Teaching and learning online has become a signifiant part of life, especially nowadays. Teachers and students not only find themselves in an intimate situation regarding education they find themselves intimately glimpsing into one another's lives. We learn unexpected and often wonderful things about one another when we find ourselves in each other's homes, in person and virtually.
Redditor u/AgentVirginia wanted to hear from the teachers out there so they could spread some much needed sunshine by asking....
Teachers of reddit what are some wholesome experiences with online learning?
"wait, I have a surprise"
GiphyYesterday, one of my autistic kiddos said "wait, I have a surprise," right before we ended our lesson. He came back carrying a cat. I said "Ummm, you don't have a cat!" and he said "I know, that's the surprise!" Still have no idea where the cat came from, but we laughed nonetheless. youalsogetnodinner
"HEY. GET OFF MY CAR!!"
I was on a zoom call for animation last week. my teacher was on her ranch, for some reason (i arrived late so i don't know why). she was talking about our work for next year and then she yelled "HEY. GET OFF MY CAR" and flipped her camera around to reveal a goat sitting smugly on the hood of her bright orange car.
She couldn't really do much to take it off while on call. the call got cut short anyway, since her horse got loose. good time. jumping_meerkat
Physics.
I teach Physics.
I love the fact that I've been able to:
- Really know some of my students as people (see their pets, talk about their siblings doing homework next to them, see them joke with their families, etc.)
- Watch some students blossom under this model. The shy girl that never talks in class? Super confident online. The kid with messy writing or that never takes notes? Makes nice infographics of the class materials and shares with the class. SpicyAbsinthe
In near silence.....
GiphyI teach middle school. I'm always available by email, but once a week, I use our school's conferencing tool to review material and directly answer questions - like virtual office hours. I have a couple of classes where no one shows up, and that's fine. I don't require it.
One day, I had over half of one class show up. We reviewed the lesson, and I said that if they didn't have questions, they could leave. A few minutes went by, and they were all just working away in near silence.
I reminded them they could leave. Someone goes, "I know, but I miss being in class, and this is as close as I can get."
Many of them felt isolated and were extremely bored. I left the chat up for the rest of the allotted time to let them catch up and work on other homework together. They really miss each other.
I really hope we're able to go back in the fall. I miss them, and I'm supposed to have that group again next year. MissDaywalker
I'm still waiting.
College professor here. I'm still waiting.
This is so hard. It's all I do now other than eat and sleep (and sometimes can't even do that), and everyone seems miserable.
My students are all kinds of dissatisfied, some want to be able to do things on their own time, they want recordings, practice problems, etc., and can't be bothered to show up to classes during designated times. Others demand video classes and for things to be like they were before.
It's hard for me to have video classes or record demos/lectures because we live in a tiny apartment and I have very little privacy, this is much more stressful than I would have expected.
I am changing the syllabus every week to keep up with the demands of the students who can't make the old deadlines and because I can't cover the same material the same way.
My family is being neglected, and they are miserable. I haven't been able to get to any of my research and my collaborators are annoyed. I guess, everyone is on edge these days anyway, but this definitely feels like a lose-lose-lose situation.
I feel like everyone is mad at me, including myself.
Sorry, I guess really just needed to vent. survivalothefittest
It made me cry.
GiphyAbout 10 years ago I taught early online classes at a University. There was no FaceTime component so you just communicated in chatrooms or through email.
A kid emailed me that he was gonna be late handing in his assignment cause a family member died.
I just responded in a human way, said sorry, told him not to worry and hand it in when ready, etc. Talked a little bit about the family member (I can't remember who now which feels shitty but it was long ago).
Anyways, didn't feel like anything special just like what you should do.
But at the final exam which they did have to show up for in person, the kid came up to me after, I'd never seen him before. Handed his paper in and then gave me the biggest bear hug ever. Then told me it meant a lot that we talked then.
It made me cry. billbapapa
Who people are....
My Social Studies teacher always introduces us to her cat and sometimes her kids during every lesson.
My science teacher accidentally turned on a hotdog filter and took five minutes to turn it off.
I joined a google meet once with like 30 kids in it and we were wondering why the teacher was muted with video off and right as the teacher turned on the camera, we all heard like, porn. The teacher was watching porn.
One of my tutors, during online tutoring spent the entire time watching tiktok instead of helping me with my math homework. ParallelGalaxiies
Precious.
