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Teachers Share The Craziest Student Rumors They Ever Heard That Turned Out To Be True

Teachers Share The Craziest Student Rumors They Ever Heard That Turned Out To Be True
Photo by Dom Fou on Unsplash

Speaking as a former classroom teacher, it's impossible to know everything about your students. You do what you can to get as professionally close as possible, to learn their likes and interests, to bring those to into your lessons so you can better educate them, but you can't know everything. They have a whole life outside your four walls, and sometimes that chaos and hilarity comes crashing through your door.


Reddit user, u/OneHundredForcer, wanted to hear from the ones who see and hear it all when they asked:

Teachers of Reddit, what's the craziest rumor you've heard about a student that turned out to be true ?

Bratva = Russian Mob

"Yeah the police is going to scout our school for a few weeks because one of our [Russian-speaking] kids is working as a lookout & courier for the bratva to scare them off doing even more insane sh-t"

We all debated whom of our dozen [Russian-speaking] kids it could be and we were pretty sure which one...

Turned out it was true... this 12 year old little girl was a drug courier for the local bratva.

RandomVideoMachine

Truth Is In The Change

I became friendly with one of my students in study hall a few years ago. We would chat about mythology, video games, literature, and other "dorky" topics most other students didn't have too much interest in. One day he wasn't in class, and he came up in conversation. One of the students asked me if I knew about his past, and I'm like, " Not really, I figure he is just a quiet guy who likes to read." So it turns out he was bullied in middle school and one day had a nerdrage on his tormentor and attacked him with scissors shouting about how he was going to take his eyes.

From what I understand it was pretty brutal. The bully transferred schools and most of the other kids left my student alone. It didn't change how I viewed him, but I did notice after that how the other kids treated him. I'm not saying that we're afraid of him but not many people, even other gamers and geeks associated with him. I always thought he was very friendly.

dream_monkey

Let's Drink All These Awful Memories Away!

Girl was supposedly hooking up with the band teacher. Never heard any proof, band director left. I moved away and years later met a friend in a pub on a holiday visit. The two of them walked into the place together and I looked him dead in the eyes as he was coming in...he kinda froze and then awkwardly came over to say hello.

They had one drink and then left.

carnegiehall

A Fall From Grace

During my first year of teaching I had a 10th grade student who suddenly in the spring was put on emergency expulsion for 10 days. I was really shocked because this student was great! She was chill, very involved in the school community, a cheerleader. I had even written her the recommendation to be eligible for the cheerleading team. Admin gave zero explanation for her sudden removal. I knew nothing until I had overheard little bits and pieces. Apparently, she had gotten caught having sex with her boyfriend in one of the locker rooms at school. Out of the blue during her expulsion she emailed me and asked me to shut down any rumors or sh-t talking about her. Of course I had already been shutting those conversations down and continually told my kids to mind their own business and focus on themselves, so I assured her I was handling it. I think this situation really f-cked her up and she wasn't really the same afterwards.

The next year she ended up running away from home with another boy and she was a missing person for quite some time. Out of nowhere earlier this year (her senior year) she pop's up in my classroom, she's heavily pregnant, and starts talking to me and ultimately asks if she can wait in my room until her mom comes to pick her up. Completely baffled, I let her sit at my desk and notify admin, asking if she still goes to the school and if she was still on the missing person's list. Thankfully she was no longer on the missing person's list and she did go to the school, but through online classes. It was wiiiiiiiild. Definitely one of the more bizarre things that have happened as a teacher.

birdy_22

It's Not Just The Kids That Aren't Alright

I was a student in a French class in Belgium. One of my fellow students from Peru was very distressed one day and left class in a hurry but contacted the teacher afterwards. It turns out My fellow student recognised a new student that joined the class as being a most wanted Shining Path guerrilla fighter from Peru who was hiding out in Belgium under a false name. They alerted the Police and at the next week's class they waited in plain clothes and arrested him when he turned up.

EDIT: this was an adult class aimed at people learning French

netrev08

How Is This Spread Without The School Burning Down?

That he was having sex with the principal (41) while dating the principal's daughter.

Edit: Everybody knows this happened, the whole town knows, but no one did anything about it and if there were any court cases, they were really hushed. He started dating her daughter so he could come to their house without it being weird, his grades were amazing and she is still a principal, but is about to retire I believe.

SnooRegrets420

What A Way To Start The School Day

I teach High School English.

One morning I was walking down the hall and I overheard some random student tell her friend "OMG Jake and Sarah were having sex in the stairwell yesterday and got caught by a teacher!" then they both broke down in giggles.

I know this was true, because I was the teacher who caught them.

Possibility-Born

When The Kids Know More Than You

The rumor was that prior to Christmas break, he brought a gun to school and had a hit list with students and teachers on it.

Not only did it turn out to be true, but the school decided not to tell the teachers. We found out about a major security breach and a potential school shooter from our kids.

SalemScout

How much trouble did he get in

throwaway8462846

He was expelled and maybe arrested. I don't actually know. Even after we found out no one would tell us much.

