35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person

Being a teacher is both rewarding and challenging work. It takes a lot of responsibility and understanding in order to help students and prepare them for what is coming next. There are a lot of things that students don’t understand about teachers and their certain choices. Having this in mind, a user on Reddit asked high school teachers “what is the one thing that you want your students to know that you’d never tell them in person?” Some of the users revealed the truth about their work and the way they let themselves deal with students and their behaviors. The question that got almost 73k upvotes on the platform started an open discussion on various matters that teachers decide to keep to themselves.

Which one of these thoughts do you find the most interesting? Or maybe you found some things you can relate to? Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments down below!

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35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person One day you're going to come across people who are not being paid to tolerate you, and all of a sudden life is going to become considerably more difficult

dontmesswithadamwe , AdinaVoicu Report

Final score:

451points

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Daniel Mattock 3 years ago

This should be told to students.

98points

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35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person Yes, I put you in a group with the kid you have a crush on intentionally. I'm stuck here with you 180 days a year, I want to see some drama.

grumpybatman , Kate Ter Haar Report

Final score:

381points

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SentimentAndBadJokes 3 years ago

I'd laugh if some teachers actually did this... not good for productivity, but a drama-addict might actually contemplate it if life gets too boring.

65points

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35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person I knew you were cheating so I gave you a test with the answers in a different order for the rest of the semester. You clearly weren't very bright to figure it out, and yes I am that spiteful. It was easier than reporting the cheating.

LeKy411 , Prevail Report

Final score:

340points

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WatermelonTheDutchie 3 years ago

this person is everything i aspire to be (the teacher not the cheater lol)

81points

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35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person Your parents are literally the worst part of my job.

catniss32 , VSPYCC Report

Final score:

335points

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Grace 3 years ago

Parents are the reason I wouldn't go back to teaching.

73points

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35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person When you think you are being genius by getting me to talk about random things at the beginning of class instead of "teaching", I'm really allowing it to happen b/c I don't have enough planned to cover a full class.

mikeyzjames , Fabrice Florin Report

Final score:

327points

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Crazy Dog Lady 3 years ago

Incidental learning is still happening! These "side" conversations are encouraged at my school.

59points

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35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person The weed smell doesn't magically disappear between the parking lot and my classroom

FunkyChromeMedina , Gerry Dincher Report

Final score:

315points

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yeciye 3 years ago

Apparently the students figured out that teachers pick their battles and ignore certain topics.

44points

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35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person I can smell you. Everyone can. Please for the love of god, use deodorant.

To the people asking why I wouldn't say this to a student, the answer is twofold:

1. Puberty is a smelly ordeal, and a lot of the kids can't help it

2. Because god forbid it's not their fault (infection, a cultural thing, or improper washing of clothes), you don't want to alienate that student forever.

MrFinch8604 , laura burns Report

Final score:

276points

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Kona Pake 3 years ago

Just don’t come walking into the class in a fog of body spray detectable 20 feet away.

81points

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35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person A few off the top of my head:

Just because I like you as a person doesn’t mean that I won’t fail you. Being smart isn’t a justification for being lazy and I can’t pass someone that never hands in work.

I moved you away from your friends because they were taking you down with them. You have a real future in sports but you need to pass my class to play them. Your friends were making you fail and, if you don’t get to play volleyball, I don’t know what kind of future you have in front of you.

I wish that the positivity that you get in my class could follow you home. I’ve met your parents and they are a nightmare. I do my best to encourage you here but I know that, some days, that just might not be enough.

I have never and will never find a student intimidating. That’s why I laughed at you when you asked me if I “knew who your father was”. Yeah, he’s the manager of a car dealership; that means nothing to nobody. I had a kid throw a desk at me and, while it scared me in the moment, it didn’t make me fear him. One day, you will meet someone who has real power and I just wish that I could be there to see it.

TheClassroomComedian , Steve Jurvetson Report

Final score:

267points

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Tim Pillinger 3 years ago

You're not in the school second team. Professional football is probably not a career to bet on.

22points

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35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person That we have much better hearing than you assume. We just choose our battles as it pertains to inappropriate comments. And sometimes I pretend not to see that thing you did just because I too found it humorous, and speaking to you about it would only result in me cracking up.

moonwalkersb , mario Report

Final score:

260points

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Daenarys 3 years ago

Sometimes we ignore it because it's better to let students learn how to deal with things on their own. If we immediately jump into every disagreement students won't learn to mediate between themselves.

24points

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#10

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person One of the most valuable lessons I can teach you is to fake looking busy.

