Every single one of these students deserves an A+.
Note: Some submissions include topics of child abuse.
c’mon proceed with caution.
He had explosive anger, volatile tantrums, and foul language at times.
But, he was also unbelievably bright, hilarious, and full of kind words for his friends.
I think about him all of the time.
u/spacewalker013
2.
“I taught English in South Korea.
English classes were divided into three ability levels: Beginner, intermediate, and advanced.
Most students went to hagwons (after-school tutoring centers).
He didn’t know what to do, so I did my best to help him.
So he applied for that and found himself on a US base surrounded by English-speaking personnel.
He used that as his hagwon, immersing himself as much as possible.”
“That semester, he passed the exam.
To this day, I still wonder how he figured out this solution.
u/buckyhermit
3.
“I teach English to adult refugees.
I had this young female student from Afghanistan who had been through some pretty terrible things.
She was very feminine and fond of soft-pink hijabs.
Most students were choosing nursing, accounting, or other university degrees.
But, she found a brochure for welding and just fell in love.
She loved the idea of making useful things and didn’t care what anyone said.
u/[deleted]
4.
“I worked with one student to get him through fifth grade he didnt understand the other kids.
He turned out to be a creative genius and a hard worker.
He would go through my unused office looking for stuff to make art with.
I never worried a bit about him in there.
Later, he started going to lunch (which was good because he needed some socialization).
The only bulletin board in the library was an Employee of the Month tribute to him.”
“I bet one day he will be a famous artist and I will have his greatest creation.
He had an index card and asked for some Wite-Out.
He proceeded to white out the side with the lines to make both sides unlined.
I kept it and framed it.”
u/666ygolonhcet
5.
We did an Earth science unit and he got an A on the test.
I started by calling his name.
The whole class froze, he froze.
Then came the smile.
The most beautiful, radiant smile I ever saw he stood and his class broke out into applause.
I almost cried.”
This broke my heart and killed my desire to teach.
He’s in his twenties now I still wonder how he turned out.”
u/SpoopySales
6.
“She was an eighth grader who will live in my heart forever.
At the start of the year, she mentioned wanting to be a psychologist when she grew up.
Then she mentioned a curiosity about Ted Bundy.
I asked if shed ever considered criminal psychology.
Shes now in 11th grade at a forensic science high school.”
u/Somerset76
7.
“I taught a profoundly gifted six-year-old boy in a one-on-one situation.
I was teaching him multiplication, and he was doing well.
One day, he was slower than usual he seemed stuck on a question.
I thought maybe he was just bored, so I said, ‘Try using the periodic table.’
There wasnt a periodic table in sight.
Without missing a beat, he smiled at me and said, ‘Oxygen times nitrogen is barium.’
We skipped to more complicated math immediately.
The kid was perfectly socially adjusted, too so smart, conscientious, and adorable.”
u/TES_Elsweyr
8.
“I had a student who was the ‘thorn in my side for three terms in the year.’
I had so many meetings with his parents (they were always supportive of everything).
By term four, there was a complete turnaround.
He started taking responsibility for his actions and started talking nicely to people.
I could not have been more proud of her.”
u/darkknight109
10.
“It was a group of students from last year.
They were children who, due to their age, should be at a certain school level.
I admit, at first, neither they nor I got along well.
I only knew how to work with preschoolers, and they didn’t care about what I taught them.
u/Messy_Heart_97
11.
“I’m the husband of a third-grade teacher, so I see a different perspective.
That student briefly dropped out of school but returned partially because of my wife’s efforts.
It was a tearful reunion at graduation.
I hadn’t seen my wife so happy.
u/wigginsray
12.
“I taught for 29 years and had many fifth-grade students who had been labeled ‘bad.’
It was my challenge to reverse that stigma.
One particular student started out as a bully who never did homework.
Unfortunately, he was killed in a car accident at age 19.
This student made me decide to be a child/adolescent therapist.
I am in my internship right now.”
u/poohtabb
13.
“I once taught English at a vocational school in Colombia.
Nevertheless, he wasnt discouraged and was right there the next day paying close attention and studying.
Ive never respected a student more than that.”
u/Chewie83
14.And, “I coached swimming for a prep school.
He would ride his bike, no matter what the weather forecast was.
Not only that, but I never beat him to the pool.
He was always waiting for me when I arrived.
“The thing was, I was already making the workout as hard as possible.
We keep up on social media, and I know he’ll be incredibly successful later in life.”
u/redditloverrr
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