SalemScout

The Lives Our Students Lead

When I was teaching middle school (8th grade mathematics) a young lady transferred mid-year, very quiet and very low-achieving, probably at a 3rd or 4th grade level in all subjects. Rumors quickly started to spread that she had a baby and had to leave her last school, which is how she wound up at ours. Turned out, she had TWO babies by two different young men, one of whom was 20 years old.

Her aunt just openly told me all of this at conferences... said her niece was a really good mom though. My Lord, that poor child.

delta-vs-epsilon

"Several members of the football team..."

Two rumors, but from my sister's high school.

Several members of the football team robbed a local grocery store at gunpoint. They all got arrested and suspended and there weren't games for the rest of the year.

Also another rumor about a male teacher sleeping with a freshman girl. He was fired.

PinkBanishment

"He had to call the cops..."

Someone started a rumor that a girl in my grade tried to seduce the gym teacher. We thought it was some stupid joke until it was discovered that she showed up at his house one night and wouldn't leave. He had to call the cops to take her home.

godbullseye

My sister is a teacher in a school where about once a semester a different girl gets "pregnant." Last year she actually was.

SavannahPFrost

"She said no."

Not a teacher, but in the 10th grade (1996-97) we had an insanely hot biology teacher. All the "studs" flirted with her, but she was also happily married to an equally insanely hot firefighter. One guy got expelled after he literally dropped his penis on her desk and dared her to say no.

She said no.

Callamy

"A female teacher quit..."

That the reason why our cranky science teacher Mr. Johnson is always so cranky is because his wife left him for one of students.

This was true, Mr. Johnson was an @sshole to his wife who used to be a teacher and apparently a senior student fell for her and the two eloped. Weirdly, her family supported it.

That members of the football team and the cheerleading team had an orgy in the boys locker room.

True, we were more pissed that they did that after they lost a game.

A female teacher quit because none of the boys wanted to f*** her.

Learned this one later, she was in her 50s and was apparently heavily flirting with any boy she liked but when she didn't get f**ked in the 3 years she was teaching at our school, she left and made a Facebook post about it.

illogicalfuturity

"It gets even more bizarre..."

My mother is a teacher, but she does have a crazy story that sends shivers down my spine. She use to work for a private school that is now in trouble financially and academically as a few rumors went around that a few students brought meth to school and sold it to some parents. They were never caught, but most had thought it was untrue, until one of the students that went to the private school was caught at a magnet high school and admitted to selling meth since 5th grade.

It gets even more bizarre as those students' parents were meth makers and were using their kids as mules. The school district confronted the former and current directors of the private school and asked why they didn't catch the students earlier. Some said they were too busy to notice or didn't bother to confront the students selling the meth.

Nowadays, that private school is known as "The drug trade school". There are now less than 15 students at that school now.

PlutoGB08

'The Other One'

The other one is about a staff member and it's just kind of sad. So student transfers to my school from other school where teacher used to work. Says teacher left other school because he had to take time off because he had cancer! All the other kids instantly jump on this. So and so has cancer! Did you know? Of course I didn't know and told them that they can't just gossip and speculate about someone having cancer. That they should confront rumors and not spread them. Get the story from the horses mouth. I thought this was a great teachable moment (I think this was my second year so I was inexperienced.) So they won't ask him. I ask him privately. Yep, he most definitely has cancer and doesn't want it to be public. So I lie for him and tell the kids to stop spreading rumors and mind their own business.

Sheldon_Turtle

"And the moral of the story..."

This happened when I was a student about a teacher.

I was in choir in high school but missed the beginning of class one day to talk to my counselor about classes for next year and college plans for when I graduate. I walk in and see the choir teacher in tears and a lot of the other students crying. Super awkward to walk in on, so I just quietly shuffle to my seat and a buddy leans over and said the teacher just announced she was leaving at the end of the school year.

A few weeks later we hear the principal was also going to leave at the end of the school year. Naturally, students started talking and rumors about the principal and the choir teacher having an affair with each other surfaced. I dismissed them as just rumors.

Nope, it was 100% true. I got the details a few years later from my former theater teacher when I went back to the school as a substitute getting experience while applying to teaching jobs of my own. The theater teacher and choir teacher were friends and the drama teacher had told the choir teacher that there were rumors among the staff about the affair with the principal. The theater teacher did this out of a place of friendship and didn't actually believe the rumors at the time. However, telling the choir teacher backfired and the drama teacher started being targeted by the administration who would do everything they could to make her life miserable at school.

And the moral of the story is don't tell people rumors about an affair they are having when one person is in a position of authority.

MostGoodPerson

"I work..."

Middle school history teacher here. I work in a lower income southern school district. I had an african american student named Trevor in one of my classes. Quiet kid, behaved, finished his work. Then one day Trevor got in a fight with another student. The other kid ripped Trevor's shirt, and underneath his skin was white as snow.. Turns out Trevor was applying makeup every day to his face, neck and arms. He wasn't an african american, he was actually a homunculus the whole time.

CallsPeopleHomunculi

"Had a kid..."

Had a kid dumped into my classroom mid semester. The guidance counselor told me has some issues, and not to be confrontational with him.

Rumor mill gets going and I hear that he has been kicked out of 2 schools and the last school he beat a kid with a pipe or club. He is on his last chance and my school took him in with 3 months probation. If he f's it up, then he is out.

