A good teacher can do so much more than explain math or grammar; they spark curiosity, cheer you on, and sometimes change your life without even realizing it. They’re the reason some students look forward to school every day.
But let’s be real, not every teacher fits that bill. Some make school feel more like a horror movie than a place to learn. Curious, someone on Reddit asked, “What’s the worst thing a teacher has done or said to you or someone else?” And wow, the replies did not disappoint. Bored Panda rounded up some of the most jaw-dropping responses. Get ready to cringe, gasp, and maybe remember a story or two of your own.
#1
My glasses broke in fourth grade. It was manageable bc I sat pretty close to the front. My teacher asked me several times when I was getting new ones and all I could say was idk. One day, she moved me to the back of the room. Couldn’t see the board from back there. She stopped saying what to do out loud and told us the problems we needed to do were on the board. Told the girl next to me she better not tell me what the board said, if I wanted to know my parents needed to get me new glasses.
I’d try and sharpen my pencil or get a tissue or something so I could sneak a look. The girl next to me would write down what it said in the board and slip it to me, that way I know what math problems to do or what pages to read.
I was ten. I couldn’t force my parents to get me new glasses. Money was tight. She was an awful teacher.
Once time a girl slammed my fingers in a desk, on purpose. She saw it and ignored it. I was a good kid. I never got in trouble and was always well behaved. Idk why she had it out for me.
Image credits: TheMudbloodSlytherin
#2
3rd grade. Everyone had to spend the day with their faces on the desk, your forehead and nose had to literally touch the desk unless she was speaking directly to you or you were doing a worksheet.
F**k you Mrs.Knight. Your husband died just to get away from you.
Image credits: Next_Firefighter7605
#3
I got in trouble for saying Chad was a country.
Image credits: dont_shoot_jr
As kids, many of us spent most of our weekdays in school, more than we probably realized at the time. According to The Science Survey, the average student spends about 1,260 hours a year with their teachers. That’s almost 8 full weeks, side by side, every single year. It’s clear that teachers don’t just assign homework, they play a major role in shaping lives. Their presence, good or bad, can leave a lasting impression far beyond the classroom.
To understand this better, Bored Panda spoke with Sanjog Patil, an Assistant Professor in Mumbai who teaches at Thakur College of Engineering and Technology. With years of experience behind him, Patil shared his thoughts on what makes a teacher truly great and what doesn’t. From classroom attitudes to lasting influence, he explained it all with insight and heart. Because sometimes, it's not the subject that sticks with us, it’s the person who taught it. And small moments with teachers often grow into lifelong memories.
#4
One of my teachers gave us a writing assignment on what it means to be Australian. I wasn't born here so I asked "What if we're not Australian?". Her response? "Well, maybe you should go back to where you came from". Then went on a pretty racist rant about immigrants.
I mentioned this during dinner that night. My Dad called the principal to told him he's going to be at the school at 8:30am and to have my teacher in his office for a meeting. I got called into that meeting to give my side of the story, it was super awkward. My Dad pretty much put my teacher in her place, she was f*****g squirming. This teacher hated me from the get go but all of a sudden was asking all nice. I'm sure she was doing it out of interest and not because the principal was right in front of her.
Image credits: anon
#5
In my highschool there was a teacher that told a newly diagnosed diabetic girl she couldn't check her blood sugar in class.
Image credits: pokematic
#6
“If you don’t go outside and play with the other children, when you grow up, you’ll be a c*****e in a wheelchair”. Said to me when I was 5 (school starts young where I’m from) because I had bad asthma so I was reading in the library instead of running around. F****d up on so many levels.
Image credits: coveredinhope
Patil explains, “A good teacher shares knowledge with patience, energy, and care. They don’t lose their temper when students ask questions, they encourage curiosity instead. They welcome discussion, and that's how students grow confidence in themselves. Their passion becomes infectious, and their support feels steady and strong. It’s not about knowing all the answers, but helping students find their own. That’s what sets a truly inspiring teacher apart from the rest.”
