Humor can be a powerful tool in the classroom. For example, Randy Garner, Ph.D., a psychologist at Sam Houston State University, found that students were more likely to recall a statistics lecture when it was interjected with jokes about relevant topics.
And sometimes, it can make the teacher's day too. Reddit user u/KDwiththeFXD recently shared a heartwarming and funny anecdote on r/Teachers, proving just how unpredictable kids can be.
It all began when u/KDwiththeFXD was subbing in a lower-achieving high school. A student, who happened to have developmental issues, became the target of a bully's remarks. The teacher was about to intervene and defend the student, but they quickly snapped back themselves, saying, "I am in here for a reason, and I have an excuse. You're here and failing because you're just dumb."
Unable to maintain a serious demeanor, u/KDwiththeFXD burst into laughter, leaving the bully feeling embarrassed and rendering them speechless for the remainder of the class. As the comments on the post poured in, many fellow educators shared their own hilarious encounters. Continue scrolling to check them out.
#1
I have a very quiet super studious girl in my rowdiest class full of athletes. She keeps to herself, gets her work done and is generally my favorite kid ever. One day, the athletes were exceptionally horrible and I happened to walk by her as she muttered to herself "God your moms should have all swallowed"
I snorted coffee out of my nose. No one else heard. She was mortified that I heard her.
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601points
#2
My class is prepping for a play, and one student was super pumped to do the sound design. He came up to me with his chromebook and airpods and said, "Here, listen to this sound effect, I think it would be perfect," so I put in the airpod and heard......
Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up."
The kid Rick-Rolled me.
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414points
#3
Two kids with the same first name in one class. One was chronically absent. I’d call his name and the other one would say “maybe he died.” This went on for a few weeks. One day, chronically absent kid shows up and other kid says, just audibly enough for me to hear, “I murdered the wrong one.”
I was ROLLING and no one else in the room new why.
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413points
#4
I’m a 7th grade SS teacher, one class I had to explain what a swine herder was. A student in the back called out “Does that mean a person with chickens is a… chicken tender?”
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380points
#5
All the time.
The other day I (a clumsy person) knocked my water bottle over and spilled it all behind my desk. Immediately I just start going “everything’s fine! Everything’s fine!”
A 2nd grade boy somberly said “Everything was not fine.”
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366points
#6
I was once teaching a lesson about horseshoe crabs (environmental ed) and mentioned they lay 100,000 eggs a season. And a boy in the back goes “dayummm that’s a lot of child support.”
I couldn’t help it. Had to laugh.
348points
#7
7th grader: but he's the one who started it.
Me: well it takes two to tango.
7th grader: but it only takes one to break dance
Student then begins break dancing.
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339points
#8
Yesterday at the bake sale fundraiser my friend picked out an ugly looking cupcake and says "she's not the prettiest girl at the dance but she'll do".
The most innocent student in the world replies "as long as she tastes good". The kid had no idea what she had said. Closest I've ever come to legitimately choking on food in my life.
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317points
#9
One of my students who REALLY needs his ADHD medication wasn't getting it for a couple of weeks, and he was having a hell of a time coping. He walking past me, and I heard him whispering to himself, "Holy spirit, activate!" When I'm having a bad moment nowadays, I can be heard whispering the same thing. It still gives me a giggle.
290points
#10
I got so owned by my 4yr old pre k student..
Child-what’s your name
Me-Miss Stephanie
Child- what’s this (pointing at nose)
Me-nose
Child- (holding up hands) what am I holding
Me- nothing
Child- ha ha Miss Stephanie knows nothing.
I look at the other teacher and she’s busted out laughing. I stood there in shock because he flawlessly executed the joke.
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282points
#11
After telling a student he needed to sit down and do his work, he replied “it’s hard to work with all these children around.”
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276points
#12
I have two:
1. An 8th grader asked me if a skank was the female version of a skunk
2. Two boys were arguing and one told the other that he looked like a gummy bear. After getting them to knock it off I realized that he does, in fact, look like a gummy bear
2. Two boys were arguing and one told the other that he looked like a gummy bear. After getting them to knock it off I realized that he does, in fact, look like a gummy bear
261points
#13
“Do I look handsome today? I’m wearing my dinosaur underwear!”
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238points
#14
I had an ELL class reading a simplified version of Romeo and Juliet, and I was reading the stage directions.
I read the direction, “They kiss. They kiss again.”
A 15 year old girl yells, “WHAT THE HELL KIND OF BOOK IS THIS?!?!”
I died.
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233points
#15
My fourth grader comes up and says he needs to tell me something, but wants to do it quietly, looking all serious. He comes to whisper in my ear, and simply says, "No one out pizzas the hut."
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220points
#16
I play bass and teach general music. Since I’m teaching my third graders the instrument families right now, I figured I would show them a video of me playing bass. So it was a duet with my Asian male friend, and myself, a Caucasian female wearing a dress in the video. Conversation goes like this:
“OMG! Is that you?”
“Yes, it is!”
“Which one?!”
“OMG! Is that you?”
“Yes, it is!”
“Which one?!”
I should also note I’m seven months pregnant, so the idea that I look like an Asian man just killed me and I couldn’t stop laughing
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208points
#17
Small class (4) the other 22 went on a field trip for the advanced kids. Well, wasn’t teaching new content with the large majority of students not there……
The handful of kids wanted to play history hangman…..so, with the students guessing letters and missing over and over and over, one of the girls quickly said, “This is why we ain’t on the field trip!”
I laughed out loud. Told her thank you for making me smile, that was the best joke I heard all year. Gave her candy. Top 5 moment of this year.
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206points
#18
During a 7th grade math test. Everyone is quiet and one girl starts sneezing. These sneezes are very loud room shakers that scare everyone. She stops for a minute then starts up a few again. In between a few of them I hear her friend next to her whisper "Stop doing that or you're gonna s**t yourself"
I don't know how I kept it together...
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203points
#19
It’s my user name story! I created an account just to tell this story.
Little pre-K boy was arguing with an assistant teacher (who shouldn’t have been a teacher for many reasons, one being she was okay arguing with a 4yo). She told the kid something like, “you smell like doo doo.” He responded with, “well you smell like dried lipstick.” And he had just the smuggest look on his face and I died laughing. He won the argument in my book.
But also any adult who argues with a 4yo has already lost because you’re arguing with a 4yo.
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192points
#20
While subbing 8th grade one kid loudly said to another "Shut up! That's why my dad don't touch your mom no more"
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187points