So, I am a fairly laid back teacher and usually bond with my students. The kid is an angel in class and no issues. Ends up being a favorite student.

Then the 3 months end. Totally forget about this rumor.

I am in the lunch room on duty and I see the kid get into an argument with another student. They get into it and I run down the entire length of the lunch room and try to break up the fight. I am 23 and 160 lbs at the time. I tackle the kid and he flips on me like he is possessed and grabs me by my tie and starts to strangle me with it. I am like F***. Luckily the other student jumped on him and he let go. Took 5 adults to pin the kid down and he was still screaming he was going to kill everyone.

Well, the rumors were true. He was a psychopath. Never wore a tie after that.

drumpFOREVER

"Apparently..."

I knew a girl, a junior, who was in love with a janitor.

Apparently she had a breakdown during a lunch period about how she couldn't be with him or something. He must have had a crisis of consciousness or something. Apparently nothing ever came up of it, but they were supposedly close. She ended up moving to do homeschooling and the guy never returned the next year.

Rimefang

"We all had to suddenly evacuate..."

We all had to suddenly evacuate the halls into the grounds outside or into the classrooms and have teachers lock the doors because there was some crazy woman running around the school halls screaming at the top of her lungs the entire time as she ran.

From what I heard apparently her son was getting bullied in school and she had lodged multiple complaints and when he kept getting bullied one day she came in and just started screaming and running. She was running for the best part of half an hour. The police came and had to taze her to make her stop when she refused to even communicate and just ran past them each time.

It was a great example of the doppler effect for students each time she ran past though.

lijnn

"They all three..."

We had a young lady (7th grader) who was in the office after hearing the word she has sex at school with a boy. Admin states she admitted to having sex with 1 boy (who denied it). She then lets out that she had sex the next day with a different boy, getting caught by the after-school group (he couldn't deny it). They all three were suspended for 10 days, parents were called, and the kids had a lot to explain to their parents. As a younger teacher, it blew my mind.

USSanon

"I didn't believe them..."

I'm not sure if this counts as a rumor but I had a student that was usually at school every day not show up to my class one day. I asked the students where she was. They told me she was suspended because she let the boys in her pe class run a train on her.

I didn't believe them but let it go and decided to ask the PE teacher later. Not only did he confirm it, he told me he was the one that walked in on her mid act with two boys and a few others waiting in line.

Mythrol

"This last year..."

This last year, another teacher told me that my favorite student has a very violent past. This kid was quiet but got along with his neighbors and helped them on their homework. He was the smartest kid I had at this school. He was probably a grade level ahead at a school where everyone else was about two grade levels behind.

He ended up getting expelled for jumping a kid and putting them in the hospital. I had to learn about it from my friend in the HR department who reviewed long term discipline plans for kids because my principal didn't tell me squat about why my student was no longer in my class.

A slightly more fun rumor but still kinda sad was that some student had 43+ cats. They lived out in the country and so they weren't house cats, but all came by for meal times and eliminated a rodent problem they used to have. Parent confirmed they had had that many cats when student told me, but the rodent problem turned into a coyote problem and they lost about half the cats now, but apparently those that survived were the favorite/smartest cats do it was ok

My previous school was a small farm town, pretty good kids that never get in trouble. One of the girls allegedly sent nude Snapchats to a boy in the town over and they were spreading like wild fire. None of the girls wanted to be her friend any more. When I mentioned to another teacher how bad I thought the others were treating her, the teacher's response was about how provocative the photo was and how the other girls now feel pressured to be sexual if they want to date any of the boys at "next town over school." I was flabbergasted that this teacher had seen the photos. I understand even teachers sometimes getting curious about rumors, but this teacher asked to see for herself if it was really Student.

zapwsx82211

"You keep hearing..."

You keep hearing about students touching themselves under the desks. You tell yourself it can't be, you pretend it's not true. And every year you find out that it is.

AlHorwitz

"He wasn't her student..."

So this is from when I was in school, but I am a teacher.

My sophomore year in high school, halfway through my senior year the choir teacher was asked to resign because she was sleeping with a senior. He wasn't her student and he was 18 and she was on the younger side. Technically, there's nothing illegal about that, but still creepy nonetheless.

mnmacaro

"Private Christian schools..."

Student rumor about teacher turned true.

My male HS gym teacher was rumored to be "flirtatious" and found out to be a predator. It was eventually exposed he was having an ongoing relationship with a JV cheerleader as well as providing her with alcohol. His fiance at the time was the principal's daughter, who was also the JV cheerleading coach.

Several years later said principal was arrested for soliciting prostitution/open container.

The MS history teacher was rumored to be gay. Never married, no kids, very witty and compassionate. This was confirmed later when he was murdered, while meeting a male stranger for sex at a well known hot spot for that in town. The school officially announced it as he was robbed due to their religious 'integrity'. He was an incredible and very beloved teacher.

Private Christian schools are so messy.

twintweaks

"One of my kids..."

One of my kids swore a sub got arrested for drunk driving. She was a good kid so I figured I would Google the dude and prove her wrong... She was right.

empressith

"One day after school..."

Not a teacher but a student. My last year of high school out of nowhere the drama teacher disappears. Rumor starts going around that she's under investigation of having relations with a student.

