ADVERTISEMENT

Going to school is supposed to be one of the best chapters of your life as you learn about the world and get taught all the skills that you need for adulthood. And teachers are supposed to be your mentors and sometimes even your friends. Unfortunately, this romantic idea of what school should be like doesn’t always match up with reality.

Justin Boldaji shared a story on Twitter about how his science teacher gave him a lower mark on his test because he doodled monsters in the margins of the paper. He then asked other internet users to share their own stories about how and when they became “radicalized” in school. Upvote the stories that resonated with you, dear Pandas, and drop us a comment if anything similar has happened to you in school. Be sure to scroll down for Bored Panda's interview with Justin.

Justin’s story moved a lot of people who thought that they had a lot in common with him. His post got more than 225k likes and was retweeted 16.8k times and lots of Twitter users went on to explain what jerk teachers they had to deal with in their school days.

Image credits: justinboldaji

According to Justin, what happened to him in the 4th grade still bothers him to this day. "It’s a memory that resurfaces occasionally and I get angry about it all over again." He added that he didn't expect his thread to go viral and expected 10 to 15 likes at best.

Justin said that his teacher's actions didn't demotivate him or stop him from drawing: "If anything it made me realize even more clearly that I wanted to do something artistic for a living, because if someone hates monsters, they’re dead inside. Regarding my art these days, I have a kids book I’m self publishing in a month or two called 'The T. Rex With Fluff Who Wanted to be Tough.' It’s about a dinosaur who wants to be cool but thinks he can’t because of how he looks. It’s a book that I think will be able to help a lot of kids."

He also had some advice for people who are in school now and are having a rough time with their teachers. "School doesn’t last forever and you’re gonna deal with these jamokes in the professional world so never falter to the haters. Do your own thing always!" Justin said.

ADVERTISEMENT
#5

People-Share-School-Stories-That-Radicalized-Them

TheRealMsSly Report

#6

People-Share-School-Stories-That-Radicalized-Them

HLJohnson97 Report

Add photo comments
POST
samlomb avatar
Samantha Lomb
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How hard is it to accommodate something like that? It costs the teacher nothing. I've had students with bad eyes and would make big font assignments for them. It costs nothing

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

Even though we have high expectations from teachers, we sometimes forget that they’re human beings—they have flaws and, unfortunately, sometimes they punish their students for being creative or when they ‘step out of line.’ While other teachers can be straight-up bullies.

ThoughtCo. writes how an anonymous survey from 2006 showed that 45 percent of teachers admitted that they bullied a student at least once. Teachers can bully students because they lack the proper training in how children should be disciplined. Others might bully students because they are bullied in class themselves or were the victims of bullies when they were kids.

#8

People-Share-School-Stories-That-Radicalized-Them

Miera_Katt Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#9

People-Share-School-Stories-That-Radicalized-Them

InkstoneWicker Report

Add photo comments
POST
emory_ce avatar
Carol Emory
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This c**p happened a lot to me because I would ace tests and throw off the curve on grading. I hated those curves. They were designed for bad teachers that hoped their poor teaching skills wouldn't result in half the class failing.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT

Alan McEvoy explains in a piece in Tolerance Magazine how students feel powerless and shamed when teachers target them. “Teacher bullying can also have a contagion effect, indicating to students that the bullying of a particular individual is acceptable and making the individual vulnerable to more abuse,” he adds.

You’d think that other teachers would step in and put a stop to their colleague’s actions, but this is wishful thinking. Sometimes, they’ll think that there’s nothing that they can do. While the teachers who bully their students defend themselves by saying how they’re ‘disciplining’ and ‘motivating’ their students or even try to write it off as a joke.

If you suspect that your child’s being bullied, it’s incredibly important that you support them, document all the times they were picked on by their teachers, talk to other parents to see if the problem’s bigger than you suspected.

Afterward, try meeting with the teacher and if that doesn’t work, go up the chain of command: have a chat with the principal, then the superintendent, then the school board.

#11

People-Share-School-Stories-That-Radicalized-Them

bizijosh Report

Add photo comments
POST
crabcrab avatar
Hans
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember a friend in elementary school how could not bring materials for art class. Would be sitting there hour for hour, doing nothing, earning an E, ignored by the teachers. I was too young to fully understand, but I grasp he wanted but couldn't and no one with the power to change something would care.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#15

People-Share-School-Stories-That-Radicalized-Them

angryangryalice Report

Add photo comments
POST
emory_ce avatar
Carol Emory
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My husband did an abstract art piece (painting) that had simple figures of people dancing outside the walls of a city while the city was burning. He proudly took it to class only to have the TA (professor was out) look at it and say, "No..that's not abstract..this is." And proceeded to take a paint brush and spattered black paint all over my husbands work. My husband was furious. So was I. IDGAF if you think it was wrong or not...you don't destroy someone else's work like that.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#16

