People Break Down Which Incorrect Things Their Elementary School Teachers Told Them
While school was everyone's favorite activity growing up, something that inevitably made the experience worse was an indignant teacher.
Occasionally a student might have a question the teacher can't answer, or they might know something the teacher doesn't. While it would make sense for the teacher to be the life-long learner they urge their students to be, and to address the new information, sometimes the new information leads to disaster.
Redditor VandyThrowaway21 asked:
"What's something an elementary school teacher told you that was totally incorrect?"
Plethora of Knowledge
"I got sent to the principal's office for using the word 'plethora.' The teacher thought it was a swear word. So did the principal."
"And yes, they looked it up. And there is some obscure, arcane definition that means a swelling of a body part. This, of course, is the only definition my teacher knew, not the extremely common one."
- DenL4242
That's Not How That Works
"My fifth-grade teacher once said, 'The higher you go up on a mountain, the hotter it gets because you're getting closer to the sun.'"
- Major-Panda-1775
Moon or Sun
"That the moon emits light, just like the sun. As a nerdy kid interested in space, I told her that it’s actually reflecting the light of the sun, but she did not believe me."
- Mandys14
Legally Speaking
"That in a court of law, we are guilty until proven innocent. She confidently told us that multiple times, pretty sure she got it backwards."
- Kainerobins
Wrong Equation
"6th Grade Me: But what happens when you subtract a negative number from a negative number?"
"Teacher: You... can't do that."
- I_Code_Stunned
Vampire Bats
"Teacher asked us to name as many types of bats as we could once, and I had a bit of an obsession, so I rattled off: Common pipistrelle, Greater horseshoe, Greater mouse-eared bat, and Vampire."
"I mentioned vampire last as I thought it would have an impact, and the class did not disappoint."
"But the teacher was forced to close off the discussion by claiming that Vampire Bats don't really exist. I then whipped out my bat book and held up the page, and got sent to the principal's office."
"YOU CANNOT WIN!"
- ramriot
Maybe in a Workday
"I had a primary school teacher ask the class how many hours were in a day. I proudly put up my hand and said '24.' She said no. So someone else said 12. She said no."
"Her answer was eight. There are eight hours in a day. I still don't know whether she was trying to ask about a work/school day, but asking eight-year-olds doesn't really clarify that, especially when she said in a day."
- moisiebug
How Family Drama Starts
"That I couldn't have blue eyes if my mom had brown eyes. Thus began a lifelong obsession with genetics so I could prove her an absolute f**king fool."
"Bless my mom's single recessive gene she passed to me. I missed the blonde, but I'll take the blue eyes."
- PeppermintNya
It's a Plane
"Middle school not elementary, but my sixth-grade science teacher told the class that sound travels faster than light because 'if a plane is flying overhead, you hear it before you see it!'"
- gain_glowsack_sun
Art is Personal
"That there was no such thing as a black flower. She put a big X through my painting."
- Splattacus
Good Handwriting
"You will need to write in cursive once you get to middle school and beyond."
"Seventh-grade teachers explicitly prohibited kids turning essays in written in cursive. Don't think I ever saw it in high school, college, or throughout my career except from older people." - Leeroy74
A Wholesome Apology
"I had a teacher try to tell the class that Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus were the only planets known to have rings."
"I raised my hand and added that Jupiter had rings too, but that they were so faint they were hard to see."
"She vehemently denied it."
"When I politely (yes, really) told her that I had just seen it in a book, she gave me detention for trying to correct her in front of the class."
"The next day, before class began, she approached me with an encyclopedia opened to a page about Jupiter, and apologized."
"She told the class I was indeed right, and that it's important to listen and learn from people even when we think we are 100% right. One of the more wholesome moments I can remember from school in my youth."
- PocketBuckle
Can't Get the Time Back
"When I was in kindergarten, we had a punishment system that was basically at recess, you had to stand along the fence at recess while the other kids played."
"A minor infraction was just like five minutes and then you could go. Something more was 10 minutes. And so on, including standing there the whole time. And you couldn’t talk while standing on the fence (even to the teacher especially to ask how much longer) or you’d have time added."
"One time I got five minutes for talking in class. But the teacher forgot and didn’t realize I was still there until the end of recess. And I couldn’t say anything because you couldn’t talk."