One day after school the play cast (there was like 12 of us) were hanging around waiting for our director (not the drama teacher, this dude only ran the play). We all start discussing the rumors and the guy sitting next to me, who had the lead role, pipes up and says he was the one in a relationship with the drama teacher.

He was 18 but she was still being charged for having relations with a student and investigated to see if there was anyone else (there was). Dude's little sister was the one who reported it because she was worried (thank god). Last I knee the former teacher got a jail sentence, had to sell the deli she owned, was divorced by her husband (who from what I understand is happily remarried to a very nice guy my uncle works with) and she is not allowed to see her son.

TiltingPlanet

"The rumor was..."

The rumor was that prior to Christmas break, he brought a gun to school and had a hit list with students and teachers on it.

Not only did it turn out to be true, but the school decided not to tell the teachers. We found out about a major security breach and a potential school shooter from our kids.

SalemScout

"Her aunt..."

When I was teaching middle school (8th grade mathematics) a young lady transferred mid-year, very quiet and very low-achieving, probably at a 3rd or 4th grade level in all subjects. Rumors quickly started to spread that she had a baby and had to leave her last school, which is how she wound up at ours. Turned out, she had TWO babies by two different young men, one of whom was 20 years old (she hadn't yet turned 14 when I found out).

Her aunt just openly told me all of this at conferences... said her niece was a really good mom though. My Lord, that poor child.

delta_vs_epsilon

She transferred to our school for 8th grade because everyone knew at the last school that she was pregnant. Her reading was about a 3rd grade level, no computer at home, phone was often disconnected. By the start of the year her son was already 7 months old. She rarely came to school because her mom couldn't always drive her. I don't know who the father was and never asked because it's not my business but I can only hope it was another middle schooler.

Almost nobody knew about her baby at the school. Only a few admin, a few teachers, but no friends knew about the baby. At her 8th grade promotion, I was telling her how proud I was of her and she said she was very determined to show up and do well in high school. None of her older brothers had finished high school and she wanted to be the first. She brought her son to graduation (family passed him off as her brother) and I had to make my goodbyes quickly so I could go and cry in my classroom. I'll never forget her and I hope she is doing well.

pearlgarden

"One morning..."

I teach high school English.

One morning I was walking down the hall and I overheard some random student tell her friend "OMG Jake and Sarah were having sex in the stairwell yesterday and got caught by a teacher!" then they both broke down in giggles.

I know this was true, because I was the teacher who caught them.

Possibility-Born

"Never heard any proof..."

Girl was supposedly hooking up with the band teacher. Never heard any proof, band director left. I moved away and years later met a friend in a pub on a holiday visit. The two of them walked into the place together and I looked him dead in the eyes as he was coming in...he kinda froze and then awkwardly came over to say hello. They had one drink and then left.

carnegiehall

"The next year..."

During my first year of teaching I had a 10th grade student who suddenly in the spring was put on emergency expulsion for 10 days. I was really shocked because this student was great! She was chill, very involved in the school community, a cheerleader. I had even written her the recommendation to be eligible for the cheerleading team. Admin gave zero explanation for her sudden removal.

I knew nothing until I had overheard little bits and pieces. Apparently, she had gotten caught having sex with her boyfriend in one of the locker rooms at school. Out of the blue during her expulsion she emailed me and asked me to shut down any rumors about her. Of course I had already been shutting those conversations down and continually told my kids to mind their own business and focus on themselves, so I assured her I was handling it. I think this situation really fucked her up and she wasn't really the same afterwards.

The next year she ended up running away from home with another boy and she was a missing person for quite some time. Out of nowhere earlier this year (her senior year) she pop's up in my classroom, she's heavily pregnant, and starts talking to me and ultimately asks if she can wait in my room until her mom comes to pick her up. Completely baffled, I let her sit at my desk and notify admin, asking if she still goes to the school and if she was still on the missing person's list. Thankfully she was no longer on the missing person's list and she did go to the school, but through online classes. It was wiiiiiiiild. Definitely one of the more bizarre things that have happened as a teacher.

birdy_22

"The problem..."

One of my students was really smart. The problem is she rarely goes to school and nearly dropped out because of it. There was a rumor that she got raped by her brother and stressed out so she rarely goes to school and went to the park instead. Turn out, it was true. So sad because she was my best student that year, always got the highest mark in maths (the one I teach).

pangcukaipan

"I was assigned..."

I was assigned a group in highschool of only 11 students. Basically there happened to be a teeny bit of budget extra. And they took my group of 22 and split it into two classes. So my colleague got the other 11.

So I got really close with these kids. We had a blast. Some days felt more like summer camp than normal class.

Anyways one day, two guys just could not stop ANNOYING one another. So I sent one to the far back corner because I knew he was instigating.

I was focused more on the board and the kids on front, but I turned in time to see corner boy stick a metal rod into the heater and essentially a giant blue explosion followed, with this kid sitting dead straight and then turning green.

He was so scared he couldn't talk. But he was fine physically. It was terrifying seeing a 15 year old boy go completely mute.

Left class with a supervisor. Took him to get help. Had to call his dad...started off I was shitting myself. How do you tell a father their teenage son found metal and stuck it in a heater!? Ended up with the dad making me cry of laughter. Kid got checked out. Everything was fine.