GiphyYesterday one of my students showed up to our online class wearing his uniform! It was so precious. naivemelody4
In 2020....
I teach history at a community college. Most people who take history don't actually care about it, but some are engaged. When I give lectures, I try to relate history to real world examples people might face in 2020 to comprehend the material better.
I've had numerous students, some who were good when we were in class and others who weren't as engaged, leave comments about missing going to class and that my explanations of events helped them understand things better.
If anything, online classes have made me realize that I can assign readings and give PowerPoints, but a lot of meaningful comprehension comes with how I explain things.
I've only been teaching a year, but it's nice to think I'm doing something right. OkayestHistorian
Smiles....
GiphyCouple of things that made me smile. I accidentally started up one class half hour early as the timings are different on Friday. One of the older kids I have, aged 11, logged in anyway and proceeded to show me his rock collection, his two cats and the comic he'd been working on, but for the entire half hour until the class really started.
Very sweet. Secondly, my colleague who works in kindergarten told us about one kid aged 3. His parents left him alone for a while and whilst on camera, he just went and hid in a cupboard and shut the door for the remainder of the video. misscat15
Do you have something to confess to George? Text "Secrets" or "
" to +1 (310) 299-9390 to talk to him about it.
In an instant, anything can change in life.
Deciding to turn left instead of right at a traffic light can save your life -- and you may never know it.
That's why the movie "Sliding Doors" is so great.
Small choices and seemingly minor chances can shift things massively.
Redditor Lexie_Mark wanted to hear about how life can change drastically by the smallest influences, so they asked:
"What's a seemingly minor decision you made that ended up having a massive impact on your life?"
I had dinner with a guy once.
I told him a joke and let him read 5 pages of my writing.
Now I write for this website. BOOM!
Right Turn
Never Mind Baby GIFGiphy"Turned up to a military recruiting day on the wrong weekend as a youngster. Walked into a BBQ for traumatized veterans accidentally. That changed my mind."
flecknoe
Moving on...
"I had moved countries and decided to go back home after initial plans didn't work out. Had a ticket booked, was in a hotel near the airport, and got an invite to stay with online friends for a week or so before going back. Deferred my ticket, took them up on the offer."
"Met the love of my life there- moved to his city, have a new job, new friends, new life completely."
Severn6
Hey Teach
"While I was experiencing a period of career ennui, I treated myself to taking some college classes in biology, which I had always been interested in."
"While walking in the neighborhood close to the university one day, I saw one of the professors walking down the street, contentedly eating some ice cream. I don't know what possessed me, but I actually stopped him, said hello, that I was in one of his classes, and how much I liked the course."
"I have come across many professors in such casual circumstances before and since and never had the inclination or the guts to talk to them, particularly when they are clearly just having an enjoyable moment and likely don't want to be annoyed by a random student they don't even know."
"But I talked to him, and we had such a nice chat that he invited me to come to his lab and potentially do some work there. I came by a few days later, and he asked me a few questions and then asked one of his postdocs if he'd like to have me give him some help on a project. The postdoc said yes, and within 2.5 years I had my MS in biology (advised by Dr. Professor and helped greatly by that postdoc), and I was on my way to getting my PhD.
"Now I'm the prof."
zazzlekdazzle
On the Vespa
"4 months ago I was riding my Vespa to the gym on a Saturday morning, and I was T-boned by a car pulling out of a side street. She was looking the other way to make sure the traffic was clear and didn’t see me."
"I was coming from her right (in Australia, left-hand drive) and the front left of her car hit the back of my Vespa. If I had been half a second faster, I wouldn’t have been hit."
"I ended up with a crushed lower left leg and foot, permanent nerve damage, and 2 weeks in hospital. Fast forward to now, and I still can’t walk or move my leg and foot, I’m in unimaginable pain, and I (just today) lost my job."
"The recovery timeline is looking like 18-24 months and there’s no guarantee I’ll walk again."
"I was just trying to be healthy and go to the gym on a Saturday, and now my life has totally turned upside down. lol. Sigh."
ShoeAccomplished119
Swipe Right
tinder GIFGiphy"Matched with a guy on Tinder and complained about my current job. Encouraged (and walked me through) the recruitment process for a government job and 5 years later I’ve had 4 promotions, earned almost twice my old salary, and have much higher job satisfaction."
misssofifi
Maybe Tinder isn't so bad after all.
Key Strokes
Jim Carrey Reaction GIFGiphy"Taking a typing class in 1974. Almost no guys took typing at my school. Made life with computers a lot easier."
