone. The girl constantly complains if the boy doesn't show up to school. He is always pulling on her hair or finding any excuse to touch her (he likes to play thumb wars just to hold hands). It's really cute but also annoying because they refuse to do work sometimes . I usually get them to do work by saying a very loud and annoying "Awwww". Teaching is fun .

-lowflyingcheeks

8.

I teach k-8 and some of the older kids will tell me or their friends will tell me. A lot of the fifth grade girls like the middle school boys, and they just get all giggly and it's pretty adorable. There's a few of the slightly younger kids who I can tell might end up dating when they're older because of how they bicker. Just watching the dynamics that go on in the school is generally entertaining.

-h8sand

7.

Former 6th grade teacher here. I was there to witness one of my kids take his first big leap: at lunch, he asked the girl he had a crush on "will you go on a date with me?" She smiled and said yes. Immediately the boy on the other side of her said "Don't go out with him, go out with me!" She smiled AND SAID OK.

Middle school is tough, man.

-DiscombobulatedZone5

6.

Teenagers are not subtle by nature, but they are amazingly oblivious when it comes to matters of the heart (they are really perceptive with other things, though).

The boys almost never recognize if a girl likes them, and the girls never realize a guy is showing interest. It's funny to watch it happen -- it's so blatantly obvious as an outsider, but I remember being just as oblivious as a student.

-lucyburnett

Comes with experience. Or as a guy, sometimes never at all.

-Attention_Bear_

Did she just smile at me? Was that a wink? Is she flirting with me? Was that hug a hint or just something she does? Is she just being nice by talking to me?

Better play it safe. Don't say anything

-suitecloud

5.

One of my students' father told me his son liked a girl in his kinder class. He said, "She's pretty Dad. She looks like a dragon." The dad laughed and said, "We're gonna have to work on your compliments son."

-mercersavard

I don't know what the dad's talking about, that's a top tier compliment right there.

-Cheesegratemynerves

Idk, I would like to be called a dragon. Dragons are epic

-Elm149

4.

Incredibly obvious. It's also unfortunately obvious when they have a crush on you. Awkward as f---.

I've never purposefully helped my students get closer with their crushes (it's already hard enough to make a seating chart without considering these things) but I don't tease them about it like some do and might let a quick convo or note passing slip by if I catch on to what's going on.

-Demderdemden

It's also unfortunately obvious when they have a crush on you. Awkward as fuck.

Oof. Now I feel really bad for the teachers I had crushes on in high school.

-crazylazylazer

3.

Oh man, the longing stares across the room. The almost creepy wistful "what-ifs" you can just see in their eyes.

When I was in middle school, that was me.

-lucashuber

It's almost painful how relatable some of these stories are. Didn't realize I was so obvious and oblivious at the same time

-KWBC24

2.

God if my 8th grade math teacher was on reddit she'd tell a story about how she had to tell u/Flynn_lives

"hey moron, stop playing SimCity 2000 for a second and pay attention to the girl sitting next to you, who is literally professing her love to you"

I was a dumb*ss

-Flynn_lives

1.

I hold a lot of class discussions... sometimes it's easy because you'll notice kids smile different when their crush is talking, their entire body will suddenly cue into that person... it's adorable.

-kelzbellz

Two kids in my 5th grade class were 'dating' and they would each talk about "someone special" during morning meeting which made them happy and would turn their whole bodies to each other when talking. It was super adorable. The boy even sang the song "Guys like me" during the talent show dedicated to her.

Unfortunately they broke up and the following drama ensued. But now they are almost dating again. Who the hell knows with 11-year-olds.

-swearinerin

crush

People Describe The Most Traumatizing Thing They Ever Experienced As A Child

Image by Anemone123 from Pixabay

Life is hard. It's a miracle to make it through with some semblance of sanity. We are all plagued by grief and trauma. More and more people of all backgrounds are opening up about personal trauma and its origins. Finally! For far too long we've been too silent on this topic. And with so many people unable to afford mental health care, the outcomes can be damaging.

All of our childhoods have ups and downs and memories that can play out like nightmares. We carry that, or it follows us and the first step in recovery is talking about it. So who feels strong enough to speak?

Redditor u/nthn_thms wanted to see who was willing to share about things they'd probably rather forget, by asking:

What's the most traumatizing thing you experienced as a child?
Keep reading... Show less
childhood

People Divulge The Real Reason Why They're Still Single

Image by klimkin from Pixabay

Being single can be fun. In fact, in this time of COVID, being single can save lives. But the heart is a fickle creature.

And being alone can really suck in times of turmoil. None of us are perfect and it feels like that's all anyone is looking for... perfect.

Now that doesn't mean that all of us are making it difficult to partner up. Sure, some people are too picky and mean-spirited, but some of the rest of us are crazy and too much to handle. So one has to be sure.

The truth is, being single is confusing, no matter how much we try to match. So let's try to understand...