But for like a month rumours circulated that someone got electrocuted

Meanwhile. When he came back and started joking about it, it became the class motto. Everytime someone acted up, a student would point to the corner and shout "It's your turn!"

sea_monkeys

People Describe The Creepiest Things They Ever Witnessed As A Kid

"Reddit user -2sweetcaramel- asked: 'What’s the creepiest thing you saw as a kid?'"

Four mistreated baby dolls are hung by barb wire
Photo by J Lopez

For many childhood memories are overrun by living nightmares.

Yes, children are resilient, but that doesn't mean that the things we see as babes don't follow us forever.

The horrors of the world are no stranger to the young.

Redditor -2sweetcaramel- wanted to see who was willing to share about the worst things we've seen as kids, so they asked:

"What’s the creepiest thing you saw as a kid?"

Serious Danger

"Me and my best friend would explore the drainage tunnels under the Vegas area where we grew up. These were miles long and it was always really cool down there so it was a good way to escape the heat of our scorching hot summers. We went into this one that goes under the Fiesta casino and found a camp with a bunch of homeless people."

"Mind you we are like 11 years old lol. And we just kept going like it was nothing. It wasn’t scary then but when I look back at it we could have been in some serious danger. Our parents had no idea we did this or where we were and we had no cellphones. We could have been kidnapped and never have been found."

oofboof2020

Waiting for Food

"I was at a portillos once when I was 12 and I was waiting with my little brother at a booth while my parents got our food. This guy was standing with his tray kind of watching me then after a couple of minutes he started to walk over really fast not breaking eye contact with me."

"He was 2 feet from the table and my dad came out of nowhere and scared the s**t out of him. He looked so surprised and just said he wanted to see if I’d get scared or not. He left his tray full of food near the door and left. My folks reported him but we never went to that location again since we found a better one closer to home."

nowhereboy1964

Captain Hobo to the Rescue

"When I was a pretty young teen, my friends and I were horsing around in San Francisco and started hanging out to smoke with some homeless guys. Another homeless dude came up and began aggressively trying to shake us down for anything (money, smokes, a ride, drugs- all of it) and wouldn’t take no for an answer."

"We got in over our heads and could tell this guy was now riling the other 2 guys up and they were acting like they wanted to jump us. Some grandfather-looking old homeless man appeared out of nowhere and yelled at us to get the f**k out of here- nice kids like us don’t belong down here at this hour!!"

"Captain Hobo saved our lives that night. My parents sincerely thought we were at a mall all day lol."

FartAttack911

Survival

tsunami GIF Giphy

"I was 7 and survived the 2004 tsunami in Thailand. Witnessed the wave rise way above the already massive palm trees (approx. 40ft?) and my family and I watched/heard the wave crash into the ground from a rooftop."

faithfulpoo

These Tsunami stories are just tragic.

On the Sand

Scared The Launch GIF by CTV Giphy

"We were a group of kids who went to swim in a local lake. And there was a dead body on the beach with their hands raised and their legs bent unnaturally that local police just took out of the same lake. I've never put my foot in these waters again."

oyloff

Be Clever

"I was walking to school and I was about 5 or 6 years old and some guy pulled up beside me in his car and asked if I would get in. He also offered me sweets to do so. I said no. The creepy bit was when he calmly said ‘clever boy’ to me, then drove off. I’ve never even told my parents or anyone else about this as it would most likely freak them out."

OstneyPiz

Bad Jokes

"Dad's side of the family pranked me by burying a fake body on our back property and had me dig it up to find valuables. Was only allowed to use a lantern for light. They stuffed old clothes with chicken bones. Sheetrock mud where the head was... Random fake jewelry as the treasures... I was like maybe 10 or 11.. I remember digging up the boot first and started gagging because it became real at that point."

Alegan239

YOU

Who Are You Reaction GIF by MOODMAN Giphy

"Woke up to find my little brother staring at me in the dark, asking, Are you really you?"

PrettyLola2004

Siblings can really be a bunch of creepers.

No one should talk to others in the dark though.

Woman stressed at work
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

When we hear about other people's jobs, we've surely all done that thing where we make assumptions about the work they do and maybe even judge them for having such an easy or unimportant job.

But some jobs are much harder than they look.

Redditor CeleryLover4U asked:

"What's a job or profession that seems easy but is incredibly challenging?"

Customer Service

"Anything customer-facing. The public is dumb and horrendous."

- gwarrior5

"My go-to explanation is, 'Anyone can do it, but few can do it for long.'"

- Conscious_Camel4830

"The further I get in my corporate career, the less I believe I will ever again be capable of working a public-facing job. I don’t know how I did it in the past. I couldn’t handle it in the present."

"I know people are only getting worse about how they treat workers. It is disturbing, embarrassing, and draining for everyone."

- First-Combination-12

High Stakes

"A pharmacist."

"You face the public. Your mistake can literally kill someone."

- VaeSapiens

"Yes, Pharmacist. So many people think their job is essentially the same as any other kind of retail worker and they just prepare prescriptions written by a doctor without having to know anything about them."

