Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

High School Teachers Confess The One Thing They Wish All Their Students Knew

High School Teachers Confess The One Thing They Wish All Their Students Knew
woman standing in front of children

By the time students get to high school, we think we understand our teachers pretty well. They all think their subject is the most important, they don’t care about our personal lives, and they think school work is law.

However, this is not completely true. Teachers have their own mischievous streak. They have their own methods to battle boredom. They have their own opinions on what kind of punishments to hand out to which student based on the student’s personality. And they don’t always agree with the school system.

While she would’ve never said it to her students, my health teacher wanted us to know it was stupid to wait until senior year to teach us sex education since most of us could’ve used that knowledge earlier in life.

There are a lot of things teachers wish their students knew, but can’t ever tell them in person.


Curious to know what these things are, Redditor 2minutestosundown asked:

“High School teachers of Reddit, what is the one thing that you want your students to know that you’d never tell them in person?”

As usual, Reddit delivered.

Only My Subject Matters

"I think what you learn in the other classes is mostly useless rubbish, the things you're supposed to do to learn it is boring and ineffective, and the way our schools are organised is archaic and not fit for humans, much less kids."

– smorgasfjord

""…but my lessons are the most important! And you can't possibly have homework in other classes!"

…would explain a lot in some school years."

– FabianRo

Students Are Rarely The Problem

"Your parents are literally the worst part of my job."

– catniss32

"I tell my mom not to email my teachers because she could make their job miserable."

– Super-horse-person

"Special Ed teacher here. Probably a lot different if this is a Gen Ed teacher but it's the same stuff."

"There's only so much you can do as a teacher to try and get a kid to their full potential. The rest of that responsibility goes to the family ie. the parents and the kid. I can teach your kid all the skills they will ever need, but if the parents don't make them use the skills, or don't make sure they do their homework, or F**KING TELL THEIR KIDS NOT TO LISTEN TO ME (this happens a lot more than you'd think), then why am I even bothering to teach. I'd rather be spending my time with the kids who want to be there and have the support they need to succeed than Little Timmy Tantrum who throws a sh*t fit every time I ask him to do anything."

– lostaoldier481

We Facilitate Relationships

"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

"Yes, we have a new seating chart... and yes, I sat you next to her because I can tell you have a crush on her. I noticed you try harder on your work when she is around, and to be honest... you two would make a cute couple :)"

– Deleted User

"I can see who you have a crush on in the classroom."

– sebastian94-

I Choose When To Intervene

"I’m not saying I liked fights in my classroom. I’m just saying I might have taken a little longer to react when the jerk student / bully was finally getting what was long overdue."

"Also, thank you to my students who would have my back when they’d kindly remind the class that I exist. "HEY, YA’LL MOTHA F*CKAS SHUT THE F*CK UP. MR. ____ IS TRYNA TEACH!" I had to look a little disappointed, but I appreciate you and I thank you for being my voice."

– entredeuxeaux

I Treat You How You Treat Others

"I’d let you get away with so much more if you were actually a decent person who treated others with kindness and respect. A-holes rarely get the benefit of doubt or indifference."

– ExistentialistJesus

"Absolutely this. Kids would be surprised by how much freedom they could get if they all tried to be nice to each other."

– thisisbutaname

Not All Words Get A Reaction

"Yelling “fu**!” in the hallways doesn’t make you a badass. Teachers are yelling f**k in their heads all day long."

– lynnmarie31583

"Amen"

– Dee_is_a_bird_01

"Ok, that's very valid. But yelling "crotch gobbler!" in a ridiculously silly voice through a vent beside a dead silent joke of a geometry class has to have some redeeming quality, right?"

"No one is yelling crotch gobbler in their head all day"

– Account2toss_afar

We Can Hear...

"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

"It's so funny when they think they're getting away with something but no, it's just near the end of the day and you're too tired to deal with it"

– Deleted User

...And Smell

"The weed smell doesn't magically disappear between the parking lot and my classroom."

