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Good educators significantly impact a student's life. But so can the bad ones. 

Today's list continues Bored Panda's series of articles covering some teachers' irksome and unprofessional behavior. While a few submissions are laughable, others prove that not everyone is fit for the job. 

Some of you may have had similar experiences, so feel free to share them in the comments.

#1

Teachers Need To Understand Students Don't Always Sleep In Class Just Because Of Laziness

Teachers Need To Understand Students Don't Always Sleep In Class Just Because Of Laziness

Phantom_Wolf52 Report

#2

I Was A Teacher For 8 Years, And I Never Made A Student Feel Small After Asking For Help

I Was A Teacher For 8 Years, And I Never Made A Student Feel Small After Asking For Help

washedupteach Report

#3

"They Both Tried To Laugh It Off Like It Was All A Silly Misunderstanding And Never Apologized To Me"

"They Both Tried To Laugh It Off Like It Was All A Silly Misunderstanding And Never Apologized To Me"

JoyAng , JoyAng Report

“Bad teachers are extremely rare,” according to decorated film producer, screenwriter, and English teacher Ellie Herman. But having seen her fair share of subpar educators, she found five common tendencies. One of them is having a noticeable dislike towards children. 

“The number one quality I’ve observed in bad teachers is that they do not seem to like children very much. In high schools, this means they do not seem to find teenagers charming, funny, or interesting—ever.”

#4

Teachers Like This

Teachers Like This

medfred3 Report

#5

It Took Him A While

It Took Him A While

Just for some perspective, I emailed him in my 2nd year of undergrad. I have graduated from my undergrad, have two master's degrees, and I'm in the 6th year of my PhD.

academijung Report

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#6

A Former Teacher Of Mine Publicly Ridiculing And Passing Judgement On Someone For Being Proud Of Their Sobriety

A Former Teacher Of Mine Publicly Ridiculing And Passing Judgement On Someone For Being Proud Of Their Sobriety

ander2kv Report

Disinterest in the subject they’re teaching is another tendency among bad teachers, according to Herman. 

“If asked ‘why are you teaching this?’ will you respond ‘because it will be on the test’? Every teacher has dud lessons from time to time (believe me), but what I sense in the classrooms of bad teachers is that they have no interest in their entire subject.”

#7

Apparently Enjoying The Workout Is Part Of The Grade

Apparently Enjoying The Workout Is Part Of The Grade

1Cryptic_Phoenix Report

#8

My Brother's Kindergarten Teacher Printed These Out For The Class

My Brother's Kindergarten Teacher Printed These Out For The Class

brendan1228 Report

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#9

I Had To Do A Survey For Math And Made It As Simple As Humanly Possible, But According To The English Professor, Hostel Isn't A Word

I Had To Do A Survey For Math And Made It As Simple As Humanly Possible, But According To The English Professor, Hostel Isn't A Word

reddit.com Report

Beloved teachers have one trait in common: they care. They are genuinely invested in their students’ success. But some are already emotionally checked out, and Herman says it shows. 

“A central quality in truly bad teachers is that they seem to have stopped caring; this lack of engagement is reflected not only in their interactions with students (or lack thereof) but in their seemingly random choice of lesson topics.”

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#10

I Had An English Final Exam Today, And I Had To Describe This Image. Teacher's Copy vs. Student's Copy

I Had An English Final Exam Today, And I Had To Describe This Image. Teacher's Copy vs. Student's Copy

Fastestbullet99 Report

#11

My 3rd Grade Kids Were Given This Ridiculous Project

My 3rd Grade Kids Were Given This Ridiculous Project

ThatsMrSmeeToYou Report

#12

My Son Then Told Him That Was Offensive, Explaining That Autism Means Seeing The World Differently And That Jesus’ Perfection Was About Being Sinless, Not Neurotypical

My Son Then Told Him That Was Offensive, Explaining That Autism Means Seeing The World Differently And That Jesus’ Perfection Was About Being Sinless, Not Neurotypical

AndrewTDraper Report

Teachers have their favorite students; however, it won’t be an issue if everyone receives fair treatment. It becomes a problem when these biases become evident. 