#7
My math teacher senior year was talking s**t about my friend and how dumb she was to the other students in my class who didn't like the girl and were always picking on her.
I stopped the teacher in the middle of the conversation and told her I was going to fight her on my last day of school, even if it meant I couldn't walk at graduation.
She got pregnant right at the end of the year, so I obviously couldn't.
Years later the teachers mother in law came into my place of work, she gave me her last name and I asked if she knew the teacher and her face went sour, I told her I hated her and we bonded over how awful she was.
Also a history teacher choked a kid out in the hallway in that same highschool.
Image credits: Euphoric_Celery_
#8
Middle school history class. My family was homeless, and moved around a lot while my parents tried their damnedest to find a solid spot to land. Basically made homework and studying really f*****g hard, especially having no light in a tent etc. One time I was in a position to crush it and bring my grades back up. I had a history exam coming up and went HARD studying. On the day of the test my mom surprised me at school with McDonald's for lunch (this was a huge expense) and a good luck hug. I felt like I breezed through it, knew all the answers, f****n nailed it.
When the test came back, every single question was marked wrong, just a sea of red. I thought no way I got every single thing wrong, took it to the teacher's assistant and asked him to double check, he found I mostly aced it and told the teacher. She said "that little s**t isn't going anywhere in life anyway, I'm not changing his grade."
I have no idea why she even called me a little s**t. I was a quiet kid, never caused trouble, and tried hard when I had the means. She was just used to seeing my lower grades and decided I wasn't worth any effort.
Image credits: vonkeswick
#9
In kindergarten, my teacher held a coloring competition. I took so much time using crayons to color within the lines. She looked at mine and called it "scribble Scrabble".
I still resent that b***h 30 years later.
Image credits: Sad-Memory-6513
Every class has its mix: some students love note-taking, others think visually. Some grasp lessons through stories, others by trial and error. A great teacher knows when to switch gears and rethink their approach.
“They adjust their methods to meet each student where they are,” Patil adds. That adaptability helps every learner feel like they belong. Because the goal isn't just to teach, it’s to help every student understand.
#10
My school was really violent.
I got slapped in the face in first grade by the teacher for "mouthing off". I sure did afterward. Called her a b***h. Got sent to the principal's office.
We had one teacher who had a paddle with screw tips that stuck out about a ¼ inch. Same teacher would also make you put your head up against a concrete wall if you refused the screw tip paddle, so the regular paddle would hit you, then you'd smash the top of your head into the wall. Your choice.
One teacher slammed a student kidney first into the eraser shelf on the chalkboard.
A principal (who was 6'7") picked a friend of mine (who was about 5'6" and 140 pounds) by the collar of his shirt and smashed his head repeatedly (5 or 6 times) into the concrete wall above the door jam.
Lots of fighting in class, a stabbing or two, the occasional gun.
Fun times in rural late 80's Ohio.
Image credits: PeopleLikeUDisgustMe
#11
Worst thing a teacher did to me was smash my dreams.
I was in 4th grade, maybe, drawing. And my art teacher saw me and said "well I know the one thing you'll never be is an architect!" Guess what my dream job was at the time. Like, why the f**k would say that to a child?
Image credits: AndroidDoctorr
#12
My dad died at the beginning of my junior year of high school, but he was in a coma for 2 weeks before he finally died. He lived a few hours away, so we were planning on driving down there & staying for a little while to try to convince his family's to pull the plug (he was never going to survive). My mom typed a letter explaining everything for me to take to school & give to my teachers so I could keep up with my work. Every teacher told me to just not worry about work right now & we'd figure it out later but my b***h of a math teacher. She read the note & sighed then looked at me super annoyed & said "you kids really need to figure this stuff out sooner & give us a heads up because I can't just come up with work."
Okay well next time my dad decides to die I'll make sure he gives me a weeks notice first 🙄
Maybe not the worst but it really stuck with me.