"And she apologized, but it is a bit like, you can’t get time back, even if you want to."
- PhiloPhocion
Behind-the-Scenes Moment
"I was a pre-service elementary teacher years ago, and our science instructor was teaching us how you can only see when there is light present. A large cohort of my classmates argued she was wrong because they could see when it was dark outside."
"The purpose of the lesson was to learn how students form misconceptions about scientific facts based on their personal observations of the natural world... flew over their heads a bit."
- banjho
About Those Methods Classes...
"So I teach pre-service elementary teachers in their science methods class and as an astrophysicist, it baffles me how much my soon-to-be-teachers just don’t know about our world and just science in general."
"Like last semester, I had to convince several students that the moon was not a star. And since we can only spend one week on astronomy topics, I can guarantee that a few of them will forget and go back to thinking the moon is a star…"
- astrobre
These examples left making people shaking their heads, wondering what else might have been incorrect in the classroom.
But in most of these cases, the worst part was the teacher being unwilling to listen or to double-check their facts.
Sometimes adulting is incredibly hard, especially when we're going through a trying time or are struggling with our health or mental health.
These pieces of advice may seem simple on the surface, but especially during the hard times, they could create a meaningful change for someone.
Redditor TheSensibleTurtle asked:
"What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?"
Firm Boundaries
"It came from Reddit, funnily enough."
"'Set limits for what you’re prepared to give, because people who take don’t have limits for how much they’re prepared to take.'"
"I’ve definitely applied it to my life. Unfortunately, there are several people I know who have yet to apply it to theirs."
- RedWestern
Lending Money
"Never lend money you can't afford to ever see again. Also, loan money with the expectation that you're never going to see it again."
- levitatingloser
Closest Company
"The single most important decision you will make in life is your partner."
- bemest
Know What You Want
"If it's not a clear yes, then it's a no."
- hiraeth_99
Not Forever
"Nothing is permanent. Jobs, relationships, good times, and bad times."
"Something I say to myself when making big decisions."
- Real_Bridge_5440
Relationship Goals
"In relationships: It's not you and your significant other against each other. It's both of you against the problem."
- MaxRptz
Time After Time
"A very rich friend of mine told me that he can buy or access almost anything at this stage of his life, except time. Make the most of every moment."
- phalangepatella
Drink Your Water
"Drink water."
"I had a friend's mom down my childhood street that insisted this was the curative agent for all that ailed you. And most of the time, she was not wrong."
"Indigestion? Water. Constipated? One tall glass of water every hour at least. Headache? Water."
"Her kid got the flu and his mom was like, 'I'm not taking him to the doctor. What are they gonna do? Tell him to drink water and eat food? I'm not paying 20 bucks and waiting an hour to hear that."
- elementaryfrequency9
Gossip Goes Both Ways
"People who gossip about others to you, gossip about you to others."
- CommunicationNo5292
Communication Is Key
"You have the right to tell someone how they make you feel."
- RockyMtnOysterCo
Be Prepared
"Never attempt to fix a plumbing problem when the hardware store is closed."
"It was from my dad. I am pretty sure that he learned it the hard way!"
- tg1024
You Are Worth More
"Your job doesn't define you."
- vander_blanc
No Self-Sacrifice
"Don’t set yourself on fire to keep someone else warm."
- Phoenix_of_Asclepius
Financial Perspective
"If you can just barely afford a house then you can’t afford it really. Something for new homeowners to bear in mind."
"Have some friends that bought a very expensive house. They used every bit of what they were able to be loaned. They now work just to be able to live in the house. Tried to tell them that if the majority of their income goes to the mortgage, then they can't afford the house."
- Effurlife13
Be Happy
“'Just do the things that make you happy and don’t do the things that don’t make you happy.'"
"From an ex-boyfriend who said this to me years ago. It’s so simple but kind of blew my anxious little self’s mind."
- Dizzy-Worldliness-20
Don't Listen to Them
"'Don’t take criticisms from someone you wouldn’t take advice from.'"
"I suffer from insecurities and have had people make some horrendous comments to me in my life. Someone once told me the above quote and it made something click in my head. From then on, things have been a h**l of a lot better."
- FluffyDaedra
While some of these tips appear resoundingly simple, they could be a real life-changer if put into practice.