If we're supposed to be working on an assignment or reading or whatever, and you see me coming your way... At the least have a piece of paper on your desk and a pen in your hand and some s**t on your paper, and then I won't bother you. If you have nothing going on and can't even be bothered to make it look like you're trying, I'm heading your way.

This lesson will be invaluable with eventual bosses someday.

SmilingSarcastic1221 , ASU Department of English Report

Final score:

259points

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Rod Egret 3 years ago

I think this is the absolute first lesson in the professional world....

63points

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#11

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person I'm a bus driver. Sit the f**k down you will die if I crash.

bignicky222 , Greg Goebel Report

Final score:

235points

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Kona Pake 3 years ago

From one of the 10,000 school districts that won’t put seatbelts on buses.

82points

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#12

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person I encourage my worst kids as much or more than my favorites because I don’t want them back in my class next year.

poppiesinred , Nabeel H Report

Final score:

231points

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R Carson 3 years ago

Good plan.

43points

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#13

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person “If I didn’t think you would abuse the situation, I would really enjoy being more human and casual around you. I think you are a fun person to be around.”

RossFoss , Yishun Junior College Report

Final score:

212points

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Stephanie Did It 3 years ago (edited)

This isn't your teacher's first time around the block. They know that friendliness is often confused with being weak or clueless, so instead of heading down that path your teacher would rather be your mentor than your buddy.

39points

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#14

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person If I know your name by the 3rd day of a new school year, that means you're probably an a*****e.

milqi , Lead Beyond Report

Final score:

201points

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SentimentAndBadJokes 3 years ago

Or a lovely student...?

34points

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#15

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person That my students are the reason why I am second-guessing having my own kids.

bomptonbigarettes , terren in Virginia Report

Final score:

194points

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R Carson 3 years ago

Does make one think.

31points

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#16

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person The odds of you using any specific piece of knowledge you learn in high school is slim. The odds of you using some piece of knowledge from high school is near absolute and you have no idea what it's going to be or when it will happen, so you may as well try at all of it. The biggest thing you're going to learn is how to learn.

hey_mr_ess , ceratosaurrr. Report

Final score:

187points

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R Carson 3 years ago

One would hope.

14points

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#17

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person Yes, I do have favorite students. No, I won't tell you who they are because that would discourage you, but yes they're probably who you imagine them to be.

[deleted] , Vincentia Yudithasari Report

Final score:

175points

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Daniel Mattock 3 years ago

Me too, you can’t help it.

37points

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#18

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person I am no longer a teacher, but I remember several days that I felt lazy and wanted to give the class the day off. I never did because I knew the teacher's pet would rat me out. Sometimes even the teachers don't like the teacher's pet.

Birbman3 , PAL LTER Report

Final score:

165points

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Daniel Mattock 3 years ago

You can’t respect/like someone who kisses ass

73points

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#19

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person I actually teach middle school rather than high school, but I'll play:

I love them a whole bunch (I do actually tell them this, that's not the thing) but goddamn every single middle schooler is an a*****e. Like, even the best ones. They're all a*****s. You can't help it at that age. Part of the process of being a good middle school teacher is accepting the a**********s and figuring out ways to work with it. Don't worry, guys, your peers (and you) will stop being a******s soon. Most of you, anyway.

Also, all the things you think your parents and teachers don't know about? We do. We've done it all. We just would prefer not to think about you doing it because you're much too young.

heyheymse , woodleywonderworks Report

Final score:

156points

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Concept-Peter Roosdorp 3 years ago

"How do parents know about all the things they warn you about?" - they probably tried/did it themselves and saw the drawbacks, but don't tell you that part.

46points

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#20

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person If you are stupid enough to have filmed yourself doing something that can get you in trouble, especially legal trouble, for the love of God don't post it online.

I am not telling them this because plenty of them would see it as me approving of them misbehaving as long as they don't get caught.

a_casual_observer , Jim Legans, Jr Report

Final score:

149points

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Something 3 years ago

Instead of saying "when you break the law, don't post it online so you don't get caught," say "if you don't want the world to see something, don't post it online." Or something like that. It carries the same message but doesn't imply approval of misbehavior.

33points

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#21

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person If your parents email a teacher and argue with them, the whole staff knows. (At least at my school)

callmedoglady , EaglebrookSchool Report

Final score:

143points

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Beeps 3 years ago

And chances are, it will make me dislike you. I know it’s not your fault how your parent behaved, but I just can’t help wanting to avoid you from now on.

26points

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#22

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person One of the most memorable things a teacher said to me I really glad she did say it to my face.

"I really like you as a person, but I hate you as a student."

My French teacher told me this when I was in high school, during this period where I was really depressed and on the verge of flunking out. Having her be so honest with me and pointing out that I was wasting my potential made me want to do better and eventually I did.