But it’s not only about the content, Patil stresses, it’s about connection too. The kind of teacher who learns your name, asks how your day is going. The one who smiles at your progress or encourages you after a mistake.
That safe classroom space makes a world of difference for growing minds. It turns school from something you "have" to do into something you look forward to. And those connections often last long after the final bell rings.
#13
Middle school English teacher first day of vlass: "You are too young to have formed any worthwhile opinions. Therefore you will keep your opinion to yourself."
The persuasive writing unit was a sadistic psych-ops aimed at destroying any iota of adolescent self-esteem. .
Image credits: tossaway78701
#14
Not me, but a friend. A music teacher once told him "Music isn't supposed to be fun"
My guy would go on to play in well respected metal and indie bands in the 2000's. Nothing huge, but locally recognized and did some international touring. He's a very talented guitar player, and had LOTS of fun playing music. F**k you Ms. James.
Image credits: Inside-Cancel
#15
Told me i was stupid, arrogant, and the worst student she has ever had. She told me I would never become a doctor and should quit. I’m blessed to say she was not right and I’m in my 3rd year of medical school😁.
Image credits: anon
Not all classrooms feel like that, though. “A bad teacher,” Patil says, “might lack passion. They stick to one way of teaching even if it doesn’t help every student. They may not offer feedback or engage with questions openly. That can make a student feel overlooked or discouraged in the long run. Instead of inspiring growth, it puts a stop to curiosity and exploration. And it leaves students feeling like they don’t belong in the room.”
#16
I was a 'troubled teen' and I'd been in juvie and I went back to my regular school where I had this teacher who hated me the whole time I was at the school, he'd already told me I was just going to end up in prison. But I was in his class and he asked me a question and I gave him some answer which I suppose was wrong because then he said in this s****y tone "is that what they teach in juvie school!??"
So then I got up and walked out and went to the principal and I was like "hey, juvenile proceedings are super confidential and he's not actually legally allowed to say that".
The principal was like "fuuuuuuuuck why do you know this stuff". lol D**n teachers causing him d**n problems.
(in case you're wondering, it wasn't just "general talk is illegal", it was because the teacher had this information officially disclosed to him and he can not then disclose what he learned from that information)
So yeah, a****t thing to say *and* illegal. My schedule got rearranged that same day. And then the teacher continued to glare at me until I left the school.
Image credits: throwawaysmetoo
#17
"You did this too fast. You must've cheated." I had to beg my mom not to go to the school to complain. Looking back, I should've let her go raise hell. That teacher was a b***h.
Image credits: cryptosleep1
#18
My 3rd grade teacher, (in the early 80’s) cut my alligator shoe laces, apparently even though they were tied.. the ends were too long, and gave me detention. I cried.
My dad, who had just left, to live with his girlfriend, gave me those.. and my mom was super depressed and hadn’t gotten out of bed for 6 months. I (a 3rd grader) had to feed my sister (in kindergarten) and figure out how to take care of the daily tasks.
But! Oh no, my laces were too long. God forbid you ask why I was filthy and starving.
F**k you Mrs. Johnson you back country s**t teacher.
He believes a bad teacher might not provide the constructive feedback necessary for a child to improve, or it could also create a negative or unproductive classroom atmosphere. When teachers fail to connect with their students or adapt their methods, it can stifle growth and curiosity.
Patil elaborates on the various ways teachers can influence their students by saying, "Teachers act as role models, and their actions can shape students' attitudes, values, and behaviors. It’s important to show traits like respect, perseverance, and curiosity. Teachers can inspire these qualities in their students."
#19
I was a senior in 2001. I was sitting in English class watching the planes hit the towers then it switched to a plane hitting the Pentagon. She just laughed and turned off the TV. My aunt was in that building. I thought I was watching her die. She got out safely thankfully but I'll never forget that laugh. F**k you Ms. Cooney you b***h.
#20
My teacher asked me if I was jealous of my older brother since he is such a great guy and so smart.