Hindsight is 20/20. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I was young and stupid in this days.
However people put it into words, we've all done things we regret. And regret comes in a variety of flavors.
A recent Reddit thread took aim at one specific kind of regret: things done that, despite feeling uncomfortable during the act itself, we pushed through. We hoped it was worth the short term struggle, wagering on wonderful circumstances we assumed would follow the strife.
But of course, we discovered that it wasn't worth pushing through. We struggled and toiled but came out with nothing for it.
Hopefully a list like this can offer a few sage pieces of advice to stop you before pushing through for nothing
Jjwllms asked, "What's not worth it?"
Useful for About .4 Seconds
"Buying babies a lot of clothes. They grow up so fast they dont even need half of what s in the closet" -- offta_100
"You'd think seeing an ad for unused baby clothes/furniture be tragic, but in reality it's like with avocados - wait a day too long and you cant use it." -- Macluawn
"This. Absolutely this."
"My wife and I had our first child almost 2 years ago. There were a ton of newborn baby clothes we never even used and ended up donating."
"At least 40 outfits." -- BrostFyte
Working to Live or Living to Work?
"Working so hard you can't enjoy the rest of your life" -- zarina342
"If you have a choice, then yes. But sometimes working really hard is the difference between having a roof over your head or living on the streets." -- DeathSpiral321
"I wonder that about my ex boss. He's 75 now and still a butcher in a grocery store and when I asked why he was still there he said money was so good. Can't spend it when you're dead." -- MsAnnabel
Experienced With Disappointment
"Bending over backwards to help someone that, at the end of the day, refuses to help themselves."
"Trying to save a friendship that you've clearly outgrown. (I have to keep reminding myself of that one.)"
"Forcing a friendship."
"Buying particleboard furniture."
"Cheap a** plastic Tupperware."
Listen to Your Gut
"Staying somewhere or with someone because it's 'safe' or the 'easy' route even though you're unhappy. Sometimes it worth the risk to pack up and move on or out." -- Big_jerm3
"Thankfully, my 'somewhat' fiancee ended it for me. Awful person that I didn't notice until I was out of that relationship." -- H-Christ
"Yup u never know what the unknown will bring to you" -- thrivingandstriving
"You are not a tree. If you don't like where you are, move!" -- Small-in-Belgium
Big Tobacco’s Ace in the Hole
"Smoking cigarettes. You're trading a microscopic endorphin bump for a working, healthy body. And usually people (myself included) don't realize until some of the irreversible damage is already done." -- A_HELPFUL_POTATO
"Starting smoking... Over 7 years I have spent roughly $19000" -- Gloomy-Field
Imagine if You Pooled All Those Upcharges
"It's not the deepest answer but Postmates" -- DeadInsideWiggs
"Turn a 7 buck burrito in to a 17 buck one." -- Aevum1
"You offended my laziness" -- AquaticSteveZizuu
""It can almost be worthwhile with a membership!"–I murmured to myself, knowing it's untrue. *sobs into my $15 Frosty*" -- Sonadel
One Sided Efforts
"Trying to rekindle a relationship with an ex who clearly has zero interest in pursuing it." -- Back2Bach
"'Once you feel avoided by someone, never disturb them again.'" -- thrivingandstriving
"Or for that matter, start one with someone who isn't into it. People say persistence is key, but it's also the key to getting your ego beaten into the dirt." -- CookiesFTA
Like Running in Mud
"Arguing with stupid people. In the wise words of Mark Twain: 'Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.'" -- Stygian_Echoes
"Arguing with stupid people is like playing chess with a pigeon. Doesn't matter what move you'll make, pigeon will take a sh!t on the board and fly away.' I don't know who said it but I 100% agree with it." -- IllTearOffUrSans
Physics Lessons
"Pissin off a tall building. the updraft just blows it back in your mouth."
"Once upon a time I pissed off a tall building. I thought it'd be fun to watch my pee fall a long way. Turns out, the wind was stronger than my pee force, and it just got all over my face and mouth and jncos."