People-Share-School-Stories-That-Radicalized-Them

Telepathetica Report

Add photo comments
POST
emory_ce avatar
Carol Emory
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Had that happen too. Teacher insisted I must've plagiarized it. Tried to give me a failing grade. My mother went postal so the principal graded it himself looking up my references and reading it word by word. He gave it back to the English teacher and said "She earned an A." The teacher was furious..swears I got away with cheating. No one liked her in the school..not even the other teachers. Not surprising that she left after several of the parents threatened to sue if she wasn't fired backed by several of the good teachers threatening to resign.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#17

People-Share-School-Stories-That-Radicalized-Them

thishere_nomad Report

Add photo comments
POST
leodomitrix avatar
Leo Domitrix
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or you could argue you shouldn't be punished for not burning something down...

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#18

People-Share-School-Stories-That-Radicalized-Them

sydneymsteingm1 Report

#19

People-Share-School-Stories-That-Radicalized-Them

joshcurwin Report

Add photo comments
POST
franziska-birk avatar
Francis
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

if i write 7 without the horizontal line it looks like a 1. it (the horizontal line) is the way we learn to write the 7 in my country...

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#20

People-Share-School-Stories-That-Radicalized-Them

Damaia Report

Add photo comments
POST
letsgobuyshoes avatar
Catherine Hankinson
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was the same. We were doing our GCSEs and reading in class. The teacher asked me a question and my response was "what page are you on" I'd read the text book about three times and was reading another book. Didn't go down well.

View more commentsArrow down menu
#21

People-Share-School-Stories-That-Radicalized-Them

RevilFox Report

Add photo comments
POST
emory_ce avatar
Carol Emory
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would have marched into the principals office and stated breach of contract.

View more commentsArrow down menu
#22

People-Share-School-Stories-That-Radicalized-Them

AvroArlo Report

Add photo comments
POST
leodomitrix avatar
Leo Domitrix
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nothing like a fascist for a teacher to make you hate education.

View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#23

People-Share-School-Stories-That-Radicalized-Them

imacopyouidiot9 Report

Add photo comments
POST
kaisu-reinikainen avatar
Kaisu
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What's with all these teachers who can't handle exceptionally smart children? Are they jealous because they developed slower as children or what?

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#25

People-Share-School-Stories-That-Radicalized-Them

KarlieMarks Report

Add photo comments
POST
kaisu-reinikainen avatar
Kaisu
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

People like this are not qualified to work as teachers

View more commentsArrow down menu
#27

People-Share-School-Stories-That-Radicalized-Them

Kalendaries Report

Add photo comments
POST
leodomitrix avatar
Leo Domitrix
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh, yeah. They're stooping to below petty when they go after the ragged edges.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#28

People-Share-School-Stories-That-Radicalized-Them

Mendinso Report

Add photo comments
POST
emory_ce avatar
Carol Emory
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I took business classes in high school including Business Law. There was this one guy in class that liked me and showed it by pawing me during class. Every time I moved, he'd show up at the last minute and squeeze a chair in next to me so he could do it again. I finally yelled "Keep your hands off me!" The guy turned beet red and moved away. The teacher said "Is there a problem?" I replied "Not anymore." The guy sat on the opposite side of the room from me after that. Sorry your teacher was a douche apparently.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#29

People-Share-School-Stories-That-Radicalized-Them

PamazonKirk Report

Add photo comments
POST
leodomitrix avatar
Leo Domitrix
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We once transferred mid-year in school. I'd learned cursive at the prior school. I had to not use it because the new school didn't do that till the next grade level.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#30

People-Share-School-Stories-That-Radicalized-Them

Seventh_Shade Report

Add photo comments
POST
satu-portimojarvi avatar
Big Blue Cat
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My Finnish teacher claimed I didn't turn in my writings (some short story) at the previous class, because she couldn't find it in her papers. I calmly told her that I did and told her what it was about. I could see from her face that she remembered reading it and then she started panicing, what to do when she has lost my paper. I tried to calm her down and jokingly said that she could give me a 7 like all the previous papers. (I really thought it was funny that I got the same number from her to all my writings through the whole year.) That's when she lost it. She started bawling she can't even grade papers and ran to the teachers lounge to cry. Maybe she had a point, did she really give it any thought if all 10 papers got the same grade and I can't remember getting feedback how to improve. After that incident I remember getting better grades from her. Our grades went from 4-10, 10 being the best number and you could get halfs like 7.5 so teachers really could fine tune the grades.

View more commentsArrow down menu

Note: this post originally had 67 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda