Unfortunately, it's easier to remember bad memories. Especially when something awkward, sad, or unfair happened during our most impressionable years. A lot of adults still remember times when a teacher was unnecessarily mean to them. As children, it's hard to understand what adults are mad about sometimes. But looking back as adults, it is sometimes clear that they were mad at you for no good reason at all.
Redditor u/Cinemacrackers asked, "What's the stupidest reason you got in trouble in school?" and it wasn't hard for people to recall teachers who were jerks to them.
10. Some teachers just react without reasoning
"In seventh grade English class, a classmate looked pretty sad so I asked her how she was doing. No malicious intent, just wondering what was making her so upset but she started sobbing. I apologized and moved on. Later that day, I get pulled from a different class by a math teacher that I've never met before who yelled at me in the hallway making snide remarks about my parents and their parenting capacity. She made me sit in front of the principal's office to 'wait for the principal to talk to me' for four hours, long after the school day has ended. When the principal finally did show up, he had no idea why I was sitting there. Middle school me was too shy to make a fuss about it but in hindsight I should've made a complaint against her. To this day, the girl that I supposedly 'bullied' has no idea why the math teacher flipped out at me."
9. Remember when "sucks" was a bad word?
"For saying my school picture sucked. I had no idea 'sucked' was considered a bad word until I was put in detention for it."
8. Breathing is kind of important for learning
"For using my asthma medication in class. I was told to keep my inhaler in the office, and to use it in there only. I was told it was 'distracting.'
Know what else is distracting? The sounds of someone gasping for air and having to be removed from class."
7. Are paper planes that bad?
"Someone made a paper airplane out of scrap paper that had been binned. My name was written on the sheet they used. I got sent out the room and handed a punishment exercise"
6. Obvious nepotism
Giphy"Someone once poked a wasp nest in the school forest, and the whole swarm came out upon the school. The entire school sat detention for an hour. Understandable if you don't know who did it, but that's not the problem. We were sitting detention because the principal's son got stung. As it eventually turned out, it was actually his fault the swarm came down on us.
I have cursed his name since the day I found out."
5. At least the teacher tried to apologize
"In 11th grade I had gotten pink eye in both eyes. I'd never had it before, just thought I was having a reaction to my eye liner or whatever. I was in second period, cooking 101. My teacher kept looking at me funny the entire class. Eventually she asked to talk to me in the hallway. She told me that I needed to go to the nurses office because I was stoned and she could tell by how fascinated I was with the cooking we were doing.
I was so confused and kept trying to tell her I was having some sort of allergic reaction but she wasn't having it and yelled at me, told me to grab my things and go NOW. Pretty much berated me while the whole class could hear and had me so frustrated/embarrassed I was in tears. Walked into the classroom, everyone was staring at me in silence, grabbed my stuff and went to the nurse. One look at me and she confirmed the pink eye. Got to go home and stay home for a few days. I remember my teacher tried to apologize for the incident... class was super awkward after that."
4. This little vampire was shut down
"Chasing someone with a paperclip and saying I am a vampire (was elementary)"
3. This teacher couldn't deal with educational literature
"I checked out a book on African tribes from the library in the fourth grade. I told the teacher about how the book had topless women in it thinking I was helping, she confiscated the book and had me suspended from school."
2. Why are teachers so suspicious of students!?
"I got in trouble for 'cheating' on one of my math exams. The teacher found a piece of paper in my pencil case. I got sent to the principal's office. When the principal asked me about what I wanted to say in my defense, I simply told him to take a look at the note. It turned out to be a shopping list. I was alowed to re-take the exam the following week."
1. This student wouldn't kowtow to their teacher
Giphy"I tripped on a loose tile and bumped into a teacher causing her to spill her coffee on herself. I apologized and showed her the tile.
She went on for months about how I did it on purpose. Even got the principal and my folks involved. For the rest of the year she told me I couldn't come back to her class unless I apologized for doing it on purpose.
Never went back to her class. Though I initially apologized for the incident, I never once apologized for doing it 'on purpose'."
Going to school five days a week, six hours a day, means you spend more time at school with teachers than you do with your family. During our twelve or so years of school, we really get to know the people who are teaching us and even may grow to admire some of them. But not every teacher is perfect (or frankly good at their job) and we do meet the worst of teachers sometimes.
Reddiot u/Goblin5456 asked people, "What's the dumbest thing a teacher ever said to you?" and people shared times when their teachers' proved to not be so great.
20. This professor didn't want to use their brain
"OMG! Taking a reading comprehension class in college for an easy A, get marked wrong on a test for saying earthquake came before earthworm in alphabetical order. Tried to challenge it and get points back and she said, 'well that's what the key says, so it must be right.'"
19. Chill out
"not so much said, but more of what she did. i had a teacher who didn't like me very much and when i messed up on a project and asked her for another blank piece of paper, she got angry with me and gave me the whole stack"
18. Check a map sometime
Giphy"My friend once had a teacher that had no idea that Sweden was a real country."
