what were some really bad things you saw at school?

just either unacceptible, or just wrong.

I went to an all girl's school and quite often our math teacher would hit the kids for not doing their homework.

sometimes more than once

I also witnessed the music teacher bite a kid, and another teacher grabbing her arm and being like come on now, that's not right is it?

and I'm thinking she's an adult treat her like it. not a toddler. lol

raging vortex, that's awful! Didn't any of the kids report this (or have their parent's do so)? Or was it deemed acceptable at your school?

I was lucky that I never really saw anything severe at any of my schools. I also felt reasonably safe wherever I went, though at university there were accounts of several things. Being on guard and wise was important.

When I was in the 4th grade (9 years old), the teacher had rage issues. I never saw her hit (or otherwise touch) students violently, but she screamed and did violent acts to "things". Once when I didn't do my homework, and sort of lied about it, she violently slammed my desk over so all of my papers flew around the floor. Then she went to my cubby and violently tossed them out onto the floor. She sent me to the principal's office where I proceeded to wage a complaint against her. Not just for me, but for other students, some of which would cry as a result of her rages. Unlike the usual, I think my complaint made a difference. That teacher acted more appropriately from that point on. I don't recall being afraid of her, but shocked. My dad had similar rages, when we were young, so sadly some of that behavior was "normalized", but I knew it was wrong.

Back in the 1970s, elementary schools in the state of Pennsylvania implemented "the paddle" when students were too naughty. The principal gave it. A lot of kids got it, including me and my siblings. They would give you a choice of the paddle or after school suspension. Honestly, we all chose the paddle because it seemed the lesser of the punishments and didn't really hurt. More symbolic and coming home late for dinner was usually worse. Fortunately, the practice ended in Pennsylvania soon after. A while back, I read it still exists in a small number of states, and sadly mostly targets people of color. See Schools, black children, and corporal punishment or Corporal Punishment in U.S. Public Schools: Prevalence, Disparities
in Use, and Status in State and Federal Policy - PMC Horrible!!!!!!!

The worst I personally saw and experienced was bullying from other students. Far too often that behavior is not addressed properly or at all.

I think it was more the classic case of the kids being scared to come forward- which I can understand, the math teacher was a bully

the biting music teacher was slightly less scary, but again, no one came forward

That's often the sad reality in cases of abuse, raging vortex.

This is an important topic. Thanks for bringing it up, though it could be a triggering one for a few.

A girl brought razor blades to school in my sophmore year of high school. The whole school had to be on lockdown and the cops came and had to search everyones back packs. The girl was arrested and then expelled.

In my junior year at another school a girl snuck in a lighter and was trying to do something with it in the bathroom. I'm not sure what maybe light a trash can on fire or something dumb like that, but she was caught before she could do anything.

My senior year of high school,had one student bring in a back pack full of Marijuana.School was on lockdown with a cop that came in with a drug sniffing dog.Found it,this student was arrested,expelled over it.He was a freshman and did some time for it.Learmed he was going to sell it there.Another,student beat the crap out of a teacher during my senior year of high school.I witnessed and luckily I found the principal close and told him.I did have to testify in court on this one,recieved the orders to do this

I attended high school in the South during court ordered busing to desegregation schools. We had daily riots on campus.

I attended parochial school first grade to the beginning of fifth. All the stories you've heard about nuns as teachers are true. Had one that would pitch an eraser at kids. One that would slam a pointer down on a desk. The stereotype of wacking kids with a ruler was true. The final straw for me was the nun who refused to call me by the name I go by. I've gone by my middle name my entire life. She insisted on calling me by my first name. I was in trouble on a daily basis as a result. One day she screamed at me for "insulting the mother of God" by not responding when she called me by my first name. Parents finally put me in public school in fifth grade because I got up and barfed my guts up every day.

Wow, I only had one weird teacher is all my 12 years in school. World history in junior high. No wonder why I hated world history until I traveled & learned it by experience.

In college had a math professor who stood with his back to the class & wrote equations all over the boards & never once looked to see if any questions.

