Any lesson should be taught with the intent of leading a student towards some realization or some mastering of a skill. If a teacher gives you an assignment with no clear purpose besides killing time and killing your hand, then that's not a lesson. That's a punishment.
These assignments fall into the latter category.
Reddit user, u/beans155, wanted to hear the thing you've never forgotten:
What is the worst assignment you have ever had in school?
This This This...This Shouldn't Be How Grades Work
episode 9 GIFGiphyEconomics teacher made us gamble a test grade on the stock market. Losing money got you a C, breaking even got you a B, profiting got you an A. There were also progress check ins to make sure you printed your stocks every day. Yahoo's daily stock report looks different on past days than it does on the current day. You'd lose points if you had the previous day's stock report.
...Why?
In grade 7 we had to make a family tree. I am adopted. The first thing my teacher said was "I think you are going to fail, because you don't know anything about your family". My mom called her out for doing/saying that. So she told me I could do my adopted family, but I couldn't attach me with a solid line, because I didn't really belong...
ZERO Feedback
One teacher had a list of "banned words".
These included human, human beings, and xenomorph.
We also had to write once a week, eight page essays. And he failed me on every one, but refused to help beyond "you're doing this wrong, do it right".
So yeah, that.
No Modifications Or Adjustments
I was in an honors history class in high school, and we were required to write an A-Z book on the town we lived in (one page per letter, each letter for a word relevant to the town). This was around the time computers were becoming a norm, and information was widely available on the internet. My family was dirt poor, and parents didn't care enough about my education to take me to the library.
So all I had to work with were encyclopedias my grandparents gave me, which had zero info on small towns; the few books our school library had; and some magazines. My book was hand-written, with drawn illustrations using colored pencils and magazine cutouts. Everyone else's were typed and bound in plastic. I got an F with no feedback from the teacher. I worked my a-- off on that thing.
Pushing Too Hard
When we read To Kill a Mockingbird in 10th grade, we had to read two chapters a night, annotate every page, and fill out study guide questions, and there were like 50 per chapter.
It made me lose all my respect for that book, which is a shame because I had read it before this and really liked it.
Poor Communication Between Teachers
Write 2 stories involve gods/goddesses with minimum of 3 pages each. Due date: the day after he assigned it.
We had like 3 more unfinished assignments from other subjects that the due date was also the next day. Then he added one more but much harder!
Trying To Make Something Seem Important That Isn't
The annual scoliosis test in middle school physical education class. I failed every time. :-)
For real though, a fifteen page paper (single!!! spaced!!!) in college for a class I wasn't invested in, comparing two movies that bored me to sleep.
I was a LITERATURE MAJOR and NONE of my literature classes made me write papers that long. NONE.
A Shoestring Budget Gives A Shoestring Lesson
My Spanish professor would record Spanish songs off the scratchy, staticky shortwave radio, and we would have to translate them. I was like dude, I wouldn't be able to do this even if the songs were in English.
Meaningless Work Is Nothing But Punishment
run away season 5 GIFGiphywe were supposed to read a book that i probably would have enjoyed otherwise, and we were supposed to write one-page responses about our feelings regarding our pick of *twelve* quotes, per chapter. twelve pages of handwritten responses, per chapter of the book. it was so tedious. the chapters weren't that long, and a lot of them were relatively well-covered by responses to like three or four quotes, so most of this assignment was just rambling on about what felt like relatively inconsequential aspects of the text. and it was SO MUCH.
the worst part was, it made me feel guilty for doing any recreational reading while this assignment was hanging over my head. and like. i don't read as much as i did before high school, and i think assignments like that are a big part of why.
Some Teachers Need To Think Through Assignments A Little More
I was asked to draw each element of my family, but not just my mom and dad and siblings, nooo... All the cousins, uncles, aunts and grandparents.
I told my teacher I had 17 aunts and uncles and 17 cousins, along with my 3 siblings, parents and 3 grandparents (one was deceased). She still made me do it... I don't think I ever finished to be honest...
Nowadays we're even more. Most of them got married and have children now and we're 60 on Christmas, about to be 63 and always counting.
There's No Value Here. Only Punishment.
Pg. 30 out of a history book. A punishment for fooling around. Had to hand write it out in 6th grade. I held the class record for doing it like 12 times. My best friend mike levy was in 2d place. This was 1967-68.
Busy Work With No Connections
I had a grade 11 [English] assignment where we were supposed to read a book and answer questions about it. Seemed simple enough, although some of the "questions" were along the lines of 'Pick some song lyrics that make sense in the context of the book.'
I picked my book, and read it - it was Markus Zusak's 'I Am The Messenger'. After I finished reading it, I decided I didn't like the ending (which tainted how I felt about the rest of it because it was pretty good before its ending). And I hadn't even started the assignment with no notes to speak of.
I eventually handed it in... almost a month late. I put it off way too long because I was dreading the assignment based on how I felt about the book. The assignment was also one where I was supposed to 'stylize' it (for lack of a better description), on a sheet on printer paper. I don't write that small but I was not taking any chances.
English class in high school just sucks. I'm fine with the essay part, but the reading is dreadful since I can't read a book without feeling like I need to take notes and remember tiny details as if I still take an [English] class.
Too Much Of A Bad Thing
A 3000-4000 word essay (hand-written no less) on the Merchant of Venice.
Way to kill any love of Shakespeare I may have had.
A Good Teacher Can Garner A Win From A Potential Loss
The worst homework assignment I ever had was a science project. I decided my own topic and decided to test how long it would take paper to decay under different circumstances. The reason why it was the worst was because I vastly underestimated the time it would take for the paper to complete the decomposition process. I thought it would just take a week or so (the amount of time I had for this particular project) but at the end of a week all my trials looked pretty much the same. I was so nervous to tell the teacher about my results because I thought she would be mad that I didn't have any meaningful results. I spent a sleepless night and then drudged to school terrified of what might happen!
To my surprise, the teacher used my project as an example of how the scientific process works. She said that science is as much about finding results as it is not finding them. By not finding anything at all, I learned something important about decomposition, that it takes a really long time! Before the experiment I didn't understand that and now I do so the experiment was a success!
A Bad Teacher Misses The Lesson Entirely
sick season 6 GIFGiphyA worksheet with 15 questions on it. We were told to pick 10 and turn it in. Anyone who didn't do every question (those who paid attention) were deducted points. It was meant to help prepare us for a job, going above and beyond, but I'm still salty about it. Also, if your boss tells you to do A and B, but not C for a client, it's probably because they didn't pay/don't want it. Completing C anyway could cause problems.
And This Is Why You Shouldn't Do These Assignment Anymore
I was asked to create a presentation about my parents, what they were doing and how they met and what jobs they had. I was 10 at that time and my father had just passed away but I was like ashamed of saying anything ... I just lied acting like my father was still alive.
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Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.