"They are very highly trained in, well, pharmacology; and it's not uncommon for a pharmacist to notice things like potentially dangerous drug interactions that the doctor hadn't."

- Worth_University_884

Teaching Woes

"Two nuggets of wisdom from my mentor teacher when I was younger:"

"'Teaching is the easiest job to do poorly and the hardest job to do well,' and 'You get to choose two of the following three: Friends, family, or being a good teacher. You don't have enough time to do all three.'"

"We all know colleagues or remember teachers who were lazy and chose the easy route, but any teacher who is trying to be a good teacher has probably sacrificed their friends and their sleep for little pay and a stressful work environment. There's a reason something like half quit the profession within the first five years."

- bq87

Creativity Is "Easy"

"Some creative professions, such as designers, are often perceived as 'easy' due to their creative nature. However, they may face the constant need to find inspiration, deal with criticism, and meet deadlines."

- rubberduckyis

"EVERYBODY thinks they are a designer, up until the point of having to do the work. But come critique time, mysteriously, EVERYBODY IS A F**KING DESIGNER AGAIN."

"The most important skill to have as a designer is THICK SKIN."

- whitepepper

Care Fatigue Is Real

"Care work."

"I wish it could be taken for granted that no one thinks it's easy. But unfortunately, many people still see it as an unskilled job and have no idea of the many emotional complexities, or of how much empathy, all the time, is needed to form the sorts of relationships with service users that they really need."

- MangoMatiLemonMelon

Physical Labor Generally Wins

"I’m going to say most types of unskilled labor and that’s because there’s such little (visible) reward and such a huge amount of bulls**t. I’ve done customer service, barista, sales, serving, etc; and it was all much harder than my cushy desk job that actually can be considered life or death."

- anachronistika

Their Memory Banks Must Be Wild

"I don't know if I'd call it incredibly challenging, but being one of those old school taxi drivers who know the city like the back of his hand and can literally just drive wherever being told nothing but an address is pretty impressively skilled."

"Not sure if it's still like this, but British cabbies used to be legendary for this. I'm 40 and I don't think most young people appreciate how much the quality of cab service has gone down since the advent of things like Uber."

"Nowadays it's just kind of expected that a rideshare/cab driver doesn't know exactly where you're trying to get and has to rely on GPS directions that they often f up. Back when I was in college, cabbies were complete experts on their city."

"More even than knowing how to get somewhere, they could also give you advice. You could just generally describe a type of bar/club/business you're looking for, and they'll take you right to one that was spot on. Especially in really big cities like NYC."

- Yak-Mak-5000

Professional Cooking

"Being a chef."

- Canadian_bro7

"I would love to meet the person who thinks being a chef is easy! I cook my own food and it’s not only OK to eat but I make a batch of it so I have some for later. So, to make food that is above good and portion it correctly many times a day and do it consistently with minimal wastage (so they make a profit), strikes me as extremely difficult."

- ChuckDeBongo

Team Leading, Oof

"Anything that involves a lot of people skills and socializing. I thought these positions were just the bulls**t of sitting in meetings all day and not a lot of work happening but having to be the one leading those meetings and doing public speaking is taxing in a way I didn’t realize."

- Counterboudd

Not a Pet Sitter At All

"Veterinary Technician."

"Do the job of an RN, anesthesiology tech, dental hygienist, radiology tech, phlebotomist, lab tech, and CNA, but probably don’t make a living wage and have people undervalue your career because you 'play with puppies and kittens all day.'"

- forthegoddessathena

Harder Than It Looks!

"Sometimes, when my brain is fried from thinking and my ego is shot from not fixing the problem, I want to be a garbage man... not a ton of thinking, just put the trash in the truck, and a lot of them have trucks that do it for you!"

"But if the robot either doesn't work or you don't have one on your truck, it smells really bad, the pay isn't what it used to be, you might find a dead body and certainly find dead animal carcasses... and people are id**ts, overfilling their bags, just to have them fall apart before you get to the truck, not putting their trash out and then blaming you, making you come back out."

"Your body probably is sore every day, and you have to take two baths before you can kiss your wife..."

"Ehh, maybe things are not so bad where I am."

- Joebroni1414

Twiddling Thumbs and Listening

"Therapist here. I’ve always said that it’s pretty easy to be an okay therapist—as in, it’s not that hard to listen to people’s problems and say, 'Oh wow, that’s so hard, poor you.'"

"But to be a good therapist? To know when your client is getting stuck in the same patterns, or to notice what your client isn’t saying? To realize that they’re only ever saying how amazing their spouse is, and to think, 'Hmm, nobody’s marriage is perfect, something’s going on there'?"

"To be able to ask questions like, 'Hey, we’ve been talking a lot about your job, but what’s going on with your family?' And then to be able to call them on their s**t, but with kindness and empathy? Balancing that s**t is hard."

"Anybody can have empathy, but knowing when to use empathy and when and how to challenge someone is so much harder. And that’s only one dimension of what makes being a therapist challenging."

- mylovelanguageiswine

Constant Updates

​"For the most part, my job is really easy (marketing tech). But having to constantly stay on top of new platforms, new tech, updates, etc etc is exhausting and overwhelming and I really hate it."

