Being a teacher really can't be easy.
You're always dealing with a bunch more than a single human being really should be dealing with. And you're technically responsible for like, the future of America, so you know, no pressure.
Sometimes it's just the worst day ever and it's a miracle you make it out intact. But you know, it all would have been okay without that annoying as HECK thing you had to deal with today...
u/Chrisrocks202 asked:
Teachers of reddit, what was the most annoying thing you ever had to deal with in class?
Here were some of those answers.
So. Much. Paperwork.
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Just how much of a danger small children are to themselves and others. We've got to catalogue every playground injury, which while understandable in theory is actually incredibly time consuming.
And the kids have been taught to find a grownup for everything so one minute you'll be applying ice to someone who ran into a post, and then filing in the same forms for the kid who wanted a band aid because they have a hangnail.
Poor Girl Was Probably Scared
Early elementary art teacher here:
I was in the middle of teaching a kindergarten class and noticed one of the kids was passing gas...A LOT. Luckily it was warm enough outside so I cracked a couple windows without missing a step in my lesson or bringing more attention to the smell. A few minutes later, I realize that the smell is growing at an exponential rate and I had that terrible thought: someone sh*t their pants and now they're either too embarrassed to come tell me in front of their peers or scared they will get in trouble (remember, they're 5 year olds).
SO, I decide my plan of attack will be to continue teaching my lesson as planned but actively walk around my classroom with and extra heightened sense of smell so I can literally "sniff out" the kid that did this while still acting normal around all the students. Sure enough, I get to one of the tables and this one kid just smells terrible and it's obvious she did this. I get the kids started on their art projects and ask this girl into the hall to have a chat. I ask her if she pooped her pants and she says no. I ask her if she's sure she didn't and she says yeah she's sure. We go back inside the class and the smell gets even worse. A couple minutes later I ask the same girl back out in the hall and I tell her I know she pooped her pants and that she needs to go to the school nurse to get a change of clothes. After it takes some convincing, I get her outta there and get things cleaned up on the sly so that way a lot of the other kids wouldn't find out what happened and therefore wouldn't tease the girl later.
That was a rough day.
It's Almost Never The Kids' Faults
PARENTS.
Not always in class, necessarily, but my district has a "Bring Your Parent to School Day" which is NOT supposed to be an opportunity for parents to critique teachers, but definitely ends up that way for some of us.
This year, at the end of class, a parent came up to me and told me that my class was pretty disorderly (even though it was the best they'd behaved all year - mind you, this was a class of mainly freshman boys), and that she didn't like how many times her own son got up to sharpen his pencil.
Oh. Okay. Thanks?
The same parent told my colleague that he should have students who wanted to learn sit on one side of the room and have students who didn't want to learn sit on the other. And then, of course, ONLY teach the kids who wanted to learn.
The irony in that suggestion was that her son would be on the "doesn't want to learn" side, but, as public educators, we're not allowed to say anything. Just smile and nod, smile and nod...
It's Just Disrespectful And Distracting
University level, so I am not sure if this counts, but he would come to class and watch television shows on his laptop.
I don't have an attendance requirement. I asked him to please just watch them outside instead of coming to class. He said he was very sorry and would not do it again. After that, he was still pretty clearly watching shows in class on his laptop, with the sound down, but would click away any time I came near.
I don't understand.
Putting Someone Off From Learning
Hmmm.... I teach English in a Chinese kindergarten (nursery). Annoying maybe a tad strong, but it it is unfortunately inconvenient and counterproductive when the local teacher is over-eager.
Some are taking an active part in the class, which is great, but oftentimes they step-in to correct the kids and do so incorrectly (pronunciation particularly). Also due to the different teaching approach, and I guess impatience, they tend to push the kid and stress them out to give an answer without giving enough time to think and come up with something.
To elaborate on the second point. I'd rather the kid gave me any answer by themselves, however incorrect, so that we can correct it together than the teacher pushing or giving the answer and destroying the kid's confidence in the process.