It may seem small, but the tone of her voice was important. I had never realized people admired my brother in any way more than me.
That was 30 years ago this year. I still think about it sometimes. It really hurt to hear someone describe me as the lesser sibling.
Image credits: Mahaloth
#21
We had a pop quiz, which was an in class essay. Teacher wrote a sentence on the board and said write an essay. I did, and he gave me 0. I asked why and he said "it's too good for you, you couldn't have written this." I asked how I could have cheated if I didn't know there was a test and I wrote the essay in front of him...he said "I don't know but you definitely did". This teacher also called me by my friend's name and my friend by my name.
I hope he got hit by a bus. F*****g p***k. All my other teachers were great so it didn't poison me with all teachers.
Fun fact: another teacher in the English department wrote a play that I attended and that teacher was the main villain. Another teacher's husband wrote a short film and the story was about a professor who sleeps with his student - had the same name as my teacher. Everybody hated this a*****e.
Image credits: TheDeek
A strong teacher-student relationship can make a significant difference. When students feel that their teacher genuinely cares and supports them, they are more likely to be motivated and engaged.
Patil strongly believes in giving honest feedback to his students. "Constructive feedback helps them recognize their strengths and areas for improvement. This guidance is essential for both academic and personal growth," he adds.
#22
I was in 8th grade and putting on lip gloss while checking my compact mirror during dismissal. My teacher was in front of me and said "Whats the point? It's not helping. " Not the worst thing ever, but it hurt my feelings, and lowered my self esteem alot.
Image credits: Inside_Owl_9536
#23
My 4th grade teacher said "well we all know Lindsey has problems" about me talking to my parents.
She was a huge b***h
Edit: I was like 9 and had an alcoholic mom and was sad alot.
Image credits: Great-Marketing-227
#24
Teacher told me I was going to end up in prison. I’m in college on my way to become a lawyer now.
Image credits: anon
Lastly, he encourages students to adopt a problem-solving mindset. "Challenging students to think critically and solve problems helps develop their intellectual skills, preparing them for real-life challenges beyond the classroom."
#25
I was having a hard time in high school through my parents divorce and was a bit of a rabel rouser. This was a private school so band shirts weren't allowed, but nobody there knew who 'Tool' was so I got away with wearing their shirt.
My history teacher asked me, in front of the class, "hippie.... does your shirt say 'Tool' because,in fact, you are just a tool...?"
F**k you Ms. Price.
Image credits: hippysippingarbo
#26
My golf instructor called me a pervert in front of the whole class. I got up to use the bathroom but the men's room was locked, so I knocked and then went and used an empty women's room. I was 9 years old and probably would have had an accident if I didn't go right away. But when I walked out of that women's bathroom, the teacher was right there outside the door to scream at me. He had security with him and made a big scene out of it. When we both went back to the group, he told the rest of the golf class that I was a pervert and liked to use "the ladies' room" so I could watch girls pee. Of course everybody laughed.
I was so embarrassed I told my parents I wasn't going back and to tell my grandfather I was sorry that I wasn't going to use the clubs or the lessons he bought me. I never told them why until my wife brought it up over a birthday dinner at their house a couple years ago. I'm over it now, but as a kid it bothered me for years.
Image credits: anon
#27
Well there was the time in third grade I asked to go to the office because I felt sick and got told to sit down and be quiet. This happened several times and at some point I fell asleep. When school was over i blacked out while walking to the car. My temperature was 106.4. So almost killing me probably rates pretty high on worst thing.
Then there was the time a single teacher decided to single me out as a "troubled kid" and found reasons to have me sent to the office or suspended over and over. Throughout my time in school I was never suspended, removed from class, or sent to the office by another teacher. This one was responsible for me being suspended 50+ days that year.
Bonus bit: Her husband was later m******d in a d**g deal in which he was selling m**h. Turns out my friends dad knew him in college and dude had always been a d**g dealer. But me the kid with longer hair and a tendency to wear black was somehow a problem to her. God it's been ages and I still hate that woman.