A20Havoc
"Same here, it was the main reason I got a job in IT, I was able to have a lifelong career."
MyIpodStillWorks
Run
"Started running because I heard it helps with chronic tinnitus, now run 5 days a week, lost 20 kg, stopped drinking, and can sleep. It doesn't cure the tinnitus, there is no cure and probably never will be, but it made it more manageable, lowered the volume in my head, and let me sleep easier. I still have it and struggle with it sometimes, but running/exercise for me is the best way to mitigate the stress chronic tinnitus causes."
rickdangerous85
Brisbane
"Buying tickets to Guns 'N Roses. I'm from Northern Australia and went to the Brisbane show. Ended up going with an old friend who was looking for an extra roommate, moved to Brisbane, did an audio course cause I needed something to do, and ended up working in the music industry full-time. Just got off tour with Suicidal Tendencies as their backline tech and have had an incredible career so far."
Acquiesce95
No Regrets
"My current job was a throwaway application I submitted purely for interview practice. It was one of two listings I saw at once, one was quite detailed and looked really good, and the other one was a handful of vague bullet points that seemed interesting enough. The one I was hoping for never replied, the other one offered me more than the maximum salary on the ad. No regrets."
PM_me_ur_navel_girl
Forever
Smooch Love GIF by molehillGiphy"I decided to have my first ever one-night stand."
"We've been together for 12 years!"
CrabbiestAsp
"So you still haven't had a one-night stand!"
NickyDeeM
Ah, the curse of the one-night stand gone wrong.
Love is all around.
Those who work in different fields all have their respective anecdotes that are sure to keep listeners engaged.
But certain jobs that keep employees away from land are sure to have the most intriguing stories to share.
Seafarers shared their unique experiences bordering on hair-raising phenomena when Redditor tylo144 asked:
"For those who have careers that keep them out at sea for long periods of time, what is the creepiest thing you’ve seen out in the water?"
Mariners shared their wildest stories from their time out at sea.
Fierce Gale
"Not so much what I saw but what I experienced. I was once underway in the Gulf of Alaska during a November gale. Waves were up to 35 feet with some rollers hitting 45. An uncommon occurrence on the diesel electric ship I was on was a cyclo-converter tripping. When this happened the ship would temporarily completely lose power and propulsion until some electricians could reset everything. This happened during that gale. I simply can’t explain how strange it is for the boat you’re on to all of a sudden go so quiet, that you can clearly hear waves slapping the ship and metal bending and flexing. Knowing you’re completely at the mercy of the sea. Knowing that if the ship lost its bearing and went beam to there was a real possibility of capsizing. It’s easy to forget when you’re at sea that the only thing keeping you alive is a bunch of steel welded together. At that moment I was fully aware and it humbled me. Thankfully we trained frequently for this and had everything fired back up relatively quickly."
"Another time I recall was when the ship took a rogue wave. They are absolutely real and I believe they account for a massive number of shipwrecks. It was late at night and I was on the bridge. We were passing through a storm and we’re taking the waves off the bow with no visibility. As the ship moves there’s normally a pretty standard pattern. You ride up a wave for a bit and then you fall down the wave for a bit. Well we started riding up a wave and got to the point where we should have been starting or ride down…but we just kept climbing and climbing. And then it happened. We started our ride down the back of this massive wave. All of us braced ourselves and tried to find something to hold on to but we all fell to the deck any way. Anything that wasn’t secured for sea fell down all around us. Manuals, tables, computers, printers, you name it. Our captain who was sleeping called up to the bridge asking if we hit something. It woke the entire crew up. Rogue waves are real, and they’re terrifying. I can’t imagine being in a smaller boat or taking one of them broadside."
– red_pimp69
Series Of Bizarre Events
"I was in the US Navy for about 10 years, and have 10s of thousands of miles at sea in an aircraft carrier. Countless nights on the flight deck in the middle of the night and middle of the ocean..."
"Creepiest: A HUGE patch of the ocean glowing. Like nuclear waste in the Simpsons glowing. I've seen bioluminescent algae of a few kinds and this was nothing like it. I've never seen anything like it before or since."
"Weirdest thing: hundreds of mile out to sea from land and there was a MASSIVE fire on the water. It was like the top of a gas refinery, but on the water with nothing under it but water. Flame going a few stories into the air."