-eDgAR- , vickysandoval22 Report

Final score:

140points

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R Carson 3 years ago

YAY!

23points

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#23

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person Your sense of entitlement is most likely acquired from your upbringing, so parent teacher conferences to discuss your grades aren’t going to do s**t when the parents just blame us, despite you putting in little to zero effort.

FancyShrimp , KOMUnews Report

Final score:

137points

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Caro Caro 3 years ago

You poor teacher(s) having to deal with a$$hole parents as well. Parents need to let the teachers do their jobs.

31points

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#24

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person If you’re going to eat in class stop staring at me while you’re doing it! You’re ratting yourself out.

I’ve already answered this in a comment, the reason the students aren’t allowed to eat is because those are the school rules. I have no say in the matter and I won’t jeopardize my job for it especially because it’s my first year working there and my supervisor pops in once in a while.

Secondly, I do allow water (no drinks allowed either) and I let them finish their meal outside before the second bell goes off. Sometimes they even offer me some!

And if they are truly hungry (they know this), they can just ask me in the beginning of class to eat outside. I also don’t punish them when I catch them, I just politely ask them to put it away and have a laugh. See, i’m not a complete monster!

PrincessMowh , KrisVowell Report

Final score:

132points

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DelvianBlue 3 years ago (edited)

The problem is some people ruin it for everyone. They don't clean up after themselves and may leave food smeared on desks or scattered across the floor. Get five kids like that in each of seven classes and soon you have a roach problem. Plus, in science class it often isn't safe. So you want to eat while your lab partner pours poisonous materials next to you, or when maybe just minutes earlier the last class dissected a rat on your desk? Probably not wise.

42points

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#25

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person I taught after school care/summer school for a year and I want so badly to tell them that:

!.) now is a great time to find out who THEY are and to stop parroting what they hear other people say,

2.) stop trying so hard to make Jamie like you and be your friend because even though you and Jamie have been friends since pre-k, people growing apart is normal and Jamie is a manipulative minge muffin,

3.) I kept Owen and other trouble-makers close to me in class because giving them just a little positive attention was infinitely preferable to giving them ALL of my attention in a negative light. Plus, maybe they just needed someone to listen and give them one on one, which I'm happy to do.

4.) It's useless saying it because it's not going to make a difference, but this week's crisis won't matter next year or maybe even next week and it certainly won't matter on your death bed

AsmodeusWilde , James Emery Report

Final score:

130points

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Draco's Dragonfly 3 years ago

Can we take a moment to appreciate 'manipulative minge muffin'?

173points

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#26

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person I don't care that you came to class stoned. Just stop interrupting class, and for gods sake, don't touch any power tools while you're stoned.

AKraiderfan , charcoal soul Report

Final score:

120points

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WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago

You should care when students come to class stoned, especially when they need to use power tools. Send them to the principal and let them deal with the kid. There's a reason why the law doesn't make any difference between drunk driving and drugged driving.

16points

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#27

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person To my freshmen, yes I always know when you didn’t do my math because you stayed up late playing Fortnite, you added me as a friend on Epic so I see that. Also the amount of homework not done in lower grades when new battlepasses come out is so coincidental.

To a specific freshman, I support your desire to become a streamer, but editing videos should not keep you away from your homework for a whole week and your friends always rat you out when you stay home/skip to make/edit those videos.

To all highschoolers I teach, you’re dumb, but I do love you guys. I’m not stupid and while I know you cheat on your homework, I don’t care since it’s only worth 10% of your grade and you’re forgoing the practice you can get before the test.

To the 6th graders I teach math to. Dear Lord you make me cringe so hard I have to take ibuprofen some days.

I have so much more, but my lunch break is almost over.

Thechadhimself , Marco Verch Report

Final score:

119points

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CHRISTOPHER BRIDGER 3 years ago

gamer here, that game is an absolute curse on the gaming industry

19points

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#28

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person You're unique, you're not special. Set your goals high but understand that if you change your goals to needs, you will have a lifetime of disappointment.

aldesuda , Brisbane City Council Report

Final score:

105points

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Something 3 years ago

We kind of send children the message that you have to be unique and special to be valuable. You don't. If you're one in a million, there are still thousands of people just like you, and that's okay. You matter as an individual whether you stand out from a crowd or not.

39points

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#29

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person A lot of us probably drink, smoke, sleep around, etc more than you do, and hearing you talking about it and trying to hide it as if its something we wouldn't know about is richly ironic.

