Kids are an entirely different breed when they're at school. Most teachers are quick with a horror story of talking to a parent, trying to explain what Jennifer did today, but the parent is shocked because, "Jennifer never does that at home." Of course she doesn't! That honor is saved special, for her teacher. Now that crazy behavior can be taken to the internet where we can all horrifically marvel at it for forever.
Reddit user, u/nostalgic_joey, wanted teachers to tell it all when they asked:
Teachers of reddit, what is the craziest thing you have seen on a students social media?
Stupidly Breaking The Law
GiphyA few years ago a school near where I teach had an epidemic of kids exchanging nudes. From stories that I heard, the kids were trading them like baseball cards and students that didn't participate were harassed until they did.
If I remember correctly, I think the almost the entire football team was kicked off the team
They Started A Whole Page?
These teachers at my school found a kids meme page and keep in mind was a preppy stuck up school. Anyway the meme account had the usually slightly edgy kind of content but the school acted as if it were a hate crime.
Parents were called in. There was a whole school assembly on social media and the appropriate content that should be posted. The school went as far as suspending the kids behind the account for 1 week and giving detentions to every kid who liked the memes. The whole ordeal was just stupid and left me wondering if teachers even cared about the kids who were very clearly smashed on drugs.
Boy Fights: Part 2
Fighting videos. Like I'm talking FIGHTING and teachers in the background watching the whole thing happen without doing a thing to separate it.
Some kids were so ecstatic to show me too what a weird world
A Report Well Done
So, in my school district, teachers can lose their jobs for following students on social media.
That being said, sometimes a student will get worried about something that they see posted and will bring me a screenshot of it. So, due to that, the craziest thing I've ever seen was one of our students pointing a gun at the camera and threatening to turn the walls of the school red with blood.
I took the student who reported it to the front office and made a full report to administration. Never saw the kid who posted that again.
FakeBook
One student created multiple fake facebooks with the names of their classmates. They started a group chat between these fake profiles and would act out dramatic things (someone confessing a crush, someone saying they hated their best friend).
They'd screen shot clips of these fake chats and send it to real people. Real life drama based on the fake drama would erupt in school.
Never Use Work Equipment For Personal Purposes
Not me, but my Fiance used to work the IT department of a school. Sometimes they got reports from students or teachers that suspect there's something on a student's school iPad. All I can say is students, for the love of god please stop taking nudes on school equipment....
We're Just Really Big Fans
I found a fan page for one of the teachers. It included pictures that you could tell were taken without their knowledge (they weren't posed or looking at the camera.) And then the inappropriate comments.
It was so creepy.
Luckily, administration was able to do a little creeping themselves and get to the bottom of it pretty quickly. Within an hour, they had the student and the account was taken down.
It's Always The Quiet Ones
A kid who was calm and was never to loud or anything made a story on his Instagram saying he was gonna kill himself cause me and another teacher where (explective) and so I reported it to the Dean simply because of his health and we'll being factoring in before his other rights. But I was shocked. The dude was never violent or rude just kinda awkward but we were always cool...
Just Something To Take The Edge Off, Man
I'm a high school science teacher and don't usually add my students on social media but this kid was one of my favorite students so I added him. He is my favorite student because he is always chill and doesn't usually talk in class.
I viewed his story and the reason he was always chill is because he was smoking weed before school, FML
Get That Kindergarten Hustle On
A student showed us a video of another student smoking weed. Both kids were in the 5th grade. Luckily I looped so I was able to give that particular student a little extra support.
Also that same student in Kindergarten brought in little baggies to recess, filled them with grass, and tried selling them to peers on the playground.
"No, I Promise, I'm Totally This Person." - Fake Teacher Account, Probably
Teacher here, I don't follow my students on social media. I don't feel that it is appropriate for teachers and students to have that familiar of a relationship.
We had students creating fake teacher accounts. With outrageous bios. Students would respond with inappropriate comments. It was a mess and took far too long to get those pages removed.
I guess 7th and 8th graders don't have the maturity be on social media.
Wait...Why Is The Teacher Checking Twitter In Class?
Not a teacher, but a girl in my class snuck a picture of a test and posted it on Twitter. It said something like "omg dis test is so hard!!"
And she got called out in front of the class by our teacher for having a phone out during the test
What Else Are You Going To Use A Trophy For?
Am a teacher, was just a volunteer coach for this though.
I saw a student take a shot out something of a small trophy they had won at a speaking competition.
Posted it to snapchat
"Let's Define 'Stalking' Everyone..."
The school I work at had a whole phase where kids made "fan pages" for teachers. On the page was everything from pictures of me teaching to what my car looked like.
After all 20 pages were investigated and taken down, we had an assembly on when it is appropriate to take pictures and what stalking is.
...This Actually Sounds Hilarious
I'm a toddler teacher and recently found out one of my girls has an Instagram.
A two year old girl, posing on top of sports cars, surrounded by jewelry and money. Shes like a mini Instagram model.
Fan Fiction Counts!
GiphyNot exactly social media originally but it definitely ended up there. I teach high school and the students were talking about a middle school student who wrote a novel. It turned out to be an extremely graphic fan fiction of two of the male middle school teachers. The girl that wrote it was in seventh grade. We are talking about full on novel, around 200 pages and 13 chapters. Supposedly it is only book one in the series.
The crazy thing is, my students showed me one paragraph before I knew what it was and it was hands down the best technical writing of any student I have ever had. Again, I teach high school. She was in the seventh grade. Unbelievably well written, and unbelievable a seventh grader was able to describe things with such disturbing detail.
It Can Be Useful To Save Lives
Not me but my wife.
A student posted a suicide note on snap chat. Another student showed it to my wife. She ran to the front office and called 911. Kid was home with his mom and had overdosed in his room. Kid was taken to a hospital and survived. Saved his life.
A Depressing End And Slow Finish
I was teaching 8th grade English in a low income/high crime area. We had one student who was really hard- he was loud, obnoxious, rude and downright mean to most of the staff and other students. For some reason I really liked him and he felt the same. Always respectful to me and often helped me keep the class in line.
The other teachers/students would always make comments about how we will see him up for murder one day and I would stick up for him (he came from a really bad home life most were not fully aware of). Anyway, he friended me on Facebook at the end of the school year and I accepted.
About 4 years later I see an update posted by him (he posted quite a bit) from a couple nights before that simply showed a gun and bullets with the caption "some b-tches are going to pay. Getting my turf back" or something like that. Anyway, long story short he was involved in a drive by and killed a 17 year old kid who was at a rivals party- he was not the intended victim.
Anyway, when the news ran the story and showed his Facebook post as what helped the police find him my blood ran cold. I wish I would have seen the post earlier or could have done something.
He was sentenced to 20 years (since they couldn't prove who pulled the trigger). Still makes me sad- I really thought he would break the cycle of poverty and prison that has run through his family line forever.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/
Curious to hear examples of these, Redditor lilac_cup asked:
"Which tv series has aged like milk?"
The handling of these controversial TV story lines seem so careless in retrospect.
Addressing Child Abuse
"The very first episode of Hill Street Blues has two cops breaking up a domestic disturbance caused by a woman finding her man f'king her 15yo daughter. The man is told not to be sh**ty, the woman is told to put out more and the child is told not to be so tempting. Then the cops leave, patting themselves on the back for a job well done."
– kifferella
The Teacher's Secret Relationship
"Pretty Little Liars. I think even at the time, the teacher dating his 16 year old student storyline was considered creepy, but in 2022 it’s honestly unbelievable that was ever portrayed in any kind of positive light. Also that her parents didn’t immediately just report him to the police."
– ColdFIREBaker
Forbidden Attraction
"Not the whole series but Ally McBeal. In one episode Ally found out her bf is bi and her reason breaking up with him was she afraid that one day her bf would be attracted to their son."
– thrussie
These reality shows would never fly in a "woke" world.
Racist Cringe
"There was a reality show on Fox called 'Black. White.' Where they put a white family in blackface and a black family in whiteface."
"Just reading about it, it turns out the white family wasn't even a real family. They were unrelated actors."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black._White.
– MichaelJAwesome
Extreme Makeover
"Extreme makeover. I remember watching this show as a kid and being like oh wow they’re fixing all these ugly people with plastic surgery and making them happy. I just think that caused a whole generation to think they could change their body with money. Show lasted like 4 seasons. Couldn’t imagine that show today."
– thenightshifters
Teen Exploitation
"Secret life of an American teenager."
"Just what…."
– carlirodriguez8
A Critique
"My god this show was terrible. My wife’s sister was into it and we ended up watching a lot of it when we were dating. I think they tried to make the banter like Gilmore Girls, but it ended up being the characters repeating their current plots and arcs over and over. I don’t remember the characters at all, but the main character was such a horrible person, and the audience is supposed to root for her."
"The main things I remember about it were the religious girl claiming she killed her dad by having sex with her boyfriend, and apparently you go to Bologna to get bjs."
– MachFighterG
So-Called Expert
"You Are What You Eat."
"Host Gillian McKeith (or to use her full medical title, Gillian McKeith) was an absolute quack with an online medical qualification from a Mickey Mouse university. She pretended to be a scientist by being recorded standing around in a lab wearing a white coat, spouted unscientific nonsense that anyone who had done a GCSE in science could see through, and was obsessed with getting people to shit in Tupperware boxes."
"It got cancelled after the final series when you had to have her move in with you. In the last few years she popped up again as a prominent anti-vaxxer once COVID vaccines became available."
– MattBD
These pageant shows glorifying good looks and talent would never be greenlit today.
Performing Pressure
"Dance moms- used to be entertaining, now all I can see is the psychological effects it must’ve had on those girls."
– KE789
"Americas Next Top Model has to be #1."
"From all the behind the scenes sh*t that went on in production to what the show actually shows. It’s all just horrendous."
– Nickster1619
From Ugly To Beautiful
"The Swan, was 2 women who are considered 'ugly ducklings' participating in a pageant against each other after undergoing a three-month transformative process aka having heaps of plastic surgery."
– twozedzed
Psychological Downer
"Right?! How were they allowed to do so many procedures in such a short time while completely isolating these women from their families? Making them diet and exercise while healing from a tummy tuck, breast implants, and veneers?! The 'therapy' sessions were a joke and were just for show while these poor women with low self esteem were preyed upon for entertainment. Just out of a safety and medical prospective…wow."
– Snoo-8746
Judging The Reflection
"Didn't they also not allow the contestants/patients to have mirrors the whole time so they were surprised when they saw themselves? Psychologically having massive changes like that and it being sudden is extremely bad for your brain, you can end up rejecting the reflection because it's not 'you.'"
– Delouest
As audiences evolve, so does the writing and development of all forms of entertainment.
But because the changes are gradual, it is jarring when looking back and noticing how offensive and isolating some of these shows can be.
Times sure have changed in the world of entertainment–mostly for the better.
Curious to hear experiences from strangers online, Redditor WallStreetDoesntBet asked:
"People who moved out of the parent’s house before 30, how?"
Most people can't afford to live on their own.
Roommate Is Key
"yeah this exactly. I've never lived by myself, was roommates until I got a serious girlfriend and now fiance. There's exactly 0% chance of me being in the same position I'm in financially if I had been paying full rent all those years."
– lick_me_where_I_fart
Not A Care In The World
"I was 17, we had 4 of us in a ghetto 2bd apt (bunkbeds) we had a beer bong on a lanyard screwed to the ceiling. We'd have keggers, party's every weekend and always had randoms crashing on the floor. Could barely afford to feed myself and pay bills but still not a worry in the world and it was the best time of my life."
– ApprehensiveAd6006
One inconvenience shared by many was the sacrifice of a good, home-cooked meal.
Change Of Scenery
"Just needed a little R&R."
"Roommates and Ramen."
– SudoPuff
The "Wild" Years
"This, lol. I was kicked out at 16 and after couch-surfing for a few months I moved into a studio apartment with 4 other people."
"When I say we were poor, I mean poor - most of us didn’t have jobs. I lived off the worst of the worst food. Knockoff ramen. Dollar store canned veg. Rice and terrible year old pasta."
"It was a wild few years."
– Vetiversailles
Rice For Life
"Or rice. I lived off rice for a full year. Fancied it up by adding some salsa, and then extra fancy by also adding ranch dressing."
"Those were hard times."
– Ok_Opinion_
Having work definitely makes things easier.
Saving Up To Leave
"Started working while I was in school. Got out as soon as I could."
– ReallyIdleBones
Not Much Fanfare
"Yep, moved out for college in 2006. Came back for the summer in 2007, but thereafter I got an internship so I just stayed in the city. Got a job at the same place after I graduated."
"It was never some big moment for me (my parents are fine, just annoying), just a natural progression for me."
– Zerole00
Building A Life
"At 18. Worked in construction. Lived on a couch with 6 buddies in one house paying for college. Bought cheap land during the recession. Then built my own house."
– ReubenZWeiner
Not moving out by choice seemed to be a common shared experience.
High Turnover Rate
"Got kicked out at 14. Finished high school sleeping on friends couches while serving tables. Had a ton of roommates for the next 10 years. At any given time I was living with like 3 or 4 people, it was never boring haha"
– herriotact
Different Parenting
"I am hearing that so many people are actually kicked out in the really young age is well."
"But i am not getting that why parents are so tough because in my country they try to keep them under their wings."
– wowoao
Tough Love
"My friends parents were going to kick him out immediately after he graduated high school simply because 'That's what their parents did when they were his age.' His Dad fully expected him to go out at 18 and buy a house because 'he was able to.'"
"Then his Dad got pissed when my friend did not buy a house and went to live with his uncle instead. Even after his uncle broke down the whole 'Your mortgage is $2200/month with taxes and you expect your son, who works part time at $7.25 an hour to afford a mortgage? With no credit history?'"
"Some parents do it out of tough love. Some parents do it because they shouldn't have had children. Some parents still think the world is the same as it was in the 70s-80s and think minimum wage part time employees can thrive."
– bangersnmash13
Placed Expectations
"My parents didn't kick me out, but there was definitely an expectation for me to be moved out and financially independent at 18. My mother walked into a job as a radio DJ at the age of 18 and then became a journalist with only a high school education a few years later (early 1970s), so she had this expectation that I could do the same. The thought of me being able to do anything like that in the 2000s was laughable."
– pie12345678
I moved out of my parents' house because I booked my first professional gig on a cruise ship.
It couldn't have worked out better. I was paid to perform on board in the shows while my rent was already taken care of since I lived and worked on the ship.
I packed one suitcase and traveled the world doing what I loved for about two years. It was the best way to transition into an exciting new chapter in my adolescent life.
What's your moving out story?