17. To the dictionary!
"I once had a 5th grade teacher argue with me that A.D. stood for after death, and he wouldn't believe me that it stood for anno domini (latin for the year of the lord). It finally took me getting a dictionary and showing him."
16. It's called a bathroom break
"'Why are you using the bathroom you should be in class'"
15. This lazy solution for bullying
"One kid was visibly kicking me in class during 4th grade, and it was like hard kicking. One time when she was kicking me in my desk, I look over at the teacher to see him just looking at me, getting kicked. Eventually I push that girl off of me because ya know **** getting kicked and I went up to the teacher and said, 'Hey, _____ is kicking me. Can you please do something?' And this mofo responded with, 'Just don't let it bother you'. Teachers just love kids getting beat up haha!"
14. Didn't stand a chance against the teacher
"That the Romans didn't have boats, as in they were not invented until N.A. was discovered. I immediately called her out on it and she doubled down hard, 14 year old me didn't stand a chance."
13. This teacher had fake credentials
"Science teacher said you could stick a needle in your eyes' pupil and it was just air there so it wouldn't harm you. She got fired halfway through the year. Apparently she had a degree in cosmetology and not teaching."
12. What a waste of tissues
"One of my teachers was convinced that you were best off cleaning up spills with Kleenex rather than paper towels."
11. A racist teacher
"a teacher once told the class that asians are called yellow people and hispanics are red people."
10. No brains in the classroom!
"A teacher once told the class that Abraham Lincoln was a follower of Gandhi's principles. Where as Gandhi wasn't even born in Lincoln's lifetime. On correcting her, she told me to not act smart and use my brains elsewhere."
9. Miss the whole class for missing two minutes of it
"I got busted coming in late after lunch. My AP calculus teacher didn't mind, but the rent-a-cop did. It was my second warning, so they made me sit in detention during class instead of actually being in class, as punishment for missing class.
Anyhow they also had me talk to the assistant principal, who told me that when I have a job someday I can't just walk in late whenever I feel like. My response was that my boss wouldn't make me sit in the corner for an hour if I walked in 2 minutes late, but that's neither here nor there."
8. Everyone knows Scooby's cousin, Scoby Doby Do
Giphy"'It's very rude for children to correct adults'
-she'd written 'Scoby Doby Do' on the whiteboard when someone asked her how it was spelt"
6. This happened to me in math
"My math teacher failed me on a test when i got the answer using a different method than the one she taught in class. When asked the reason for her failing me she told that only arrogant children did things in a different way and that i deserved to fail. Also was given a detention for questioning her decision."
5. No excuses
"He called one of the oceans Australia.
Granted, the map was colored weird, but still."
4. Sounds like she earned that nickname
"We were all digging through a bin to get markers for a project. I'm partially color blind and asked her if the marker I had in my hand was green. She responded with 'what are you stupid'. I paused kind of taken aback by that but before I could answer a few of my classmates jumped on her about it. She was affectionately known as Ms. *****ler."
3. They are not a myth
"'There's no such thing as negative numbers.'
I know Cyber Chase wouldn't lie to me, so why would my first grade teacher?"
2. Teachers were not ready for the future
"'You won't always have a calculator on you'"
1. Why would a student lie about that?
Giphy"I said I didn't understand the math we were doing and she said 'stop it you're lying' , I ended up having to take the same math class for the next year because I didn't get the help I obviously needed."
Do you have something to confess to George? Text "Secrets" or "
" to +1 (310) 299-9390 to talk to him about it.
qui qui....
GiphyFrench. Dikke-Dirk
Amen! Took French for 2 years in school. First year, didn't understand shit. Almost thought of dropping it. Now I'm pursuing DELF B1. blu7777777777
True Connection.
IRL social interaction. So much success in the world is tied to being able to interact well with people in the real world. robotlasagna
I wish my parents knew this. It's important to allow your child to have lots of friends and actually let them hang out with said friends outside of school and stuff. I was NEVER EVER allowed to go to friend's houses or go anywhere with friends unless they lived next to us/a few doors down and under strict time limits. None of my friends were ever allowed over. Now I'm an adult and I have very few friends and I don't even really feel close to them. Kids need to be able to practice and develop that skill. KatDanger
"Peaceful"
Stopped assuming that people's thoughts about me were at all similar to that extremely critical voice in my head. It's still somewhat of a struggle to stay positive... but, overall, being yourself and staying present when with others really reduces anxiety. "Peaceful" would be a good word to describe it. Withnswo05
I cried.
That I'm okay to be on my own. I used to really cling to my two best friends, and couldn't do anything without either of them. At 26 I went clothes shopping without them for the first time since I was 19. I cried. Then I did that a bit more. Then I went to the movies on my own. Then the cricket on my own. Then the football on my own. Then I travelled on my own. I learnt to become very comfortable in my own skin. And I am so so glad that I did. wolverine-claws
Road Warrior...
GiphyDriving. I took about twice as many driving classes as anyone else I know. I was petrified the entire time and I kept mixing up left and right.
