Now that school is starting back up, let's take a moment to think back on those glory days fondly... Just kidding. School is good for us, we know that, but some aspects of it are undeniably awful.
So in the spirit of camaraderie with a little bit of what students will be heading into this 2020/2021 school year, let's talk about some of the things that just plain suck.
One Reddit user asked:
What do/did you hate the most about school?
Time for a walk down traumatic school memory lane, folks!
Bathroom Breaks
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When the teacher says you couldn't go to the bathroom because "bReAkTiMe WaS 5 mInS aGo!!" For literally any grade. It's doesn't make sense especially with younger grades. When a 6 year old says they need to go to the bathroom. It's not a question, it's a warning.
And then no one explaining that you don't need to ask to go to the bathroom in college!
With my social anxiety freshman year of college, I raised my hand and asked to go to the bathroom. Ahhhh, people laughed!!!! I felt so stupid. The teacher was like, "oh, you don't need to ask that here." I think I stayed in the bathroom till after the class ended. I couldn't go back in after that.
That always got me. Especially when your previous class is all the way across campus, you only get a couple of minutes to move between the classes and fight your way through hundreds of other students. Even if you tried to hit the bathroom then, there would be a line out the door. If you're late for the next class you're in trouble no matter what the excuse is.
I see so many teachers like that even in high school when they expect you to use the bathrooms between class periods but a) there's barely enough time to get to class and b) the boys' bathrooms are... indescribable, and not in any good way
Playing Catch Up
Being lost in a subject and not being able to catch back up.
- chasepna
Had that happen to me in algebra and it eventually got so horrible trying to keep up with the juniors and seniors (I was a freshman), i ended up just sleeping in that class and spending every night doing my homework three times over.
I can relate in elementary school. I had to take a sh*t while my math teacher was explaining long division.
Let me tell you I was lost when I came back. I sucked so hard at long division. Then something similar happened again in the 6th grade. When they were explaining two and multi step equations I had to go down to the office to get something and again I was totally lost. I got the hang of it tho - like 3 weeks later.
Seven Hours
The homework - because apparently 7 hours of school isn't enough.
Especially since results from countries that cut out or reduced homework showed marked improvements in outcomes. Turns out that they should be teaching you when you're in school and that personal free time is actually good for kids mental wellbeing. Who knew eh?
Especially when you reach high school and get hit with "I think an hour of homework a night is perfectly reasonable" multiplied by 5 other teachers all saying the exact same thing.
For some reason, my children have SO much more homework today than I had growing up. Society complains about kids being inside so much and not getting exercise, being on devices, etc., but look past the fact that they have to do 3 to 8 pages of (common core), math, read 20 pages and do a 5 paragraph essay, study for a test every night, and have to have a perfect wardrobe. Hell, I went to school in pajamas sometimes.
- Prolaeus
All For One
When teachers punish a whole class because of the actions of one /a few students. Just because the class idiot can't behave, it does not mean I should miss my break.
- hfhfhfrr
Had a teacher cancel movie day because of a few bad eggs, then pull me aside and tell me she wished there was a way she could have just punished the bad kids and let me and the other "good" kids watch the rest of the movie. Wow, such a shame that's totally impossible, right?
They're preparing you for the working world, where one person screws up and everyone else has to attend a damn meeting about why you shouldn't do what you weren't dumb enough to do in the first place.
You know why they do that? Someone admitted it to me my first year of high school. They do it so the other students get mad at you and isolate you. Your punishment isn't just missing break, it's social rejection. Ain't that a trick?
Health Snacks, Healthy Mind
Teacher here. The thing I hate the most is when kids come to school hungry, with dirty clothes, or on edge first thing in the morning because they've had a sh*tty night.
Breaks your heart. The best thing to do is greet every student, treat them with kindness (but not pity), and keep a good stash of healthy snacks in your classroom.
I remember after one particular bad series of days, I came into my first period English class pretty late, still dirty from a soccer game the night before, hungry, and completely exhausted. My teacher, who was sick of my constant tardiness, absolutely laid into me. I broke down crying, and she knew something was up because that was highly out of character for me.
Her whole demeanor shifted. She told me to go into her office. She put on the Count of Monte Cristo movie for the class and came back to speak to me. I told her everything that was going on in my life, and she was super compassionate. She gave me some clothes that her son had left in her office, told me to go shower and change in the locker room, and when I came back she had a whole breakfast laid out for me in her office. I cried again because I had honestly forgotten what genuine compassion felt like.
I'd say that moment saved me from going to a very very dark place mentally at far too young of an age. She changed my life.
Hours
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The amount of hours I'm expected to put into it and still have time for extracurricular activities AND 8 hours of sleep -and the backlash I get when that didn't happen.
Like I'm sorry; it's not my fault that after 7 hours of school all 8 of my teachers expect me to set aside an hour for their subject alone after I get home, since to each of them no other subject is nearly as important or matters at all. It doesn't matter that I don't even get home until 6pm or even 8:30 pm on certain days of the week since I need to represent the school in academics, athletics, and the arts, and that once I do get home I have two dogs and two siblings to care for and help with their school work before I can even do my own and care for my own body, before finally getting to bed and starting the day again.
I APOLOGIZE for finally getting to bed around 4am and not getting 8 hours asleep, I've been a bit busy trying to not flunk out of high school, please my parents and colleges, and taking care of the people and pets in my life that can't take care of themselves on their own. My bad, my bad.
Teach To The Test
I hated being forced to learn things just for tests. I loved learning about stuff, but I felt like I was only being taught so that I could pass the tests.
All through school, I'd go home, skip my homework, read about physics and space and watch science documentaries. This resulted in me getting horrible grades in high school, and that was extremely harmful to my self esteem. I wanted to major in physics, but I didn't think I was smart enough, so I majored in engineering in community college because I wasn't accepted anywhere else.
Then I transferred to a major university, and I immediately started doing horribly because more engineering specific courses were suddenly really boring to me. And then one of my friends convinced me to switch to physics, and I figured, "what have I got to lose?" Now I'm a senior in physics, and my grades are higher than they've ever been in my life.
Seriously, fck grade school. It has the worst setup it could possibly have. It's demotivating, harmful, and teaches people that learning is nothing more that a forced chore. Learning is so important, and grades can destroy our desire to learn.
And it was pretty much an endless series of tests. So once you got done learning stuff for one test, you'd pretty much forget most of it so you could study for the next test. It was a horrible way to learn things and actually test someone's knowledge.
The dumb rules to "test" you on things. Like why do I need to memorize these huge formulas when in the real world, I'll be allowed to use a reference book? As long as I know when and how to use the formulas should be good enough right? I shouldn't need to have them memorized.
I took a class where all of our grades were paper and project based, no quizzes or tests at all (not even a final exam), and I loved it so much and I did very well in that class, AND I learned a lot from it too. Not having to memorize a bunch of bullshit meant I had more time to really explore the material in depth.
Life Decisions About Bathrooms
How you're expected to make major life changing decisions but still need to ask for permission to use the bathroom.
A 16 year old is allowed to drive a car but can't use the bathroom unless they ask, and a lot of teachers only allow you to use the bathroom 3 times per term. going to the bathroom is a very dangerous act
Bullying
The fact they claimed to be no tolerance against bullying. Was bullied everyday from the age of 8 to 16. No matter how many times I told someone the only responses I got were
"Just ignore them"
"Don't react and they'll get bored"
"Have you tried making friends with them?"
And my all time favourite....
"Maybe they have a crush on you??"
At 26 I haven't recovered the confidence, the self-esteem, the happiness, the person that I could have been if the school had just helped.
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When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.