Having a good teacher surely leaves a lasting impact, often shaping a student's academic path and personal growth in profound ways. On the flip side, a bad teacher can seriously hinder a student's progress and enthusiasm for learning. What’s your take on this? Share your thoughts on how the quality of teaching has influenced your own experiences or those of someone you know.
#28
That I would grow up to be a useless burden on society...
Image credits: TwistedDragon33
#29
When I was in the fourth grade, I lost a paper and searched for it inside my desk. My teacher got really mad, picked up my desk and hurled it across the room. She made me miss lunch and pick up all my things. I was so afraid to go home and tell my parents because I felt like I’d done something bad. Eventually, they found out because other kids had gone home and told their parents what had happened.
#30
A teacher in high school called a student a s**t and a distraction to the boys. He told her that if she was r***d or taken advantage of, that she was "asking for it". He made her stand in front of his class with her hands to her side. He then took a ruler and measured the distance from the bottom of her skirt to her fingertips. It was half of an inch. The teacher then sent this girl to the principals office and she stormed out in tears.
#31
"I wish you wouldn't even come to school"
When I was in fifth grade I had a classmate that was obviously struggling with a bad homelife and would never do any of his homework.
One day our teacher snapped on him and told him that she wished he didn't come to school.
I still remember the look on the kid's face.
#32
"I've seen a thousand students cry crocodile tears like those before and I'll see a thousand more. You're a very talented actress, Ms. Operarose."
No b***h, I have undiagnosed ADHD and severe dyscalculia. F**k you, Mrs. Name Not Even Worth Remembering. I came to you for help and left in tears. Maybe you should have chosen a different career.
#33
A substitute when I was in grade 7 kept telling me to stop leaning my chair back. I kept doing it, not to be a d**k, I just did it out of habit without realizing. That m**********r charged me from 10 feet away and dead a*s football tackled me to the floor. He then tried ripping the chair away, but my shoe laces were stuck on it and he dragged me a bit. Then he made me read the next paragraph while standing in front of the class and he stormed out and disappeared for 10 minutes. Every single classmates jaw was stuck in the floor lol.
Idk what in the actual f**k was wrong with that guy. But a serious complaint was filed when I told my parents and the school investigated. We never saw him again.
Image credits: gieserj10
#34
A teacher literally told me to k**l myself (it was during the class) lol. I was too young to tell if he was being serious (like 12) but he was angry af.
Image credits: anon
#35
When I was in kindergarten I was locked in the coat room because I mistook my left for right. Never forgot after that!
Image credits: CinnamonSparrowKnot
#36
My chemistry teacher in high school laughed in my face and said “ohhh that’s funny” when I told her I was thinking about majoring in chemistry.
I got my B.S. in chemistry and several research accolades just to prove that b***h wrong.
Now I am a high school teacher myself. I do everything and anything for my students that I can so they do not have a similar experience.
#37
Grade one. Kid was having trouble doing 2 + 2 (not kidding). Teacher slammed his head onto the table. Came to school the next day with a huge dump and bruising. Schooling in Africa was tough.
#38
Substitute teacher kicked my service dog because "it was in her way". the dog was literally under my desk.
#39
Grew up in a small town and my father left when I was 5. Entire town knew he was a f**k up and would constantly tell me is be nothing, just like him, that I should k**l myself, I was worthless. Kids, adults, teachers, and even the 7th - 8th grade principle told me I should shoot myself.
Yeah, that was my childhood. Gotta love rural north east Ohio towns.
#40
I asked a sub to please repeat the page he wanted us on. He went up to me, took my book, flipped it to the page and said “all you Mexicans are hopeless” the guys in the class then got up and cornered him as the rest of us left the room to go report him. This was in 2001. We c*****d up about it at lunch. None of us were really mad but we had to prove a point, lol.