"Also, the constant responsibility to locate and execute opportunities to optimize things and increase value for higher-ups. Nobody in corporate roles can ever just reach a point of being 'good enough.' More and better is always required."

"Just some of the big reasons I’m considering a career change."

- GlizzyMcGuire_

Performing Is Not Easy

"Performing arts and other types of art. People think it’s a cakewalk or 'not a real job,' not realizing the literal lifetime of training, rejection, and perseverance that it takes to reach a professional level and how insanely competitive those spaces are."

- ThrowRA1r3a5

All About Perception

"I suspect everything fits this. Consider that someone whose job is stacking boxes in a warehouse has to know how to lift boxes, how many can be stacked, know if certain ones must be easily accessible, know how to use any equipment that is used to move boxes around."

"Not to mention if some have hazardous or fragile materials inside, if some HAVE to be stacked on the bottom, if a mistake is made and all the boxes have to be restacked, etc."

"But everyone else is like, 'They're just stacking boxes.'"

- DrHugh

It's easy to make assumptions about someone else's work and responsibilities when we haven't lived with performing those tasks ourselves.

This gave us some things to think about, and it certainly reminded us that nothing good comes of making assumptions, especially when it minimizes someone else's experiences.

Left-handed person holding a Sharpie
Kelly Sikkema/Unsplash

Many of us who are right-handed never even think about how the world is designed to cater to us.

It probably doesn't even cross your mind that 10% of the world's population is left-handed.

Because of this, there tends to be a stigma for being left-handed since society tends to associate the left with negative things.

For example, the phrase "two left feet" applies to those who are clumsy and therefore, incapable of dancing.

Curious to hear more about the challenges facing those with the other dominant hand, Redditor johnnyportillo95 asked:

"What’s something left-handed people have to deal with that right-handed people wouldn’t even think about?"

If only manufacturers appealed to an ambidextrous world.

Furniture Obstacle

"Those desks or couch chairs that have a small desk attached. They do make left handed/sided ones but they are few and far between."

– Prussian__Princess

"And they’re only on one side of the lecture hall, and it’s never a good seat. There is ONE front row, lefty desk in the entire room and it’s in the far corner, obscured by an ancient overhead projector."

– earwighoney

Everyday Objects For Everyday People

"as a left-handed person myself, one thing we often deal with is finding left-handed tools or equipment. many everyday objects, like scissors or can openers, are designed with right-handed people in mind, which can make certain tasks a bit more challenging for us lefties. we also have to adapt to a right-handed world when it comes to writing on whiteboards or using certain computer mice."

– J0rdan_24

Dangerous Tools

"The biggest risk is power tools. I taught myself to use all power tools right handed because of risks using them left handed."

"Trivial, I love dry boards but they are super hard to write on."

– diegojones4

It's hard to play when you're born with a physical disadvantage.

Sports Disadvantage

"Allright, Sports when you are young. Every demonstration from PE teachers are right handed. You cant just copy the movements they teach you you need to flip them and your tiny brain struggoes to process it. As well, 98% of the cheap sports equipment the school uses is right handed."

– AjCheeze

No Future In Softball

"I tried to bat right handed for so long in gym class growing up because the gym teacher never asked me what my dominant side was and the thought never occurred to me as a child to mention it! Needless to say I never became a softball star."

– Leftover-Cheese

Find A Glove That Fits

"In softball and baseball we need a specific glove for our right hand that's often impossible to find unless you own one, and we have to bat on the other side of the plate."

– BowlerSea1569

"I was one of two left-handers in a 4-team Little League in the 1980s. Nobody could pitch to me. I got a lot of "hit by pitch" walks out of it."

– Jef_Wheaton

These examples are understandably annoying.

Shocking Observation

"Having right handed people make comments whenever they see us write, like we’re some kind of alien."

– UsefulIdiot85

"'Woah! You're left-handed????'"

"I find myself noticing when someone is a lefty, and sometimes I comment on it, but I try not to. I'm primarily left-handed (im a right handed wroter but do everything else left), and every single time I go to eat with my family, someone says, "Oh hey, give SilverGladiolus22 the left hand spot, they're left-handed," and inevitably someone says, 'Wait, really?' Lol."

– SilverGladiolus22

Can't Admire The Mug

"We never get to look at the cute graphics on coffee mugs while we’re drinking from them."

– vanetti

"I just realized…I always thought the graphics were made so someone else could read them while you drink. Hmmm."

– Bubbly-Anteater7345

"I'm right-handed and I often wondered why the graphics were turned towards the drinker instead of out for others to see."

– Material-Imagination

The Writing On The Wall

"Writing on whiteboards is a nightmare. I have to float my hand, which tires out my arm quickly, and I can't see what I've already written to keep the line straight."

– darkjedi39

"Also as a teacher, it means I'm standing to the left of where I'm writing, so I'm blocking everything I write. I have to frequently finish writing, then step out of the way so people can see, instead of just being able to stand on the right side the whole time."

– dancingbanana123

Immeasurable

"Rulers."

"How the f'k is no one talking about rulers? It's from 30cm to 0 cm to me, or I have to twist my arms to know the measure I want to trace over it."

– fourangers

Just Can't Win

"EVERYTHING. The world has always been based around people being right handed. As a Chef, my knife skills SUCKED until I worked with a Left Handed Chef. Then it all made sense."