“The truly bad teachers I’ve observed tend to engage only with a small number of very compliant, eager students, ignoring the rest except to reprimand troublemakers,” Herman says.

#13

We Are No Longer Allowed To Yawn In My College Course, With Points Off Our Grade As Punishment

We Are No Longer Allowed To Yawn In My College Course, With Points Off Our Grade As Punishment

sleepiesen Report

#14

This Typo Caused Me To Fail The Entire Assignment

This Typo Caused Me To Fail The Entire Assignment

nlwfty Report

#15

So Rude And For What

So Rude And For What

EM0DOG Report

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However, there are people who see some benefit in having their kids learn under bad teachers. Author Linda Flanagan is a mother of three teenagers, and here’s what she’s observed. 

“An indifferent teacher can compel the self-motivated student to pursue his own interests,” she wrote in an article for HuffPost. “The teacher who spends class time devouring People while students fill out worksheets might not inspire, but she might prompt a little self-directed learning just the same."

#16

My Teacher Still Refuses To Give A 100% Score

My Teacher Still Refuses To Give A 100% Score

TheReallyEvil1 Report

#17

Apparently, My Answer Was Wrong Because The Teacher Forgot To Add An End Parentheses

Apparently, My Answer Was Wrong Because The Teacher Forgot To Add An End Parentheses

Clymmie Report

#18

My Teacher Only Lets Us Go To The Bathroom 3 Times A Month

My Teacher Only Lets Us Go To The Bathroom 3 Times A Month

Imayhaveeatenthedog Report

Flanagan's example of a bad teacher is someone she describes as a "tyrant" and "petty dictator" who is more about control. She says having these people as mentors is a valuable experience when entering the real world. 

"These skills will come in handy when it's time to renew a driver's license, contest an insurance payment, or dispute a cable bill. Having a tyrant for a teacher helps young people appreciate why abuses of power must be resisted throughout life."

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#19

This Teacher Is Wild

This Teacher Is Wild

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#20

I Would Hate That In My Classes

I Would Hate That In My Classes

CLOVIS-AI Report

#21

I'm A Blind Guy, And My Teachers Tell Me They Don't Know Why I'm Not Looking Forward To The School Trip To The Museum. Can Anyone Guess Why?

I'm A Blind Guy, And My Teachers Tell Me They Don't Know Why I'm Not Looking Forward To The School Trip To The Museum. Can Anyone Guess Why?

Frikandelneuker Report

Flanagan also experienced what she describes as “the idealogue” when her son’s seventh-grade biology teacher pushed his belief in creationism onto his students. 

“It introduces kids to mankind’s endless capacity for self-deception. Warning: this lesson only applies when there’s a rational adult in the mix to provide a reality check.”

#22

I Did My Biology Assignment. It Counted Me Wrong Because I Put Their First And Last Names

I Did My Biology Assignment. It Counted Me Wrong Because I Put Their First And Last Names

ChikinNuggetsRmine Report

#23

My Teacher: "Go To This Link And Fill Out The Form"

My Teacher: "Go To This Link And Fill Out The Form"

BramKalkman Report

#24

My Son Misspelled A Word, So The Teacher "Corrected" Him

My Son Misspelled A Word, So The Teacher "Corrected" Him

Edawg661 Report

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#25

Woke Up At 7 AM, Headed To Class In The Freezing Rain, Just To See "Class Is Cancelled" Written On The Whiteboard And The Door Locked. No Email Or Anything First

Woke Up At 7 AM, Headed To Class In The Freezing Rain, Just To See "Class Is Cancelled" Written On The Whiteboard And The Door Locked. No Email Or Anything First

Firecracker7413 Report

#26

My Son’s First Grade Teacher Sent This Home Today

My Son’s First Grade Teacher Sent This Home Today

highfivesandhandjobs Report

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Irishwoman abroad
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cruel way to mark their work! Apart from the obvious c**p spelling, that's what shocks me.