Redditor u/Mcxyn wanted to discuss some truths about love and our own issues, by asking:

Why are you single?
Keep reading... Show less
being single

Chefs Divulge The Most Important Tips That Amateur Cooks Need To Know

Tiard Schulz/Unsplash

Whether you're an at home parent, a college student just leaving the nest, or a Food Network junkie, there are a few basic tips that everyone should know.

Chef's gave us some of their top tips for amateurs and beginner at home cooks that will really make a difference. They are trained professionals with years of experience in the kitchen, so they definitely know what we're all missing.

If you're looking to improve some of your cooking skills and techniques, but you're still learning how to boil water correctly, this list is for you.

Redditor BigBadWolf44 wanted in on the secrets and asked:

"Chefs of Reddit, what's one rule of cooking amateurs need to know?"

Let's learn from the masters!


What a common mistake!

"A lot of the time when people add salt to a dish because they think it tastes flat, what it really needs is an acid like lemon juice or vinegar."

- Vexvertigo

"Instructions unclear I drugged my dinner party guests and now they're high on acid."

- itsyoboi_human

"Yes! Or tomatoes. They're pretty acidic too and go with so many things. Our dinners are so much better once the garden tomatoes are ripe. Or if a dish is too acidic, oil/butter or a little sugar can help add balance to it."

- darkhorse85

"Like tomato and eggs. Every Chinese mom makes those slightly differently and I haven't had a tomato egg dish I didn't like yet."

- random314

"There's a book called 'Salt Fat Acid Heat' that comes highly recommended to amateur cooks."

- Osolemia

"Reading even just the first chapter about salt made a lot of food I cooked immediately better, because I finally understood salt wasn't just that thing that sat on the dinner table that you applied after the meal was cooked."

- VaultBoy42

"Salt is important for sweets. A batch of cookies without that little hint of salt doesn't taste quite right."

- Osolemia

Unfortunately, this tip might not be accessible to everyone. Many people who contracted COVID can no longer use their sense of smell the way they used to.

"Have a friend that lost his smell from COVID, and now he only recognizes if food is salty, sweet, sour or bitter."

- AlphaLaufert99

"Just wait until he gets his sense of smell back and a ton of foods smell like ammonia or literal garbage now. Yeah, that's fun... It's been 7 months for f*cks sake just let me enjoy peanut butter again!!!!!!!!!"

- MirzaAbdullahKhan

You can't take back what you've already put in.

"You can always add, but you cannot take away."

- El_Duende666

"I find people's problems usually are they're too scared to add rather than they add too much."

- FreeReflection25

"I see you also grew up white in the mid-west."

- Snatch_Pastry

Safety first!

"Not really a cooking tip, but a law of the kitchen: A falling knife has no handle."

- wooddog

"I'm always so proud of my reflexes for not kicking in when I fumble a knife."

"If I drop anything else, my stupid hands are all over themselves trying to catch it (and often failing). But with a knife the hardwired automatic reaction is jump back immediately. Fingers out of the way, feet out of the way, everything out of the way. Good lookin out, cerebellum!"

- sonyka

"Speaking of KICKING in. On first full time cooking job I had a knife spin and fall off the counter. My (stupid) reflex was to put my foot under it like a damn hacky sack to keep it from hitting the ground. Went through the shoe, somehow between my toes, into the sole somehow without cutting me. Lessons learned: (1) let it fall; (2) never set a knife down close to the edge or with the handle sticking out; (3) hacky sack is not nearly as cool as it could be."

- AdjNounNumbers

"Similarly, NEVER put out a grease or oil fire with water. Smother with a lid or dump baking soda in there (do not use flour, as it can combust in the air making things worse)."

- Metallic_Substance

How else will you know it tastes good?

"Taste the food."

- OAKRAIDER64

"Also don't be afraid to poke and prod at it. I feel like people think the process is sacred and you can't shape/flip/feel/touch things while you cook them. The more you are hands on, the more control you have."

"No, this does not include situations where you are trying to sear something. Ever try flipping a chicken thigh early? That's how you rip a chunk out of it and leave it glued to the pan until it's burnt."

- Kryzm

Here's one just for laughs.

"When you grab a pair of tongs, click them a few times to make sure they are tongs."

- Kolshdaddy

"People really overlook this one. You've gotta tong the tongs a minimum of 3 times to make sure they tong, or else it can ruin the whole dish."

- BigTimeBobbyB

If you're looking to get into cooking or to improve you technique, pay attention to these few tips.

Salt generously, add an acid to brighten things up, and don't forget to taste your food!

If all else fails, you can always order take out.

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

cooking

People Describe The Most Inappropriate Thing They Ever Did As A Kid

Victoria_Borodinova/Pixaba

As part of the learning process, children often do embarrassing things before they learn a little more about the world and all the different implications therein. While the inappropriate moment is usually minor and ends in laugher some instances are truly mortifying.

One such instance involved a little sister who was around 6 at the time. It was the 90s and at the height of the youth-focused PSAs (think the frying egg representing your brain). One type was a safety PSA about stranger danger. The speaker would remind the children that if a stranger tried to take you anywhere to yell “Stop, you're not my mommy/daddy" to raise the alarm.

Keep reading... Show less