"Literally, everything we do must be observed, then flipped around in our heads, then executed. This is why Lefties die sooner, on average, than Righties."

"I had to learn how to be ambidextrous, just to complete basic tasks (sports, driving a manual, using scissors, etc). I am used to it now, and do many things right handed out of necessity, as wall as parents and teachers 'forcing' it upon me."

"But, at least we are not put to death anymore, simply for using the wrong hand (look it up, it happened)."

"Ole Righty, always keeping us down."

– igenus44

The world doesn't need another demographic to feel "othered" for being different.

But if you're right-handed and tend to make assumptions about left-handed people, you may want to observe the following.

Ronald Yeo, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Texas-Austin told CNN:

"We shouldn’t assume much about people’s personalities or health just because of the hand they write with."
"And we certainly shouldn’t worry about lefties’ chances of success: After all (as of 2015), five of our last seven U.S. presidents have been either left- or mixed-handed."

Word.

Dog lying down on a bed
Photo by Conner Baker on Unsplash

Not all pet owners have the same relationship with their pets.

While anyone who decides to become a pet owner, or pet parent as some say, love their pets equally, some never ever let them leave their side.

Taking their pet with them to work, running errands, even on vacations.

Many pet parents even allow their pets to share their bed with them when going to sleep.

For others though, this is where a line is finally drawn.

Redditor Piggythelavasurfer was curious to hear whether pet owners allowed their pets to share their bed with them, as well as the reasons why they do/don't, leading them to ask:

"Do you let your pet sleep in your bed? Why/why not?"

The Tiny Issue Of Water...

"Absolutely not."

"I have fish."- Senior-Meal3649

Everyone Gets Lonely Eventually...

"I adopted an eleven year old cat the day before Halloween."

"She has mostly lived in my closet since I got her, and she hasn’t been too interested in coming out."

"Last night, she came out of my closet and jumped up on my bed, and crawled under my covers and curled up by my feet to sleep."

"I was so happy!"- YellowBeastJeep

The Comforting Reminder That You're Not Alone...

"I recently lost my Greyhound but I used to let him sleep on my bed with me."

"The company was nice and he was no trouble to have on my bed."- HoodedMenace3

Hungry Cookie GIF by De Graafschap Dierenartsen Giphy

What Do You Mean Allow?

"I have no choice."

"She is a cat, cats do whatever they want."- Small_cat1412

"He lets me sleep in my bed."- Poorly-Drawn-Beagle

Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way

"I carry my old boy upstairs to bed every night."- worst_in_show

Hug GIF by The BarkPost Giphy

Who Needs An Alarm Clock?

"I let my two cats sleep with me."

"They're so full of love and just want cuddles all the time."

"And so do I."

"We've all developed a lil routine."

"Get to bed, oldest sleeps on my feet to keep them warm, youngest lies in my arm while I lie on my side (she the little spoon), then when I snooze my alarm for work in the morning the youngest paws at my face and meeps loudly to wake me up."- GhostofaFlea_

Whose Bed Is It Anyway?

"Yes."

"They're also kind enough to let me squeeze into whatever space they've left for me."

"Although I do get a few dirty looks off them."- Therealkaylor

"I found this tiny kitten screaming her head off under a car."

"Would not come out."

"Got some food and some water in dishes."

"I stood by the tire so she couldn't see my feet."

"She got curious about the food and water and started gobbling it down."

"I thought she would bolt when I squatted down."

"She was too busy eating."

"I grabbed her by the nape of the neck and all four legs went straight out and she tried to scratch me to death."

"I got her in the door and tossed her toward the couch."

"She ricocheted off the couch as if she was a ping pong off a table and I lost sight of her."

"I put out food and water and a sandbox and did not see that kitten for three days."

"On the third day, I came home and she was on my bed pillow."

"I thought she would bolt when I came near, but she didn't."

"I wanted to sleep so I tried to scoot her little butt off my pillow."

"She would not go."

"I put my head down to sleep and that is the way it was from then on."

"She ran the roost."- Logical_Cherry_7588

sleepy kitten GIF Giphy

Sleeping Is A Prerequisite...

"No, he's a cat and he cannot keep still during the night."

"He walks across the headboard, opens the closet doors, jumps into the windows and rustles the blinds, etc."

"If he would sleep he could stay, but alas, he's a ramblin' man."- Spong_Durnflungle

Saying No Just Isn't An Option...

"'Let'."

"Lol."

"It's a cat's world and I'm happy to be on her good side."- milaren

Felines Only!

"The cat does, the dog doesn't and the horse certainly does not either."- Xcrowzz

Angry Tom And Jerry GIF by Boomerang Official Giphy

Is That My Hair On That Pillow?

"My dog is perfect."

"She comes up, cuddles til we start to fall asleep, then gets down to sleep on her bed so she doesn't get too hot."

"Jumps back up in the early morning for wake up cuddles."

"The hair everywhere is the only downside but she is so cozy, what can you do."- HoodieWinchester

It is easy to understand how some people are able to fall asleep more easily knowing their friend and protector is there, in bed, with them.

Though we can't blame others who don't want to run the risk of being scratched or bitten in the middle of the night either...