No human is perfect. In the heat of the moment, when emotion is running high or you're running on nerves and anxiety, often certain "words" can be exchanged. Words, that when you reflect in hindsight, you know were a poor choice in the moment. It happens, we aren't always going to be articulate and on point. But acknowledging and sharing remorse is appreciated.
Redditor u/Shaymew1 wanted teachers to share some moments they wish they could take back by asking.... Teachers of Reddit, what is something you've said to a student that you deeply regret?
Full of Regret.
As a substitute, I was having trouble with one class in particular. In anger, because the kids weren't respecting me and they were out of control I kicked a kid out of class. Just told him to go to the principal, because instead of staying in class he decided to wander around the hall. I told him when he got back to go to the principal. Didn't really think that one through.
Come to find out? He was on the spectrum and he was upset that he had a substitute and his routine changed. I saw him after class while I was walking back to the main building one day and apologized for my behavior and I deeply regretted my behavior. thestonedkoala
A Tirade.
Substitute teacher here, was doing a long-term assignment at public middle school for the chorus teacher. The teacher only left 1 week of stuff for the classes to do so I had to improvise the last 5 weeks, which was stressful enough.
But this school refused to send kids with behavioral issues to the learning center where they are supposed to go. As a result there were 2 or 3 kids in every class that made each day a test of my patience, to put it mildly. For example, the very big 6th grade boy who punched a small 6th grade girl in the face, the one who called me an a**hole during class, the one who thought I was being racist for calling him out for follow exactly zero of my directions, and the one who would look me in the eye and just say NO whenever I gave the class something to do.
Anyway, towards the end I had one of those days simply put, I lost it. I started screaming at the top of my lungs for a good 5 minutes, red in the face, spit flying, totally unhinged. I don't remember a word of what I said. There wasn't any profanity, but I doubt anything I said many any sense whatsoever. It wasn't directed at any one kid, just the whole class.
I regretted it as soon as I finished the tirade. It was embarrassing and totally unprofessional. The next day I apologized to the kids and we just carried on. But I know that for years those kids will be like, yo. You remember when that sub totally lost his s**t? Yeah. That was crazy. EdwardLewisVIII
Nobody Likes You.
I once let a student know that he was annoying his classmates in an attempt to be cool and witty. He really was, and I told him that his classmates didn't like the persona he put on. To rephrase in an extremely brutal way, I said "Hey kiddo, I know you think you are being cool, but guess what, your classmates don't like you." I didn't say it like that, of course, but that was basically the message. It came as a shock to him, I know. His face said it all.
In hindsight I know I just crushed the confidence of someone who desperately needed more confidence, and some gentle guidance on social skills, not a stone cold reality check. This was back when I was still a very inexperienced teacher. I have found better ways to deal with similar issues since. Reddit
You Scared?
Giphy
One of my students wrote a nasty anonymous note to a classmate and I found out who it was. Without letting him know I knew who it was, I called him a coward in front of the class and said that "real" men don't rely on nasty, anonymous notes to handle their business. I still believe he was a coward for his actions, but I regret labeling a student and for humiliating him in front of his peers. MrIPitytheFool
Lead Heathens.
It was my first year as a teacher and I was teaching an infant class (6-7 year olds). While I was having a discussion with my teaching assistant about who she should support a pencil hit me in the temple.
I turned round fully prepared to make an example of someone due to the dangers of throwing pencils and to be honest I was fuming it had nearly hit me in the eye/ the disrespect.
Went over to the table I thought it came from. One child was making no eye contact and another child pointed to them. I made the child who was pointed at stand up and (regrettably for more than one reason) shouted at him pretty intensely. I could see he was trying to say something but I wasn't letting him speak and continued the barrage for a good few minutes. Everyone else in the room sitting in dead silence.
When I finally stopped for breath the kid, in tears, said it wasn't him but the kid that pointed to him! The rest of the children confirmed the story. I felt awful because obviously it wasn't this kids fault and also I shouldn't have lost my temper. I apologized a lot to the first kid and spoke to the kids parents and explained the situation.
By the time it came to tell off the kid that actually did it I was still taken aback by how poorly I had reacted minutes before I just took him outside and gave him a quiet lecture. Turns out they were karate chopping the edge of the pencils not intentionally throwing them and one just happened to hit me. Feel like I learned a lot about how to manage behavior from that incident but still regret the whole situation. Dome_of_a_Tonne
Too Soon!
A very popular student in our class died by suicide by hanging himself. The next day we were in class and the teacher knew we weren't able for any work, so she decided to let us play a game for the class. She said "Let's play Hangman."
She was nearly finished drawing the hanged man before someone in the class spoke up and told her it wasn't an appropriate game right now. She realized her mistake and just sat at her desk with her head in her hands and cried. She'd just been trying to distract us, we felt so sorry for her. isaywekeepit
Excused.
Recently had a student sleeping at his desk during exam prep. So I asked him to answer the question that was on the board. He didn't really seem to want to but I made him answer it, he got the right answer. However as it turns out he had excused himself from final exams on account of severe depression. I felt really bad about that even though I had no way of knowing it before that lesson. goudentientjeThrough the Roof.
Giphy
I was a teacher aide in a wood shop class. Some kids were up in the attic above the shop. They were strictly not allowed up there, but I said, "I don't care if you guys are up here as long as you are careful." One of them fell through the ceiling and broke his spine and arm. i-am-unimportant
Not Okay Dude.
My gym teacher in 6th grade was an a**hole, constantly swearing at us and sometimes hitting us. Once, after he threatened me he said "If I ever see you walking down the road and talking crap, I'll make sure you never step on this place again." My reply as a quiet kid "okay."
2 days later that guy was never allowed to teach and spent time in jail. captainpatakis
You want the truth?
Giphy
When I was a first year teacher A mother once asked me if her 13 year old son had potential. I said no and it still haunts me to this day. mettadown
Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League Soccer
Giphy
"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLE
Giphy
"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy
"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.