Every school has its unique quirk within the curriculum that makes absolutely no sense. If there is one universal truth to education that extends from pre-K age through senior year of high school, it's that at any given moment, you are likely to encounter a head-scratching methodology to the way a certain subject is taught. Health class is always common fodder. Ensuring that everyone knows how to square dance is another bizarre lesson. I'm sure when students reach adulthood and are trying to wr…

Who didn't dream of seeing their least favorite teacher get their comeuppance? You may be 12 years old or you may be 42, but the truth of the matter is that no one forgets that one unnecessarily cruel teacher. This, of course, would be the so-called “educator” who didn't seem to enjoy any aspect of their job with the exception of disciplining children and asserting their power over their students. This would be that teacher who pre-judged you on Day One and who never let you prove yourself as a…

This epic mode of payback has people divided over whether or not this teacher is a brilliant mastermind or entirely out-of-line. Truth be told, it's a very tough call. On the one hand, we love when students who think they can get away with manipulating their teachers get their well-deserved comeuppance. On the other, it's clear from this teacher's first-person account of the whole debacle that they got a lot of joy out of radically affecting the future of these kids, particularly when it came t…

Field trips almost never go as planned. There is always some unexpected mishap, be it big or small, that gets in the way of the event and often makes our teachers extremely annoyed. Sometimes, it's their fault too. I mean, who in their right minds would think a group of 12-year-olds would enjoy a trip to the museum of work to learn about the joys of the eight hour work day? And who in their right minds would think that a camping trip in November in frigid Canada would be a good idea? As someone…

This teacher took to the internet for sympathy after talking about a coworker behind his back with their microphone still on, but she failed to mention that the person with whom she was gossiping was a literal child. Let's take a moment to break down the various levels of unprofessionalism that are embedded in this story. First, there's talking smack about coworkers. Look, this behavior is unfortunately inevitable in many workplaces, but if you're going to do it, you should speak privately with…

There will always be those who believe we are gifted and capable of achieving success in life, and there will always be others who think we will never amount to anything worthwhile. The secret to success is to never give up and to never allow someone to bring you down. The story that follows is from a frustrated student. OP has been studying to teach art. As part of his training, he must work as an assistant to a senior faculty art teacher for six months. Although OP was ecstatic to have the op…

It should come as no surprise that the comments teachers make can haunt you forever. Sure, there are the words of encouragement that can empower you to pursue a particular path, but there are also the subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle insults that can damage someone’s self-esteem. The only positive outcome that can arise from dealing with these unfortunate comments is if they become a motivator for you as you continue to do what you want and be who you are despite what a silly authority figure…

Generally speaking, teachers deserve respect; that is, unless they are completely out of line. In this case, we are dealing with a combination of both of these issues. Any substitute teacher knows that it is particularly difficult to get the undivided attention of your students when their real teacher is not present. Kids will be kids, so we have empathy for a frustrated substitute who is simply trying to get through a lesson plan. Still, shouting at a group of kids is never going to gain their…

Many gym teachers are likely accustomed to hearing silly excuses to get out of physical activities, but when it comes to valid medical reasons, those teachers better listen. Otherwise, they are putting the student at risk health-wise, and they are putting their jobs on the line as well. Let this post be a cathartic space for you to reflect and let out any lingering frustration with regard to how you feel about that PE teacher. For me, it's the one who made us do 10 push-ups every time we couldn…

Every school has a niche, strange rule that makes absolutely no sense to the outside eye. There is something simultaneously hilarious and horrifying about reflecting on your school experience and why certain regulations were implemented. For instance, when I was in middle school, I went to an all-boys institution that somehow did not scar me for life (thankfully, I was properly socialized at an all-gender high school in subsequent years). However, my school had this extremely antiquated idea of…

Students are not always the primary reason for getting poor grades. Sometimes, it can be stifling extracurricular commitments, overbearing parents, absent parents, a lack of access to proper resources and technology, etc. But sometimes the reason is even simpler. Sometimes, it's just the teacher. This could be the result of a professor doing a subpar job giving lessons or failing to give students a proper understanding of the course material prior to assessing them. In this case, the professor'…

We all had a teacher back in the day who claimed something was true that occasionally made you suspicious. As you have gotten older, you have learned that your skepticism was not unwarranted and that you were absolutely right to question some of the nonsense this so-called educator was spewing. Over the years, we have all collected these bizarre “facts” that we have since disproven. They're often fun anecdotes to share at a party. For instance, did you know I was taught that I was taught that I…

Not to be a rebel here, but some teachers have the most nonsensical rules that are almost begging to be challenged. Sure, there are some understandable classroom policies that make sense, such as rules about phones, laptops, and cheating (the lattermost rule being don't do it). However, when it comes to having to sit around and do nothing just because some teacher told you that you have to, it just feels like a waste of time and energy for everyone involved. It's a waste of the student's time,…

When we think about the difficult lives of teachers, we often draw our attention to the annoying students they are forced to educate, but we rarely acknowledge that teachers may also have to deal with annoying coworkers just like everyone else. Having an insufferable coworker at your school has to be infuriating after a full schedule of teaching neurotic and whiny students all day. These teachers rarely get a moment of peace at their desks, and when they do, they generally need to do some lesso…

Teaching takes more self-restraint than most jobs. As a former tutor of high school kids and the child of a teacher, I can attest to the fact that there are a million thoughts your teachers have about you and your classmates, and it takes absolutely every bit of their brain power to stop themselves from saying the things that they probably shouldn't. Some of these thoughts include hot takes about students with bad body odor, students who have obvious crushes on their other classmates, and stude…

Some folks become teachers because they want to educate the next generation; others just want to be in a position of authority. Let's be honest: we all have had teachers like this, and while we respect how difficult the job is, we can also recognize that these bad apples should never have chosen this profession if they despised working with children so much. This thread was posted to Reddit's r/pettyrevenge subreddit by u/JumoreJay88 , who shared a story from approximately 15 years ago when she…