– FunkyChromeMedina

"We can smell the weed. Seriously, at least wait until after school."

– CurvingClown

"It's called high school for a reason, right?"

– The_Petalesharo

You Will Use Some Of This Knowledge

"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

We Do Understand You

"My favorite high school teacher (he taught history) confessed on the last day of my senior year that he always started class by talking about something completely random because he knew none of us were ready to pay attention right when class was supposed to start. Had no idea. It was a really good strategy that made the transition into the lesson a lot less jarring."

–SuperNerdAF

Email

"If your parents email a teacher and argue with them, the whole staff knows. (At least at my school)"

callmedoglady

"Yes, and when there is a parent who is particularly awful to a teacher, that teacher will warn all of the kid's future teachers before they even sit in their assigned seat on the first day of school."

GoAwayWay

I wonder if that’s why my calculus teacher always started the day by telling us what trouble her kids caused that morning. Smart!

Okay teachers, what would you add to this list? Let us know in comments below.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Screenshots from Dove's ad featuring transgender women
Dove

'One Million Moms' Calls For Dove Boycott Over Hair Care Ad Featuring Trans Woman

The vehemently transphobic conservative group One Million Moms (OMM)—an arm of the Christian fundamentalist nonprofit American Family Association (AFA)—called for a boycott of Dove products after the company featured a transgender woman in an advertisement for their Damage Therapy Intensive Repair Conditioner.

The ad garnered attention after it was shared by the social media account Libs of TikTok—run by the anti-LGBTQ+ conservative Chaya Raichik—which described the ad as an example of "another woke company trying to erase women."

Keep ReadingShow less
Alyssa Milano; Julian McMahon
Michael Kovac/Elton John AIDS Foundation/Getty Images; Marcus Ingram/The Surfer/Getty Images

Alyssa Milano Shares Poignant Tribute To 'TV Husband' Julian McMahon After His Death At 56

Actor Julian McMahon lost his battle with cancer at the age of 56 earlier this week, and to say that the Charmed, Nip/Tuck, and Fantastic Four actor touched many lives would be an understatement.

When the news of McMahon's passing went public, his Charmed costar and "TV wife" Alyssa Milano came forward and expressed her sadness and condolences on Instagram. The pair were a favorite couple on Charmed, and it was clear from her post that their care for each other extended beyond the screen.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Who Slept With Their Best Friend Describe The Aftermath

When two people have a deep and meaningful friendship, the question might eventually come up of whether or not they could be more. Agreeing that their friendship might deserve more, they might try to date or at least explore physical intimacy.

But crossing that line carries with it consequences, and it's only once the pair crosses that line that they'll find out if crossing it was good or bad.

Keep ReadingShow less
child writing on chalkboard
Leonardo Toshiro Okubo on Unsplash

Bilingual People Explain Which Words They're Surprised Don't Exist In English

According to one report, approximately 3.3 billion people worldwide—43 % of the population—are multilingual, meaning they speak at least two languages. According to the last Census, 21.6% of people in the United States speak more than one language, while in the United Kingdom, the number is 36%.

More multilingual people speak English as a second language than English speakers who have learned another language besides English. Worldwide, people who learned English as a first language rate among the lowest in multilingual rates.

Keep ReadingShow less
Andrew Garfield at the 2025 Glastonbury Festival
Harry Durrant/Getty Images

Andrew Garfield meets fan with wild tweet!

American actor Andrew Garfield had a funny yet awkward reunion with a fan from a viral “Thirst Tweet” featured on Buzzfeed Celeb.

The Thirst Tweet compilation shows celebrities reading a collection of scandalous tweets from fans commenting on their looks, attractiveness, and sex appeal. Blushing stars include James McAvoy, Renee Rapp, Keanu Reeves, Anthony Mackie, and more recently, Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem, as they promote F1 the Movie that was released in theaters last week.

Keep ReadingShow less