“I told my boss, ‘Either he leaves, or I do.’
From disrespectful trends like"mewing"to unhinged parents, teaching in 2024 can be a rough gig.
After hearing all these stories, I decided toasktheBuzzFeed Communityabout their experiences with nightmare students in their classrooms.
Here are the wild, scary, and heartbreaking experiences they shared.
He ran up to me and put me in a headlock with the phone on my ear.
The person on the phone was his mom.
They were both angry that I gave him a failing grade (20%, not 0%!)
for a lab report he wrote about an investigation we didn’t do.
The administration patted him on the back and sent him to class without consequence or admonishment.”
“This student was a tall and burly high school boy.
I am a short woman.
Administrators told me that it was illegal for teachers to press charges or report students for assault/battery.
kimf4cdd008b1
2.
One day, this student was verbally disrespectful and disruptive during independent work time.”
“I had a very problematic student in the last year of my 29-year career.
He was suspended several times, missing 90% of the first semester.
The answer was, ‘Oh, absolutely!’
That was the incident that solidified my decision to retire that year.”
heathere4b60bc97b
4.
“This one is more about the parents.
Luckily, it wasn’t noticeable.
“I had a sixth-grade student who would lie about me to get himself out of trouble.
They came in the next morning, trying to get me fired for assaulting their child.
The principal interviewed the student along with every other student in my classroom.
Every student said it never happened, but the kid kept saying I hit him.
Finally, several hours later, he finally admitted he had made it up.”
Anonymous, 35, Indiana
6.
“I’m currently a lecturer at a top-ten public university.
No, it’s not what you’re probably thinking.
I’m going around the room and get to one student in the front row.
“In my first year of teaching, I became sick and had to get a substitute.
I also met with her, but she felt I was ‘exaggerating typical girl drama.’
Thank god I made copies!
The principal got a slap on the wrist by the board and nothing more.
I am so happy at my current site,but I almost quit that first year.”
mariepollard
8.
They came from a wealthy family who just gave their kid whatever he wanted.
His parents threw a fit and gave money to the school to graduate him.
If I did not raise it, then they would.
I never felt so dirty.”
“A pre-K teacher here for over seven years.
I don’t even know which story to pick, but one student comes to mind.
This child, who was five, loved to attack other children.
The mom was a ‘gentle parent’ and never disciplined him.
But thankfully, he never came back to my class.”
blondefk7
10.
“I was working in a two-year-old classroom, and one of the littles was a HANDFUL.
“I taught preschool for almost eight years.
I had a student who was so physically violent.
He punched his mom in the stomach on his intake day because it was time to go home.
I don’t know what happened after he graduated.
I just hope he and everyone around him is safe.”
dmcrowe12
12.
She made me want to quit, but not for the reasons you’d think.
Debbie, 56, Georgia
14.
“I taught in a range of private international schools.
The main problem was with this girl’s mother, who was a manipulative narcissist.
She used her daughter to spy on staff.
“I have taught in about every school environment there is.
boringorca83
16.
“College professor here.
The ONE student I recall was in my applied statistics class about 10 years ago.
“In my first year of teaching, I took over for a beloved teacher who retired.
The daughter had to ‘settle for that school in Connecticut’ instead.
Anonymous, 43, Texas
Note: Responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