Wasting Time For No Reason
Inability to fill in the attendance register. 30 in class, only 27 names on register. 'who hasn't filled in their name?' "we all have" 'no you haven't, who hasn't filled it in?'. Silence. Start asking individually until register is finally filled in. Amazing how people will argue that they have filled in their name when they haven't.
Rude Boy--Not The Rihanna Song
I'm a computer science teacher. This is important as my students usually have access to a computer. One student likes to be hated by the other students, so he found an online tone generator and set it to a frequency that older people wouldn't be able to hear, but it would massively annoy his classmates. Thankfully, I'm not particularly old and have fairly tuned in hearing from a background in audio engineering so I could just mute his computer. The most annoying part is that if he put as much effort into his work as he did into creative ways to piss people off, he could do really well.
Some People Need To Retire
Former primary and secondary school teacher here based in the UK. My vote goes towards incompetent or robotic senior management.
Also, their policies:
- Making you do reports during holidays. Except it's worse because they open the system a week or so before said holiday, meaning technically they're not MAKING you do them in the holidays.
- Not employing cover supervisors so you end up using your free period to cover the lessons of your absent colleagues, thereby building resentment towards them.
- Not being allowed to sit down AT ALL during lessons.
- Spontaneously sticking their head in the classroom to 'see if you need any support' (see if you're sitting down').
- Abuse of the term 'support'.
I'm sure many more will be added to this list.
Edit: as this is taking off, I thought I'd add a couple more thanks to inspiring replies:
- Business-people running schools.
- Over-use of business language such as 'rigour', 'performance', 'review', 'oversight', 'synergy', 'added-value' and all the other wank-words many of us LEFT businesses to get away from.
- Surveillance cameras in the classroom for 'everyone's protection'.
Just Dealing With Kids' Energies
I've been teaching in a North London secondary school for almost ten years now. I love the job but the annoying things have to be:
a) When you finally get students settled and working quietly and suddenly a spider/bee/fly appears or it starts to snow. It's game over at that point if you've less than 20mins of the lesson left.
b) Younger first year students (11yrs) who walk into the classroom and want to talk to you and shout "sir sir sir" over and over again... like... Just go and sit down and be quiet... Its not so bad if it's one or two but when you have 10 of them trying to get your attention at the same time it gets a bit ridiculous.
c) Bottle flipping. Do it and your bottle dies.
d) Students who laugh or attempt to make fun of others if they get a question wrong. Classrooms are all about making mistakes so it irritates the hell out of me.
e) Lying, if I call you out on something you shouldn't be doing just say "sorry" and stop doing it, you're highly unlikely to get in further trouble from me then. Saying "I didn't do that" is kind of insulting when I just watched you shove a handful of crisps/chips down your gullet, it's also a guarantee I'll take it further.
NY Needs Some Serious Reform
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There's a requirement in NY of how much seat time you have to have to pass certain classes. Like you need X number of labs to take the science regents or whatever.
Some dumbass parents and students use all their "sick days" (let's say they get 14 before truant/failing) when they don't feel like coming to school. By February they're usually cutting it close and come every day.
The annoying part? They come sick all the damn time!! I've had kids go to the he ER with the flu at night, show up to school with a mask and 103 fever the next morning. Or they have some vomiting bug and jump up take the trash can and bolt in the middle of my class. Or they "can't see" with pink eye in both eyes... or they blow their nose/sniffle every 30 seconds. The worst part is the disruption then infecting everyone else.
If you try to send them out they freak out and parents call saying the school is out to get their kid and threatens to pull them out so they count as a drop out. Schools get flagged by the state for drop out rates.
Other than that it's just when kids decide to act all tough and try to tell you off. About once every 4-5 years I get one who decides they're going to try to be cool and put me in my place.
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
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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
south park wedding GIF
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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
homer simpson episode 23 GIF
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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
Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso
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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
Disney World GIF
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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.