Sazan Kuros
Community Member
5 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I mean yeah, the teacher is pretty dumb, but that kid's penmanship and spelling are garbage, even for a first grader.

Pink Princess
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I agree. My handwriting and spelling was way better than that in first grade

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Brenda
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Holy Mary, mother of God!!. Are you serious? She misspelled sense! She's a freaking teacher!

MoMcB
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'd have marked that, and brought it back in to hand deliver it

Janos Schumacher
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Teacher is dyslexic. That's all. My daughter is dyslexic, my uncle is dyslexic. If you have the trouble, you tend to write words wrong. You can do just fine when you're dyslexic. Jack Horner is Dyslexic AF but he does well. If you write to him, you have to write like a text message. He's worse than my daughter yet he seems to do OK .

Sera
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Actually, it looks to me like the kid might be the dyslexic one here, as they've written "am" when they seem to mean me or my. I question the wisdom of having a person who cannot write the correct word on an assignment teaching children how to write.

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#27

Our Driving Class Teacher Is Never On Time. She Should've Been Here 20 Minutes Ago

Our Driving Class Teacher Is Never On Time. She Should've Been Here 20 Minutes Ago

Things like this repeat all the time. Previously, we had to wait for her for 30+ minutes.

Olya_roo Report

#28

I Received This As A Grade For A Quiz

I Received This As A Grade For A Quiz

BrownEyeGivesPinkEye Report

#29

My Teacher Printed The Video File On Paper

My Teacher Printed The Video File On Paper

Huge-Technician2889 Report

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#30

Online School Is Painful Sometimes

Online School Is Painful Sometimes

A-Lonely-Gorilla Report

#31

The Article For An Assignment In Class Is Paid

The Article For An Assignment In Class Is Paid

Accomplished_Bike149 Report

#32

This Program Our Professor Wants Us To Use For Our Tests

This Program Our Professor Wants Us To Use For Our Tests

The reviews all say it's spyware and that it ruins computers. In the past, we’ve used Honorlock, but this professor just had to be different.

TexasMeatMan Report

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#33

The Lines A Fellow Teacher Gave A 7-Year-Old Student To Write 20 Times As A Consequence

The Lines A Fellow Teacher Gave A 7-Year-Old Student To Write 20 Times As A Consequence

Illustrious-Laugh795 Report

#34

When Teachers Give Diagrams Like This

When Teachers Give Diagrams Like This

gr33nh3at Report

#35

My Four-Year-Old Daughter's Preschool Homework. "Match The Pictures" With No Other Context

My Four-Year-Old Daughter's Preschool Homework. "Match The Pictures" With No Other Context

chuck1830 Report

#36

This Sign Is On A High School Classroom Door

This Sign Is On A High School Classroom Door

cmonfiend Report

#37

My French Teacher Gave Us New "French Names" About Two Weeks Ago And Takes Off Points From Your Exams And Daily Participation If You Don't Refer To Yourself By Your French Name

My French Teacher Gave Us New "French Names" About Two Weeks Ago And Takes Off Points From Your Exams And Daily Participation If You Don't Refer To Yourself By Your French Name

dykejoon Report

#38

Teachers Who Write Feedback Like This

Teachers Who Write Feedback Like This

Exceon Report

#39

My Blind Child Came Home From School Today With This Homework

My Blind Child Came Home From School Today With This Homework

zixxty Report

#40

Kindergarten Homework Is Kicking My Butt. "In Front" Or "Behind"? I Got -2 Points For This

Kindergarten Homework Is Kicking My Butt. "In Front" Or "Behind"? I Got -2 Points For This