#41
Not as bad as some things I know, but it was pretty messed up when my 7th grade teacher berated me and told me I'd never amount to anything. For the unforgivable sin of mislabeling an assignment that was late because I had mono. He was yelling in my face saying he "knew my type." (someone who worked their a*s off to get homework done while still sick?)
I laughed it off at the time, but years later I realized I did stop trying as hard after that. Because why bother if I wasn't going to accomplish anything anyway?
#42
One of my former colleagues before he got fired to a kid who stutttered:
Get my c**k out of your mouth and say that again.
#43
Our headmistress threw a girl over the fence by her hair.
Image credits: Eatadickimas
#44
The pe teacher at my high school got arrested right after lunch during my senior year because the principal found the s*x tape she made with one of the girls on the volleyball team
the new band director gave me a 15 minute lecture in front of the entire band because i was “goofing off” during band camp (he gave us a 20 minute break so i used it to talk to my friends while were also in marching band with me) and when i started crying during his lecture he said i deserved it for not being good enough, then got mad at me for dropping out of band, found out later that he was only mad because i was the only white trombone player
previous band director would cuss me out and call me useless/worthless for being a “foreigner” (my family moved to a small town from the other side of the country when i was a kid and even though a lot of locals love us, a few of them hate us for coming from so far away)
history teacher would stand me up in front of the entire class whenever i answered a question wrong and would encourage my classmates to laugh at me and make fun of me for being stupid (i’m good with history, i just had trouble learning the way she was teaching it, i’m better at learning when i can do it at my own pace and go down whatever rabbit holes i want)
science teacher got a 12 year old pregnant, then tried to get her kicked out of school unless she got an abortion.
#45
When I was in high school, I struggled with depression and s******l ideation as a result of some pretty extreme bullying. My health teacher thought it would be appropriate to tell my mom “your kid won’t live til graduation”.
#46
My 6th grade teacher called the only Latino kid in class a "f*****g b****r" one day.
She took a two week leave of abscence, was allowed to finish out the school year and was forced to retire a year or two early.
#47
My geography teacher broke a fellow students arm in class on the first day of grade 9. We were all like “ is this what high school is like ?” Rest of us were well behaved all year after that. Nobody even reported the teacher and he faced no consequences at all.
Image credits: MuskokaGreenThumb
#48
Saying women are just s*x toys for men.
#49
My third grade teacher once had me stand up in front of class and said to a kid who was struggling that i was able to do everything on time and was two years younger than him so why couldn’t he? i felt absolutely awful for him but i didn’t say anything because well.. i was seven.
#50
I was an extremely shy child with really low self esteem. The one thing I was proud of, or thought I had any talent in was art. When my very small school announced an after school “art club” I was very excited to sign up. There were a limited amount of openings, and the teacher announced students who were the most talented out of the sign ups would be the ones selected to join the club. I was devastated when I wasn’t picked, and it made me doubt myself for years. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized that all the kids chosen for every after school club (art, choir, etc.) were conveniently teachers kids. Teachers, who would have needed after school care for their children. It wasn’t something that was done intentionally to me, but I’m still salty about how it made me feel for years afterward.
#51
I had a panic attack in class and the b***h asked if I could cry quieter or get out.
#52
I kept getting berated by my reading teacher for the s****y reasons, like my autism and undiagosed Dyslexia.
I finally had enough, stole that b***h teacher's windbreaker, and threw it into some random yard across the street from the school. I also planted any items of hers into the desk of the teacher's pet. Found out, she had put her items there and in return, the teacher's pet would get the highest grade from a random kid, often meant for me and others.
B***h teacher was exposed for she was, teacher's pet was expelled for cheating and stealing, and we finally got better teachers.
#53
Boarding school teacher said my dorm looked like a pig sty. Junior high school math teacher said he should translate the questions for me. I was good at foreign language and not very good at math.
Image credits: AnonimoUnamuno
#54
“You can’t read that?”.
#55
Hating me for my parents being divorced.
