Teaching is no small job—and it comes with a whole lot of responsibility. On top of making sure the curriculum is covered, teachers also have the tough task of keeping a room full of students engaged, well-behaved, and supported. Sure, there are the star students who make it all worthwhile (modest pay included). But then there are those who leave you with a whole lot more questions than answers.
You know the type: the ones who say or do something so baffling that it stops the whole class in its tracks. These moments tend to stick with you, so it’s no surprise that a Reddit thread asking teachers to share the moments that made them think, “Oh boy, that student definitely isn’t going places,” was met with some truly jaw-dropping stories.
#41
Blatant and obvious low-effort plagiarism. Like, it's literally the first Google result if you search "topic: example essay" but they added their name, in a different font and size, which should make it obvious at a glance as if the use of capitalization and punctuation wasn't a clear give-away that they didn't write it. I had a student pull that last year, while his even dumber buddy didn't even put his name in it. In fact it wasn't even an essay, it was a selection of *question prompts*. Basically two Kevins in one class.
I also had a kid at the very end of the day continually mess around with his skateboard and became very hostile when I insisted on holding it until the last bell. He ran out the door, jumped on it and promptly fell and broke his jaw. His parents then threatened to sue the school because he got hurt there doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing.
EDIT: This is a great one, TWICE this week the same student has brought a popsicle in to have as a snack for lunch. Needless to say he was very disappointed. (His mom might actually pack his lunch).
I also had a kid at the very end of the day continually mess around with his skateboard and became very hostile when I insisted on holding it until the last bell. He ran out the door, jumped on it and promptly fell and broke his jaw. His parents then threatened to sue the school because he got hurt there doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing.
EDIT: This is a great one, TWICE this week the same student has brought a popsicle in to have as a snack for lunch. Needless to say he was very disappointed. (His mom might actually pack his lunch).
6points
#42
Not a teacher but a student. In eighth grade history me and my two friends answered every question we could because every other student did not care. One day this girl gets fed up and complained to the teacher that we were answering too many questions. The teacher decided to be fair and let her answer questions first then have us answer us she got it wrong. The first question she was asked was “what was the mother country of America?” Without missing a beat she instantly says “ the Statue of Liberty.”.
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6points
#43
I am not a teacher, but my high school senior class had its very own "Kevin." And I'm pretty sure if the teacher of that class Reddited she'd be posting all over here about this kid. I'm going to call him "Junpei" after Junpei from Persona 3.
Junpei was one of those wannabe "hood rat" type kids, in spite of the fact that we all live in a white-bread suburb that has no equivalent of a "hood" whatsoever. He'd come to school dressed in the same oversized Elmo hoodie every day and spout off hood talk and rap lyrics. Yes, Elmo. From Sesame Street.
This kid would get up and walk out of class frequently and for no real reason at all. He'd legit just decide he didn't want to do class today and run out of class. Or he'd see someone he didn't like outside the door and get up and run after him. Or he'd see someone he DID like outside the door and just walk out of class to go hang with them.
He did this during TESTS, and oftentimes just plain did not show up for the tests. How he even passed enough to graduate at all is a mystery. You could commonly find him wandering around the halls during any given class.
Junpei would regularly interrupt the lessons to spew out completely random and irrelevant rap lyrics, while bobbing his head around, and then go completely silent until the next impromptu rap or irrelevant comment.
I'm sure I don't even need to tell you Junpei never did the assignments or the homework. And when he bothered to show up for tests at all, he tried to cheat.
Junpei would go up and steal pens off my desk. When I gave him no reaction and took out one of my spare pens (I always carried a whole box full of them to school because I dropped them a lot), he'd go back and silently slip it back onto my desk. I guess he expected me to chase after him or something???
