It's difficult to stand at the front of a classroom and watch a student fail. Everything in you screams to help them out, to take them under your wing, but odds are you have hundreds of other kids that require assistance, too. You help out as much as possible, since you can't save everyone. Occasionally, you'll come across those students who might be suffering from another problem: getting out of their own way.
Reddit user, Lokael, wanted to know how someone forced you to flunk them when they asked:
Professors of reddit, what are the top reasons you see students fail?
It's Their Version Of A Job
Giphy
"They don't treat school like it is a job."
"If you put in a 'committed' 40 hours a week of class, study, and homework, you generally will do just fine."
slotwima
One is Not Inherently Linked To The Other
...Having the mindset that you are there to pass a class, not to truly LEARN information and gain a skill. Once you pass a class, it is assumed you now have full mastery of that material for higher level classes..."
Meeaf
Ahem....STUDY/
"Cramming for exams, or being arrogant about the material and thinking they do not need to study. My biggest pet peeve is having students who are either not trying, or really don't care, or something. The lab exams are "write in the answer", when someone doesn't even fill in enough of the blanks to pass the exam it hurts me. If you are not going to pass the class, just drop it, a Withdrawal on your transcript is a lot better than a 25% grade"
Madscientisteq
Show Up As Much As You Can
"Missing too many classes."
"That's really the only way I'll "fail" a student."
"There are lots of ways to get a C/D though."
"Not turning in assignments or paying attention to directions or doing homework are big."
"Sleeping in class, being on the phone, or generally not participating in class lead to point loss, too."
FarWestEros
Listen When You Can
"Not heeding our advice."
"I always meet with students one-on-one several times a semester to review their work, and I notice if they don't make the little changes that I suggest. I'm not a stickler; I'm just pointing out things that I know bosses and other professors wouldn't like. Most students are like "Oh, yeah, that makes sense," and will make the changes to their work, but some are weirdly stubborn and will revolt against the prompt or the clearly-stated expectations. It's weird."
toss_my_potatoes
Make All The Mistakes If You Can
"They don't learn from their mistakes."
"Mistakes are great learning opportunities. It's so common for students to work out a problem, look up the answer and see that they were wrong, then just correct their answer and move on. You should really stop and take the time to analyze your mistake. Why was your answer wrong? Why was the other answer correct? What mistake in your thought process or understanding of a topic led you to your answer? How do your correct it to arrive at the right answer? Fix those mistakes and misconceptions now so they don't happen again on exams. Also, write down that problem you got wrong so you can try it again on a later day."
"This and approaching a subject like it's something you can summarize as a series of separate facts, statements, formulae, or reactions. There are underlying connections that you miss when you take this view and it can rob you of a deeper understanding of the subject. Try to find those connections between all the new knowledge you are gaining and the knowledge you already have. Ideally your professor is helping to highlight some connections to get you started."
"Learning is a collaborative effort between the instructor and the student. It doesn't work if both are putting forth effort. It's not entirely on the professors to make you succeed."
Breathe_the_Stardust
What You're Learning Can Be Taken So Much Farther
"My father is a professor and according to him, the top reason for failure is not understanding the overall concept enough to apply it to different kinds of situations."
"The students who do poorly only really understand how to solve a particular type of problem, if they understand anything at all. Then when the assessments come around and my dad throws a 'similar concept/different situation" kind of question, they shut down."
DangerousWithForks
Seriously: SHOW ALL YOUR WORK
"Tutored at university. I had a girl who got an 18 on a calc exam come crying to me. I looked over the exam quickly and asked her how she studied. She studied the night before. Her biggest issue was showing 0 work. There were triple chain rule problems that even a genius couldn't do in their head. I was amazed she even got an 18, I felt it was generous."
"Idk where she ended up, it was the only time I saw her. But I hope she figured it out"
WeakPressure1
"Passion is good—but loving something, tending to it, that takes discipline."
"The thread has listed the big ones: external pressures. Lots of our students work 30+ hours/week, are food insecure, have to go to the VA for treatments, or have horrendous family problems that make attendance difficult, not to mention mental issues. Please talk to us when you're having these difficulties, or to the clinic or disability services offices—it is possible to work things out."
"I'll emphasize that if someone told you you're "just not good at school," they were wrong, or trying to cut you down. Students get bullied (sometimes by a professor) into underconfidence, and then undermine themselves, skipping assignments just to prove they can't succeed. Seek out the people who support you and your education."
"Barring that, the biggest problem I encounter is not reading or following directions, especially comments on work. There are clear instructions for every assignment, and following them means at least basic success. The same is true of feedback: your professor is giving you specific instructions (ideally) to follow to improve your grade next time. It's all carrots and sticks, guiding you to practice the skills we want you to learn. Follow the directions, and when it's feedback time, take a deep breath and read the comments."
"Next highest is this logic: "I find it interesting, so I must be good at it." You may be passionate about Japanese cartoons, but if you take Japanese, you need to study and practice things like vocabulary, grammar, and writing. Or you could be really "into history" and know lots of facts—but your History classes are there to help you think historically, to contextualize, argue, analyze, criticize, give you a new approach to the world. Passion is good—but loving something, tending to it, that takes discipline."
Atarut
Why Pay And Not Show Up?
"I dunno. Theres a lot a good psychology professor can bring to the table. You may have learned a goo deal on your own but i really don’t think that discounting an entire class because you learned something on your own is reasonable."