[deleted] , José Luis Zapata Ruiz Report

Final score:

98points

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California Jones 3 years ago

Seriously. My 5th grade teacher would have these screaming matches with her ex-boyfriend about their kids in the middle of class, flirt with the teacher next door (who was married), and bring her little kids into school whenever her ex bailed. There's a reason we never got anything done. She was hella spacey too, and on Tinder a lot in class.

18points

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#30

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person You are right. The administration is completely out of touch when it comes to technology. I also work better while listening to music on my phone.

giltwist , Jeff Miller Report

Final score:

90points

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Tim Pillinger 3 years ago (edited)

Curious about the world? A smartphone can include an encyclopedia and reference books and apps to help you identify plants and animals, and an atlas, and physics sensors and a slomo camera....

13points

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#31

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person I can see who you have a crush on in the classroom.

sebastian94- , David Woo Report

Final score:

82points

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M O'Connell 3 years ago

That was probably somewhat awkward for my sophomore Spanish teacher.

34points

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#32

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person My gamertag. I usually say there's a policy against it but there isn't. I just don't wanna play Overwatch or whatever with a bunch of relatively good kids who turn into total monsters when they play video games. If I tell the cool ones, it'll get around.

[deleted] , Helena Cortés Report

Final score:

73points

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Robin Childers 3 years ago

I had to do that kind of thing with Facebook and my students. I told them that I would only accept their friend requests AFTER they graduated. Why? they asked. Because I have adult friends who make and post adult stuff and I don't want a friend of a friend finding you through me and causing anyone trouble.

15points

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#33

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person Please stop juuling in the classrooms that’s what the bathrooms are for

deedozcheetoz , Sarah Johnson Report

Final score:

72points

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Shelp 3 years ago

What is juuling?

27points

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#34

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person I hate the texts as much as you do, but everyone just shrugs when I suggest changing them up! I’m sorry they made us keep that awful After book on the list, I genuinely offered to buy them all back from students so I could burn the waste of time that they are

Original_AiNE , Steve Jurvetson Report

Final score:

72points

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M 3 years ago

Did anyone take you up on it?

13points

#35

35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person I don't know if there's an exact quote I'd use, but I wish I could let my students know how dumb they look sometimes. And how they need to relax and stop taking themselves so seriously.

I also frequently find myself wishing I could rag on kids' clothes/hairstyles that they've obviously put way too much time/money into (but these thoughts only cross my mind when they're being a******s).

That's the unprofessional/petty stuff I'd say. I could think of something much more wise, but it's my lunch break and Friday and my brain is fried from trying to keep these a******s together a week before finals.

suze13 , Vít Hassan Report

Final score:

70points

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Don't Look 3 years ago

They need to look like that though. We have all had the “wtf was I thinking” phase and there’s no one common alive that should go through it.

29points

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What do you think ?

RandomBeing 3 years ago

Parents sending angry emails and stuff to teachers isn't a black and white issue btw. Especially when it comes to learning accommodations. The child isn't always a lazy brat, or even knows about/has a say in these interactions.

17points

Ozacoter 3 years ago

I agree. Sometimes the teacher is great and the student is awful. Sometimes the teacher is a huge asshole.

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Jo Choto 3 years ago

I used to teach in a remedial program where the kids had legal/criminal issues and we were trying to keep them in school. I was teaching English this one time and a girl tried to shock me by making a provocative statement. Think something like, "I could care less about this effing s**t. It ain't gonna be no effing use to me when I get the eff out of school." Not sure what they were expecting, but I wrote the statement down word for word and then got them to correct the grammar, including using a variety of expletives, not just the eff word every time. Glad to say they loved me after that, and they did some good work with me.

9points

similarly 3 years ago

Reading down the list, I feel so bad for some of these teachers. I started teaching in America about 30 years ago, and left because I felt like an utter failure. I was so unprepared at 21 to be a teacher. I've lived in Japan for the last 20+ years, and have been at the same school for 17 of those years. I teach junior high and high school. I set my own curriculum, my own pace. I get to teach pretty much whatever I want, at this point. Sometimes the school will have recommendations: a little more of this, a little less of that. But most of the time, they just let me go. I don't even use a standard textbook anymore. I make all my own materials. It's a ton of work, but I find that I'm more likely to have classes that fit the educational level, maturity level, and needs of the students if I make it myself. My classes are tailor-made for the students I teach, and it's a lot more interesting than any textbook.

7points

ImHailey 3 years ago (edited)

Off topic but how is life in Japan? I always wanted to live there. I only went to Osaka and Fukuoka to travel and I loved it (except the bathroom space is so tight)

2points

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35 Teachers Reveal What They Want Their Students To Know But Don’t Have The Guts To Tell Them In Person

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