"Funniest: 2 flying fish collide mid-air. I was smoking when we were in the Persian Gulf and saw the fish fly from a pretty far distance towards each other. I remember thinking 'there's no f'kin way they're going to hit' them SPLAT SPLASH! I was in tears laughing but no one saw it. Everyone just thought I was a weirdo, but I got to see a miracle of nature lol"
– BBQQA
Lone Yacht
"Some 20 years ago..."
"On the MV Explorer (since sunk) down near the Antarctic circle, sailing around the 'bergs and occasionally making landfall..."
"We rounded into a small bay area, and there, amongst the ice and coast was an unmarked sailing yacht. Which is odd as generally yachts have some identifying markings on them."
"To add to it, they didn't respond to any radio contact, and whilst I wasn't privy to the conversation (and it was a long time ago), some crew went across via Zodiac and were refused boarding."
"So basically a yacht, not a particularly large one, that was unmarked was hanging around in the inhospitable waters of the Antarctic and didn't want any help or contact."
"Proper weird."
– ThanklessTask
These Redditors have fearlessly plunged into darkness.
Dark Dive
"I used to be an oilfield diver in the Gulf of Mexico. I'd say about 80% of the dives I logged were at night. Mostly 500 ft and under DSV's."
"It's very eerie feeling sitting on the downline doing in water decompression in the middle of night. I'd always ask topside to turn off my headlight."
"Like a worm on a hook. Just bobbing in the darkness."
– Comrade_Fuzzybottoms
A Dark Calm
"Not even nearly as extreme as your story but it evoked a memory, I did a scuba diving open water course and then did the advanced course which included a night dive in a freshwater lake."
"I was only 5m underwater, pitch black darkness with two other guys, we were on a platform and we could either face the dam wall or the open water, and I turned to the open water while the other guys were behind me, I turned off my light (we did have little lights on our backs)"
"Just the deepest, calmest dark I’ve ever felt and seen. Not a single source of light anywhere, just immense darkness. Still remember that feeling and it was like 15 years ago"
– circleinsidecircle
Things get more interesting.
Water Glow
"The bioluminescent animals (or whatever they are) in the water is pretty amazing. Our toilet would fill up with seawater and if you took a piss in it in the middle of the night it would agitate the water and it would glow sometimes."
– Tub-a-guts
"Ominous Red Snow Angel"
"Always love the bio-luminescence flickering around the hull at night. They're almost like a cushion of little stars guiding you safely along. On those really dark, moonless nights, I'd almost beg for them to arrive."
"I sailed 70ft yacht around the world a few years back. Southern Ocean, Cape Horn, Good Hope, Roaring Forties, Furious Fifties, two equatorial crossings; the full deal. Plenty of terrifying moments, boring moments, funny moments and beautiful moments."
"A creepy moment that is burned into my memory involved a near catastrophe halfway between NZ and Cape Horn. We ended up hitting really bad weather and absolutely huge seas - 50ft swells with massive troughs in between. We were running with the swells for days as they grew, skidding down them like a bloated surfboard, always worrying that the next wave would break behind us and roll us over."
"At night it's pitch black down there in bad weather - the sky and sea just form a huge black mass. The most terrifying thing is the sound of an invisible wave breaking behind you. At night, you run red light to preserve night vision, so there's basically just an eerie red glow emanating from below deck."
"At about two in the morning, I was at the helm when a monster wave broke directly over the back of us without a seconds warning. Time slowed down like it does in those moments, and the last thing I saw was my own silhouette in the wall of water, lit up like an ominous red snow angel - and then nothing but cold blackness as the boat sunk into the sea."
"Fortunately, she popped straight back up like a cork after a few eternal seconds - almost like a submarine surfacing - and we were still in one piece. Still cant forget that glowing red apparition of myself though. The memory of it has woken me up in a cold sweat more than once."
– Le_Rat_Mort
Coming Up For Air
"Somewhere in the Atlantic, nice cold as f**k night, decided to step out and look at stars. About ten minutes on and a boats mast pops up, sits there a few minutes and then back under. No alarms, nothing. Just some sub boys getting a bit of late night o2 in the middle of nowhere next to some friends."
– MyMomsSecondSon
When I worked on cruise ships, I was always captivated by the green flash on the horizon.
The optical phenomenon occurs just as the sun goes down or before sunrise, with the tip of the sun barely visible.
It emits a flash of green light that I found absolutely thrilling to witness every time.
It's not necessarily creepy, but still a wonder for sure.