Giving Power Away
"giving someone who ghosted you another chance/ believing people when they say they've changed. 9/10, they haven't" -- butternut_bunny
"I gave a guy that ghosted me a second chance. Sucked a** because anytime he got quiet for to long i was afraid it happening again. Never going down that road again." -- Fussy_TaHwRaOyW
"Don't waste time on someone who doesn't value your time" -- hatsnatcher23
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When you become a parent a certain amount of wisdom flows through you... well so they say, some people ignore the knowledge, good parents embrace it. Of course a lot of knowledge comes with age and life experience. The whole "been there, done that mantra is life gold." So we really need to listen harder and check ourselves when our parents sit us down for a chat. There is so much to learn and then more to share.
Redditor u/mjorcasiver wanted to know who learned from their parents wisdom that could help us all by asking....
What's a lesson you've learned from a parent that you wish others would know?
Not One Thing.
GiphyYou cannot allow one aspect of your life to define you, no matter how important that aspect is.
If you let your job become who you are, or your politics become who you are, or any one piece of your life supersede all else, it is a short trip to an identity crisis.
Allow yourself to be varied. It's fine to have a central focus, but be sure to allow some portions of your life that are entirely separate from it. ligamentary
Justice/Fairness....
"You can screw up a lot of different ways with a kid, but the absolute most important thing is that they always feel loved." Sandvick
I'll add to this, your kids often need different things to feel loved: Your entire focus, Play, affection, Food & Gifts/Material things. One kid might be a hugger and the other needs you to listen to a a detailed re-cap of their video game boss-kill.
But you have more than one - clear displays and acknowledgement of Justice/Fairness is the most important way to show you love each of them. Without fairness you are telling one kid they are lesser. Your kids might need and want different things, but on the whole, making sure things are reasonably equitable/fair is one of the most loving things you can do as a parent. dainty_flower
The Flirt.
If someone flirts with you, and you don't like them back, say no. A good person will accept that no and move on. If they don't, feel free to create a scene, get help, or what ever you need to do to feel safe.
And that they will have my back. Always.
There was a case when I was in my late teens when a friend mine started bringing his friend around to hang out. Guy was a douche, leered at the girls and insulted the guys.
So we, told him he was not welcome. (but our friend still was, as long as he left the other guy out of it). Dude keeps trying to come over to my house, follows my girlfriends and cat calls them, sh!t like that. My mom AND dad went out the front door to where this guy was idling his car and told him that he was not welcome in our house or on our property, just as their daughter had said, and if he did not wish to comply with this, police would be called. Never saw that fool again. FlutterByCookies
Bye Blood....
That family isn't always blood and it's okay to walk away from them for your own mental health. mperfectphoto
If only they didn't ruin my life and left me unable to fend for myself. Currently severely injured, jobless, broke and depending on the good will of my parents to be able to live.
I don't want to live this pathetic existence. mike117
Be All In.
A solid work ethic is more valuable than pure intelligence. andcat789
I really like this bit of advice. I was one of those kids who could easily ace every test in middle school, and I didn't spend a minute studying. Then I started high school, took a bunch of advanced courses, and got sh!t on because I had no idea what studying even was. I didn't even know about the very concept of studying. r34_content_creator
Work and a Smile.
GiphyHard work without likability gets you a hard earned paycheck. Likability without hard work gets you an easy paycheck. But hard work with likability gets you a promotion. CRRT93
Positive Only.
Some advice I read somewhere was to not make the thoughts appear from your head/mouth/face. As stupid as it might seem you can actually make it seem like your thoughts are voicing itself from other parts of your body, and moving it elsewhere kinda helps suppress them. Whenever I get negative thought I move it to my butt. poopellar
A Good Leader.
When I got my first management job my dad gave me 2 pieces of advice.
"You serve at the will of your subordinates. Treat them well and you will all succeed."
"Your employees' success is theirs. Their failure is yours." HoopOnPoop
It's Not Just You.
Consider others feelings. Don't dump your crap on them, because (a) it's your crap not their's- take ownership and don't pass the blame, and (b) you don't know what kind of crap they could be dealing with. If you just pass it onto them they will just throw it back at you with more crap and can make you feel worse. You won't grow as a person always blaming others and you could potentially damage your relationship with someone or at the very least piss someone off. Lightmareman
Thanks Pops.
GiphyMy old man had so many things that I still think back on and tell my kids.
A few that stick with me are:
When you get tired, learn to rest, not quit.
There's no nobility in being better than someone else. Nobility is being better than a past self. TacoDoc
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