"I took english comprehension honors in high school at one college, and the again at another when i went back. I took away different things each time."
"What you value is up to you but it seems like you are simply against the way current institutions are structured and thats valid. But you can still get a lot of value out of education. Most people look at the time-the degree and how it will land them a job. Not the practical learning, the life experience and social exposure that comes with it."
"I’m in the US and our college edu is fucked but despite that you can get a lot of value out of classes and learning. Past generations have definitely dropped the ball and put undue pressure to go to school for a decent job. They also allowed our edu costs to skyrocket. I think its absoulyely insane for stufents to go to college and not try to get every ounce of information out of it based on price"
UnidentifiedFlop
Something Outside Their Control
"I'm a university tutor. It's very rare that anyone fails because they're not physically capable of passing the subject. It's usually extenuating circumstances - they're skipping class (to take care of a sick relative or work), they're putting things off (because of fear of failure), they're not motivated in multiple aspects of life (because they don't think they're good enough)."
"Very common to see 18 year olds who have moved from the countryside to live alone in the city for the first time, and they feel homesick for their family and friends. I teach at a big, competitive university without much individual support, have had multiple chats after tutorials with kids who start crying because they feel isolated and lost on the huge campus."
manlikerealities
Perfection Is The Enemy Of Done
"Perfectionists with depression/anxiety/lots of other responsibilities."
"It basically means not having the time you need to do the work but also never ever handing in anything that isn't perfect. So it goes in a hideous cycle until I work out what is going on and put them into amended due dates/small steps type things, and emphasise that SOMETHING is better than failing."
"That and remaining enrolled but not taking the damn class."
"(Plagiarism and thinking film theory is a cruising elective for funsies are close second places)"
handsofanautomaton
Don't Lost That Password, Now
"Not. Reading. Their. Emails."
"I work in central admin, and a huge percentage of the fails we see are due to students failing to check their university email account. Frequently, they get to the end of term, then claim no one ever contacted them, so they couldn't possibly pass. We then get sent the massive list of dates and times the increasingly irritated department secretary has contacted them..."
172116
It's Like HW IS Meant To Help You...
"I'm currently an adjunct professor at a community college. I also teach a how to succeed in college class. The school I work for has a ridiculous amount of resources available to students, including free tutoring and writing help. And students don't use them. They don't check email, they don't turn in homework, and they don't ask for help when they need it, or deny needing it when I offer... I just don't get it."
"They have everything to succeed. No one should ever fail- I'm very reasonable with emergencies or other situations if they need extensions with homework. And they just, don't. It's incredibly frustrating to see bright individuals not complete the work they need to pass. Just check your email and do the homework!!!"
brine-22
It's All In Your Head
"They convince themselves they're bad at a subject. Some students understand really well and can even sometimes apply what they've learned for an exercise during the lesson, then the next lesson they've forgotten everything, because they're "bad at it" so "it's normal they can't do it"."
Olde_Sweet_Shoppe
Use Your Phone To Set Reminders
"Lack of time management skills and no desire to think critically about subjects."
svazq003
"This meshed with my experience while a professor, with one difference: Kids nowadays aren't taught to think critically, by and large. They're so conditioned by being taught to the test, and being able to look nearly anything simple up on Google that they rarely have reason to think critically."
"It's so bad that the first semester of freshmen chem where I taught was largely taught to the test (ACS standardized test, in this case). I taught my second semester freshmen chem course in a way that required critical thinking to get an A or a high B, and I didn't curve. Let's just say that the admin didn't like that the average in my class was a C-."
HerrDoktorLaser
It's A Mental Game
"Every single student that fails my class has one or both of this character flaws."
- They blame everyone else: you can see it when you hear them talk. They don't say "I fail" or "I got X grade", they say "HE failed me" or "HE gave me X grade".
- They are so afraid to fail that they barely try. Because they thing that if they don't even try they can always say "if I apply myself I could have done it easily".
You Need More?
•Lack of maturity.
•Lack of any self-study.
•Lack of interest in their chosen subject.
•Lacking the ability to see the long game / plan ahead.
•Merely seeing study as a means to an end (IE getting a well-paid job).
•Inability to think critically.
•Inability to conduct meaningful research.
•Plagiarism.
•General laziness.
monster_breeder
Too Much Self-Medication
"Tenured professor here. Three words:"
"Stop. Smoking. Weed."
"Seriously, stop doing this! Ok, so occasional recreational weed use is ok, but if you're lighting up to avoid worrying about assignments, it means you're avoiding doing the assignments. That means you are an addict. That means you will fail. You may feel great, but you. Will. Fail. Use of cannabis is highly correlated with apathy, and apathy is a degree-killer."
"Don't smoke weed to avoid your responsibilities. It works far too well- soon you will find you no longer have those responsibilities at all."
OphidiaSnaketongue
Start Strong, STAY STRONG
Giphy
"Halfhearted attention to class, skipping, getting zeros on assignments, then doing frantic damage control near the end. Nope! Try again next term."
Repent2019
"So if students do the work, show up, pay attention, care about the class, they'll generally do okay?"
Lokael
A huge round of applause to all the educators out there. And please, read your emails students!
Do you have a similar story? Please share it in our comment section below!
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Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.
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
Money Burn GIF by nog
Giphy
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
south park wedding GIF
Giphy
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
homer simpson episode 23 GIF
Giphy
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
Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso
Giphy
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
Disney World GIF
Giphy
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.