Ten years and several driving vacations later, I'm glad my parents cajoled and essentially bribed me into going through with it. aNulgoodlove
"It's fun to poo-poo & pee-pee in the toilet."
Potty training. hugestdildoyouveused
Ha! I still remember my mom saying, "It's fun to poo-poo & pee-pee in the toilet." I pondered this for a moment then realized how convenient it was to keep playing and just sh!t your pants wherever you were instead of stopping playtime to go find a bathroom. I shook my head wisely, "Nah-ah, it's fun to poo-poo & pee-pee in the diaper."
My toddler mind was a strange place. AutumnRain789
Speak Right.
English, I was about 8 or 9 years old when I hated English, maybe because of crap like: it is very difficult, I do not want to, it is that blah blah blah. The thing is that when my parents finally forced me to learn, I loved it, and thanks to that,
I met an English-speaking community as diverse as reddit is. just_a_spanish_dude
Keep Your Crazy....
Dealing with people's craziness I'm the workforce.
Currently dealing with being ghosted by a co-worker and have a goddamn dissertation along with screenshots about why I acted appropriately when I called her earlier to set up a time to talk about it after work in case HR decides to pay me a visit about "mysterious" allegations.
I know how quickly companies can shun you if you cannot justify your position or actions all too well. WannabeAsianNinja
The Passion.
GiphyPiano. For 4 years I hated it with a passion. Then in 8th grade my piano teacher taught me a really fun song. I realized I didn't like slow classical music but upbeat and fast songs. I was super hooked on playing piano for the next 6 years.
Don't have easy access to a piano anymore but eventually I started just making up stuff as I went. And had memorized a handful of songs. Was my favorite way to de-stress and express/process my emotions in high school when I couldn't voice them or put words to my feelings. A_Somewhat_Geek
Let me hear you....
Public speaking. I was super shy and I wasn't willing to talk in front of a crowd larger than two. So my teacher pulled my ass into a public speaking contest. I was really nervous, hated every bit of it.
Flash forward a few years, a few poem recitals here and there, I'm a lot more comfortable in speaking in front of a crowd. Still nervous as heck but, at least I can speak my thoughts without running away like that one time during a presentation I had to do in front of my class. asteraft
Speaking in Tongues....
GiphyLanguages; at first it was very difficult to learn new language, after 3rd one it starts getting easier because all languages are connected. So now I know 5 languages and started learning my 6th. RedditArtur
subtext is life....
I hated learning about themes, and metaphors in literature when i was a kid, but now that I'm older, a part of me is delighted when I recognize the subtext of whatever Im reading. Tonaia
Same here. Reading becomes much more enjoyable when you understand the deeper meanings and concepts behind texts. zummm72
People Anxiety.
I had a fear of calling people. I always relied on e-mails and texting because calling someone just made me anxious for some reason. Eventually I as forced to pick up the phone at an internship, and I grew out of being anxious. Now I call people instead of waiting to finally get an e-mail back and it's just way more time efficient. DutchCheeseAddict
Basics.
Math. MessireSM
I'm here for math as well. I have worked for two people who don't understand when to multiply or divide for percentages, or when it add and subtract, and it was infuriating.
A great way to refresh your basic math skills is to take a deck of cards and start subtracting down from one hundred to zero. Or use as a very depressing party trick if you want to see how many grown folk have lost the ability to math. LollyGriff
Board Fail.
GiphyI took keyboarding in high school. Absolutely hated the class, the teacher was awful. One of the most useful skills I have now, and I couldn't possibly do my job as efficiently, and make the kind of money I do without it. sommai2555
Vroom No.
Driving. I was 40 by the time I got my license and I regret all of the lost time. As nice as it was to be chauffeured around there's something to be said for the freedom of being able to hop in the car and go anywhere, any time. I love driving now. Other drivers, on the other hand, I could do without. everyting_is_taken
Scribbles.
Writing. Would constantly break down in tantrums when doing my writing homework during my first year of school, now I'm 150 pages through my first novel. oldmanhiggons
I'm an English teacher. I hated learning essays but wow do I love teaching them now–to students that hate learning essays. coffeeframes
The Worth.....
Something that someone told me once that became easier to live by over time:
In life there is always two ways you can go about any situation. You can react or you can respond.
Learning to respond instead of react takes time. But it's worth it. Hovie1
stick to the plan.....
Took my first programming class in high school, and hated it. Really didn't see the point, way too abstract, and just figured it wasn't for me so I decided to stick to my plan of pursuing a music career.
Later I discovered my untalented self didn't have what it took to be a musician, and now I'm a web developer. maleorderbride
The Stick.
GiphyHow to drive a manual/stick. I also learned to drive a tractor and some heavy machinery not long after and it's translated into being able to drive pretty much anything aside from a non synchro truck (which I understand in theory).
I'm pretty much always the sober driver so it's meant I can drive friends cars home if they've over indulged and keeps me and my mates safe.
It wasn't pretty learning to drive, but I'm very please I know how to now. maddogmilo93