On the other hand, I had 3 occasions where I needed to take matters into my own hands to support my daughter. Not sure why but I always got my point across & they took care of her. Maybe their realizing that I had to take time away from my engineering job to deal with stupid issues that never should have happened became clear to them but it also seemed to get my daughter cared for better afterwards. I am glad she always came to me with her problems so we could work through the best way to handle it even when she was in grade school & even though I had a career that was demanding also. Even in her schools, issues were few & gar between

I too had a math teacher whom I remember very fondly ( insert sarcasm here) He had a problem with me since day one in my 7th grade.On the very first day he calls my name to see who I was.While I acknowledge when called upon,he smirked and said...hmmmm...so it's you that my colleagues are talking a lot about in the lunch room.I hear you are very smart and very good at math.I will find out if what they say is true.
The next day he again calls my name and says,hmmmm the way you look,you don't seem smart to me,especially at math.( I didn't know students who are good at math are supposed to look certain way.What did he even mean?)
He was relentless bully and only targeted me.He would bring college level math problems and ask me to solve them.When I couldn't. He laughed at me ,humiliated me in front of other students.So I gather you are not good at math.Are you?Then I don't know why my colleagues praise you.You are really dumb.
No need to say I developed a fear ,of him and of math.I liked math ,but not anymore.My grades went down from A+to A,then to B.Eventually he proved I was not so good at math by the end of 7th grade.Teachers hold the power to make or break a student.

In high school we had a classmate who took acid and drowned in a puddle. What a sad way to die.

Saw a teacher get so frustrated with a student that was taunting him that the teacher violently kicked the underside of the students desk, the kid and desk went flying. The bratty kid shaped up after that. In todays climate the brat would get coddled and called victim and learn to continue mouthing off and learn nothing.

My elementary art teacher hated me so much and she never hid it. I saw her as an adult at a bookstore when I was with my mom a few years ago and she gave us a real dirty look. My mom thought it was strange that she was holding grudges 13 years later. I was just bad at art basically and asked a lot of questions. I never actually did anything wrong.

When I was in high school, a professor (male) made fun of me by asking if I was planning to become a nun, cause I was not such a beauty and quiet.it didnt give a reason but it was implicit xD
In front of the class
I mean Back then i was 17 and amare of the fact that I wasnt that cute. It was a bit rude even if he pretend it was just a joke
Today i could not be resentful about that
However, it was a bit embarassing by a professor to do that
Many professors were a bit of place when trying to behave with class

I had a kidnergarner teacher who would hit me.

I had a sixth-grade math who would kiss all the male with a red lip stick when she wasn't picking up a chair and throwing it at the students in class.

Oh I saw several serious violent assaults by teachers on pupils sadly. My school days were not happy and my school had a reputation for unofficial and official corporal punishment. Shudders.

I often wonder if that’s why I have empathy for the underdog.

Nothing. My church and safe place used to be school. Going home was a problem.

The worst I ever had was a teacher who would shout and throw chalk at people.

"The usual" stuff - and definitely teachers toward students.


I was in high school during the late '70's, drugs were everywhere. There were teachers dealing drugs to students at another high school. That went on for a couple of years, then there was a major bust and those teachers were arrested. What a mess, but typical for the times.

At high school I saw daily violence between students and also teachers towards students, because this was when 'corporal punishment' was still around but in it's final days. Racism, homophobia, bigotry of all kinds. I honestly couldn't believe it, but as I was to see, this was really just a precursor to how people are all the time in society. And I still can't believe it.

I was in school during the 50;s and 60's. Everything was fine.......no drugs, violence or anything negative; so glad I grew up then.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LiteraryLark In high school we had a classmate who took acid and drowned in a puddle. What a sad way to die.

That is absolutely awful. When I was in high school my ex-boyfriend dosed a really sweet kid with PCP. The kid flipped out and end up in a psych hospital for 6 months. Really sad, sad story.

I had a classmate who attempted to sexually assault another student who were leaving messages for our teacher who always came in right after our teacher walked out. The attempt sexual assault happened on her desk. I finally complained the school did nothing for the victims or did anything to the student who did the attack. He would always target me verbally every day because I had multiple classes with this student.

When I was 10 in 2003 I wrote inapropriate letters on my school laptop and printed them to my classroom printer. They had to have someone hack into the school computer system to see who did it. I got called into the principals office and my mom was there and stuff. I just got my laptop taken away for 6 weeks. Nowadays kids get expelled or possibly even arrested for that type of that stuff.

Wow! That is really awful.