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
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Economics 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
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we 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
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A 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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For many childhood memories are overrun by living nightmares.
Yes, children are resilient, but that doesn't mean that the things we see as babes don't follow us forever.
The horrors of the world are no stranger to the young.
Redditor -2sweetcaramel- wanted to see who was willing to share about the worst things we've seen as kids, so they asked:
"What’s the creepiest thing you saw as a kid?"
Serious Danger
"Me and my best friend would explore the drainage tunnels under the Vegas area where we grew up. These were miles long and it was always really cool down there so it was a good way to escape the heat of our scorching hot summers. We went into this one that goes under the Fiesta casino and found a camp with a bunch of homeless people."
"Mind you we are like 11 years old lol. And we just kept going like it was nothing. It wasn’t scary then but when I look back at it we could have been in some serious danger. Our parents had no idea we did this or where we were and we had no cellphones. We could have been kidnapped and never have been found."
oofboof2020
Waiting for Food
"I was at a portillos once when I was 12 and I was waiting with my little brother at a booth while my parents got our food. This guy was standing with his tray kind of watching me then after a couple of minutes he started to walk over really fast not breaking eye contact with me."
"He was 2 feet from the table and my dad came out of nowhere and scared the s**t out of him. He looked so surprised and just said he wanted to see if I’d get scared or not. He left his tray full of food near the door and left. My folks reported him but we never went to that location again since we found a better one closer to home."
nowhereboy1964
Captain Hobo to the Rescue
"When I was a pretty young teen, my friends and I were horsing around in San Francisco and started hanging out to smoke with some homeless guys. Another homeless dude came up and began aggressively trying to shake us down for anything (money, smokes, a ride, drugs- all of it) and wouldn’t take no for an answer."
"We got in over our heads and could tell this guy was now riling the other 2 guys up and they were acting like they wanted to jump us. Some grandfather-looking old homeless man appeared out of nowhere and yelled at us to get the f**k out of here- nice kids like us don’t belong down here at this hour!!"
"Captain Hobo saved our lives that night. My parents sincerely thought we were at a mall all day lol."
FartAttack911
Survival
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"I was 7 and survived the 2004 tsunami in Thailand. Witnessed the wave rise way above the already massive palm trees (approx. 40ft?) and my family and I watched/heard the wave crash into the ground from a rooftop."
faithfulpoo
These Tsunami stories are just tragic.
On the Sand
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"We were a group of kids who went to swim in a local lake. And there was a dead body on the beach with their hands raised and their legs bent unnaturally that local police just took out of the same lake. I've never put my foot in these waters again."
oyloff
Be Clever
"I was walking to school and I was about 5 or 6 years old and some guy pulled up beside me in his car and asked if I would get in. He also offered me sweets to do so. I said no. The creepy bit was when he calmly said ‘clever boy’ to me, then drove off. I’ve never even told my parents or anyone else about this as it would most likely freak them out."
OstneyPiz
Bad Jokes
"Dad's side of the family pranked me by burying a fake body on our back property and had me dig it up to find valuables. Was only allowed to use a lantern for light. They stuffed old clothes with chicken bones. Sheetrock mud where the head was... Random fake jewelry as the treasures... I was like maybe 10 or 11.. I remember digging up the boot first and started gagging because it became real at that point."
Alegan239
YOU
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"Woke up to find my little brother staring at me in the dark, asking, Are you really you?"
PrettyLola2004
Siblings can really be a bunch of creepers.
No one should talk to others in the dark though.
Not all pet owners have the same relationship with their pets.
While anyone who decides to become a pet owner, or pet parent as some say, love their pets equally, some never ever let them leave their side.
Taking their pet with them to work, running errands, even on vacations.
Many pet parents even allow their pets to share their bed with them when going to sleep.
For others though, this is where a line is finally drawn.
Redditor Piggythelavasurfer was curious to hear whether pet owners allowed their pets to share their bed with them, as well as the reasons why they do/don't, leading them to ask:
"Do you let your pet sleep in your bed? Why/why not?"
The Tiny Issue Of Water...
"Absolutely not."
"I have fish."- Senior-Meal3649
Everyone Gets Lonely Eventually...
"I adopted an eleven year old cat the day before Halloween."
"She has mostly lived in my closet since I got her, and she hasn’t been too interested in coming out."
"Last night, she came out of my closet and jumped up on my bed, and crawled under my covers and curled up by my feet to sleep."
"I was so happy!"- YellowBeastJeep
The Comforting Reminder That You're Not Alone...
"I recently lost my Greyhound but I used to let him sleep on my bed with me."
"The company was nice and he was no trouble to have on my bed."- HoodedMenace3
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What Do You Mean Allow?
"I have no choice."
"She is a cat, cats do whatever they want."- Small_cat1412
"He lets me sleep in my bed."- Poorly-Drawn-Beagle
Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way
"I carry my old boy upstairs to bed every night."- worst_in_show
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Who Needs An Alarm Clock?
"I let my two cats sleep with me."
"They're so full of love and just want cuddles all the time."
"And so do I."
"We've all developed a lil routine."
"Get to bed, oldest sleeps on my feet to keep them warm, youngest lies in my arm while I lie on my side (she the little spoon), then when I snooze my alarm for work in the morning the youngest paws at my face and meeps loudly to wake me up."- GhostofaFlea_
Whose Bed Is It Anyway?
"Yes."
"They're also kind enough to let me squeeze into whatever space they've left for me."
"Although I do get a few dirty looks off them."- Therealkaylor
"I found this tiny kitten screaming her head off under a car."
"Would not come out."
"Got some food and some water in dishes."
"I stood by the tire so she couldn't see my feet."
"She got curious about the food and water and started gobbling it down."
"I thought she would bolt when I squatted down."
"She was too busy eating."
"I grabbed her by the nape of the neck and all four legs went straight out and she tried to scratch me to death."
"I got her in the door and tossed her toward the couch."
"She ricocheted off the couch as if she was a ping pong off a table and I lost sight of her."
"I put out food and water and a sandbox and did not see that kitten for three days."
"On the third day, I came home and she was on my bed pillow."
"I thought she would bolt when I came near, but she didn't."
"I wanted to sleep so I tried to scoot her little butt off my pillow."
"She would not go."
"I put my head down to sleep and that is the way it was from then on."
"She ran the roost."- Logical_Cherry_7588
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Sleeping Is A Prerequisite...
"No, he's a cat and he cannot keep still during the night."
"He walks across the headboard, opens the closet doors, jumps into the windows and rustles the blinds, etc."
"If he would sleep he could stay, but alas, he's a ramblin' man."- Spong_Durnflungle
Saying No Just Isn't An Option...
"'Let'."
"Lol."
"It's a cat's world and I'm happy to be on her good side."- milaren
Felines Only!
"The cat does, the dog doesn't and the horse certainly does not either."- Xcrowzz
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Is That My Hair On That Pillow?
"My dog is perfect."
"She comes up, cuddles til we start to fall asleep, then gets down to sleep on her bed so she doesn't get too hot."
"Jumps back up in the early morning for wake up cuddles."
"The hair everywhere is the only downside but she is so cozy, what can you do."- HoodieWinchester
It is easy to understand how some people are able to fall asleep more easily knowing their friend and protector is there, in bed, with them.
Though we can't blame others who don't want to run the risk of being scratched or bitten in the middle of the night either...