When we send our kids to school, we trust that the teachers and staff in charge of them have their best interest at heart. They’ll be kind and compassionate, and they’ll work hard to ensure that our kiddos reach their full potential… Right?

Well, every school has a bad apple or two, and for one Redditor, that was their high school P.E. teacher in the 80s. Below, you’ll find a story that they recently shared online detailing how their mother decided to get sweet revenge on this P.E. teacher, as well as some of the replies amused readers have shared.

When this person was in high school, their P.E. teacher forced students to run outside in sweltering heat

Image credits: Alpha (not the actual image)

So their mother decided to get sweet, petty revenge on the teacher

Image credits: Mary Taylor (not the actual image)

Image credits: Timur Weber (not the actual image)

Image credits: Zeynep Altuntaş (not the actual image)

Image credits: aussiesnrg

“We still had to do cross country, but I don’t remember ever doing it in that heat again”

To learn more about this situation, we reached out to the Reddit user who shared this story, Aussiesnrg, who was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda. First, we wanted to know what inspired the OP to share this story now. “I like reading others’ petty revenge, and it reminded me of what my Mum did all those years ago,” they shared. “So I spent a few days writing it up trying to get it as correct as possible.”

We were also curious how much smaller the slices of teacake were and whether or not the teacher would have immediately noticed. “It was pretty obvious that it was smaller than usual. It did happen to all of us occasionally,” Aussiesnrg says.

And thankfully, they believe that the teacher learned his lesson. “We still had to do cross country, but I don’t remember ever doing it in that heat again,” they shared. As far as whether or not they’d partake in petty revenge of their own, the OP says, “I’d like to say no, but there’s an inkling I would.” Finally, they added that they were “a bit surprised by the responses” to the post and “thoroughly enjoyed reading them.”

Many students have negative experiences with P.E. class

Physical education is typically one of the most dreaded classes students have to take. In theory, it might sound fun to get to run around for an hour while the rest of the day is spent sitting at a desk. But in reality, P.E. is often filled with brutal runs outside, being pelted by dodgeballs and the embarrassment of being picked last for the day’s basketball team. 

According to First Step Physical Education, kids often hate P.E. because there’s not a lot of variety involved in what they get to do, there’s often favoritism from the teacher or between kids, the equipment might be outdated or uninteresting, and it can become complicated and uncomfortable when puberty strikes. Oh, and of course, a terrible P.E. teacher can ruin the experience for everyone.

One study even found that being humiliated in P.E. class as a kid can be enough to sour exercise for an individual for the rest of their life. Considering that over 41% of Americans and 1 in 6 Europeans are obese, it’s concerning that anyone would be deterred from being physically active. But unfortunately, many people have stories of being forced to run in extreme heat or cold, being smacked in the face with dodgeballs or being denied the chance to go to the bathroom by their P.E. teachers.

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual image)

Running outside in extreme heat can be very dangerous

In this specific story, the P.E. teacher got himself into hot water by making students run outside in sweltering heat. But he’s lucky that the only punishment he received was small cakes, as it could have been much worse if a student actually had a heat stroke. According to Runner’s World, once the temperature has exceeded 79°F (or 26°C) and the humidity exceeds 70%, your performance while running will drop significantly.

With high temperatures, it’s important to drink plenty of water and have electrolytes on hand. It’s also wise to avoid being outside during the heat of the day or being in the sun. Try to run in shady, breezy areas, or plan your runs to be early in the morning or in the evening. Kids, however, are even more sensitive to heat and exhaustion.

Marathon Kids notes that the risk of developing heat illness while running outside will be high once the temperature is over 85°F (or 29°C). It’s crucial for kids to have sun protection, be able to take breaks to drink water and rest and have access to shade to cool down and catch their breath.

Image credits: Tirachard Kumtanom (not the actual image)

Kids are at an even higher risk than adults of developing heat-related illnesses

If it’s too hot to be outside playing or running, kids will be at risk of developing heat-related illnesses, such as heat stroke. Symptoms may include rapid pulse, a change in their skin color, dizziness, exhaustion, headache, extreme thirst, skin numbness or tingling, fainting and having muscle pains.

If children do start exhibiting signs of heat-related illnesses, KidsHealth recommends immediately bringing them to a cool, indoor or shady place. Remove their excess clothing, and encourage them to drink water or cool fluids that have salt and sugar, such as sports drinks. It can be helpful to put a cool, wet cloth on their skin, and it might even be necessary to call their doctor and get an IV for extra fluids.

Heat strokes in particular can be extremely dangerous, as 33 children in the United States died from heat strokes during 2022. Heat-related illnesses should always be taken seriously, but children’s body temperatures rise three to five times faster than adults, so they are at an even higher risk of getting ill. We would love to hear your thoughts on this petty revenge in the comments below, pandas. Then, you can read another Bored Panda article discussing revenge on a P.E. teacher!

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual image)

Amused readers shared their thoughts on the story, and the OP joined in on the conversation

Some even had similar stories of their own to share

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