Fresh_Counter Report

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#41

This Stressed My Son Out. Literally Impossible

This Stressed My Son Out. Literally Impossible

IndependenceLumpy294 Report

#42

My Kid's Science Teacher Assigned An 82-Question Packet To Be Done Over Spring Break

My Kid's Science Teacher Assigned An 82-Question Packet To Be Done Over Spring Break

gardenbikie821 Report

#43

No Point In Studying For The Final

No Point In Studying For The Final

pizzadough_ Report

#44

Teacher Not Happy With Marching Band Score And Award

Teacher Not Happy With Marching Band Score And Award

DesertRat13 Report

#45

I Didn’t Know People Actually Covered Clocks In Schools

I Didn’t Know People Actually Covered Clocks In Schools

JacobIsAFroggyBoi Report

#46

The Way My Math Teacher Numbers His Worksheets

The Way My Math Teacher Numbers His Worksheets

adeel-a Report

#47

I Really Hate My Teacher

I Really Hate My Teacher

ShawnDSavage75 Report

#48

My University Cancelled Class Today Due To The Weather (A Freezing Rainstorm Caused Thick Layers Of Ice All Over The Campus), But My Professor Still Wants Us To Go To Our Lab

My University Cancelled Class Today Due To The Weather (A Freezing Rainstorm Caused Thick Layers Of Ice All Over The Campus), But My Professor Still Wants Us To Go To Our Lab

Lada730 Report

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#49

All Of My School's Printers Are Auto-Configured To Print Double-Sided. However, My Programming Teacher Requires Code To Be Printed Single-Sided

All Of My School's Printers Are Auto-Configured To Print Double-Sided. However, My Programming Teacher Requires Code To Be Printed Single-Sided

Smile_Space Report

#50

This Keyboard At My College. Teachers, Don't Let Us Clean It

This Keyboard At My College. Teachers, Don't Let Us Clean It

Benji0514 Report

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#51

The Teacher Knows My Daughter Is Being Treated For ADHD And Marks Her Down For Playing Tic-Tac-Toe. What The Heck?

The Teacher Knows My Daughter Is Being Treated For ADHD And Marks Her Down For Playing Tic-Tac-Toe. What The Heck?

jamesandrewm Report

#52

Our Physics Exams Were Accidentally Thrown Out

Our Physics Exams Were Accidentally Thrown Out

sheepman39 Report

#53

I Hate Teachers That Leave The Cursor On The Playbar

I Hate Teachers That Leave The Cursor On The Playbar

gcz1214 Report

#54

My Scores On A Test. I Have No Idea What They Mean

My Scores On A Test. I Have No Idea What They Mean

reddit.com Report

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#55

This Is An Answer To An Assignment My Friend Sent Me

This Is An Answer To An Assignment My Friend Sent Me

K1N9Y33T Report

#56

My Teacher Put Her Voice Volume Device On The Speaker And Then Played "10 Hours Of Static Noises" Until Class Was Over

My Teacher Put Her Voice Volume Device On The Speaker And Then Played "10 Hours Of Static Noises" Until Class Was Over

MysteriousTux Report

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#57

Teacher Worded A Question Wrong And Marked My Answer Wrong Even Though I Did What The Question Said

Teacher Worded A Question Wrong And Marked My Answer Wrong Even Though I Did What The Question Said

Vaanced Report

#58

The Way This Professor Erased The Board

The Way This Professor Erased The Board

onebelligerentbeagle Report

#59

I Lost My Perfect Score Because I Wrote The Date Wrong

I Lost My Perfect Score Because I Wrote The Date Wrong

Fantastic_Rice1203 Report

#60

I've Been At This School For 13 Years. There's 200 People In My Class, And Today Is My Last Day Of School. Not A Single Teacher Offered To Sign My Yearbook

I've Been At This School For 13 Years. There's 200 People In My Class, And Today Is My Last Day Of School. Not A Single Teacher Offered To Sign My Yearbook

reddit.com Report

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