Junpei won *prom king* at the senior prom, and when I found that out (I did not go to the senior prom, only the junior) I actually asked what everyone was smoking when they made that pick. Turns out? They did it as a joke. And everyone told him the next day, "You know, we voted you prom king because we thought it would be funny because you're such a jerk." That sobered him up quite a bit. Junpei used to talk tough and start fights but he was a weak little thing who was VERY easily put in his place. One of the greatest things that ever happened involving Junpei was when he went up to this girl and started harassing her, and she pushed him into a desk, causing him to tuck his tail between his legs and leave. She did NOT get in trouble for this, purely because the teacher saw that he was harassing her.
I don't know how Junpei managed to graduate high school, or where he is now, and I do not care.
Junpei was one of those wannabe "hood rat" type kids, in spite of the fact that we all live in a white-bread suburb that has no equivalent of a "hood" whatsoever. He'd come to school dressed in the same oversized Elmo hoodie every day and spout off hood talk and rap lyrics. Yes, Elmo. From Sesame Street.
This kid would get up and walk out of class frequently and for no real reason at all. He'd legit just decide he didn't want to do class today and run out of class. Or he'd see someone he didn't like outside the door and get up and run after him. Or he'd see someone he DID like outside the door and just walk out of class to go hang with them.
He did this during TESTS, and oftentimes just plain did not show up for the tests. How he even passed enough to graduate at all is a mystery. You could commonly find him wandering around the halls during any given class.
Junpei would regularly interrupt the lessons to spew out completely random and irrelevant rap lyrics, while bobbing his head around, and then go completely silent until the next impromptu rap or irrelevant comment.
I'm sure I don't even need to tell you Junpei never did the assignments or the homework. And when he bothered to show up for tests at all, he tried to cheat.
Junpei would go up and steal pens off my desk. When I gave him no reaction and took out one of my spare pens (I always carried a whole box full of them to school because I dropped them a lot), he'd go back and silently slip it back onto my desk. I guess he expected me to chase after him or something???
Junpei won *prom king* at the senior prom, and when I found that out (I did not go to the senior prom, only the junior) I actually asked what everyone was smoking when they made that pick. Turns out? They did it as a joke. And everyone told him the next day, "You know, we voted you prom king because we thought it would be funny because you're such a jerk." That sobered him up quite a bit. Junpei used to talk tough and start fights but he was a weak little thing who was VERY easily put in his place. One of the greatest things that ever happened involving Junpei was when he went up to this girl and started harassing her, and she pushed him into a desk, causing him to tuck his tail between his legs and leave. She did NOT get in trouble for this, purely because the teacher saw that he was harassing her.
I don't know how Junpei managed to graduate high school, or where he is now, and I do not care.
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6points
#44
I had a student that fell asleep while I was sitting next to him and instructed him in something on screen. Last time I saw him he was stacking shelves part time at a small convenience store.
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5points
#46
Student had been taking notes furiously in my class (an honors math class) constantly for an entire semester. But she had been failing all the tests. I wanted to know why because she had been taking so many notes throughout my class. I asked to look at her notes before the final in my class. She tried to dodge but I finally got them.
She hadn't been taking notes...She had written Piercing the Fold (Venessa Kimball). I bought that book the following year...pretty good even though she failed the class.
She hadn't been taking notes...She had written Piercing the Fold (Venessa Kimball). I bought that book the following year...pretty good even though she failed the class.
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5points
#47
I teach special needs kids (mostly learning disabilities and behavioral issues) so there are lots of those moments. This one happened today:
Me: Tell me a political party in Germany?
Student: New York!
Me: Huh? That's a city in the USA.
Student: That doesn't make sense!
That's my best student by the way...
Edit: I love my job and seriously wouldn't want to do anything else! Just to state that clearly.
Me: Tell me a political party in Germany?
Student: New York!
Me: Huh? That's a city in the USA.
Student: That doesn't make sense!
That's my best student by the way...
Edit: I love my job and seriously wouldn't want to do anything else! Just to state that clearly.
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4points
#48
I teach English in Mexico. A student once asked how to say "jacket" in past tense. After 5 seconds of silence I said "No" and continued.
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-6points