This teacher attitude I hate.

[Rageaholic]

Some of the worst teachers I've had had this attitude that they could never be wrong. If someone or something proved them wrong, they would still be convinced that they were right. Even if it was something

Example, in forth grade, I had a file cabinet to help me organize. However, one day I found the file cabinet was moved to the teachers desk. I would move it back to my desk only for it to be moved back a day later. It turns out the teacher was bothered by me putting my feet on it (kind of like a foot rest). She was convinced that my parents didn't want me putting my feet on 'such a nice file cabinet', even though I knew they didn't mind. I told her this, but she was insistent that they must have minded somehow and continued to move it.

First of all, what business is it of hers if I put my feet on it? It's mine, not hers. If my parents minded that much, they wouldn't have given it to me. Second, while I understand teachers can't always take students at their word, I see no reason why she couldn't have just accepted that they didn't mind. Was it really that big of a deal? Lastly, moving what was essentially my desk to where I have to walk to her desk to get what I need did not make things easier for me (it made things take twice as long to get done).

Of course, that's not the only instance I've experienced of teachers pulling this crap. In fact, I read a not always learning story a while back that reminded me of some of my crappier teachers. The teacher in this story had both the student and her parents telling her that the drawing wasn't hers, but she still wouldn't listen.

Teacher: “Look, being a good parent means understanding that your child isn’t always right—”

Yeah and the teacher is always right? Bullshit.

I know it's not all teachers the majority are good and all that, but the bad ones really get under my skin.

[s_stabeler]

it's even more infuriating when a teacher's word is taken as gospel- in my case, by my parents. I had a bad teacher- bad school, actually, but one teacher had it out for me- who would talk to my parents about how I was a liar, lazy and stupid- and my parents assumed that was why I was getting bad marks- despite my complaints that the teacher wasn't teaching properly. ( he was a maths teacher- he would write a problem on the board, set a chapter of the textbook, then leave for the rest of the lesson. If we didn't get perfect scores on tests, we had to stay behind until 8:30PM doing nothing but work out of the books unsupervised. (except random checks to make sure you were doing nothing but working out of the book)) Even today, my parents call me lazy whenever i'm trying to relax.

[MrsEclipse]

I had a LOT of teachers like this. The worst in particular was my English teacher from grade 10 to 12. She basically one of the biggest bitches I've ever met. This exchange, however, made me laugh.

MALE STUDENT: My face itches... I shaved it without shaving cream this morning.
MRS. HUGE BITCH: You shouldn't do that. If you do, it's a fact that it'll just make your hair grow back thicker. Then you'll have to shave even more. That's a proven fact. (I just remember she used the word "fact" way more than necessary)
ME: Actually, that's just an urban legend. I know where to look it up.
MRS. HUGE BITCH: Well, that's your opinion.

When she says it, it's a fact. When I say something, it's an opinion. She was the kind of person who could just never, never be wrong. It's bad enough with anyone, but with a teacher who's supposed to be in charge, it's just a nightmare. No matter how right you are, some teachers refuse to believe you just because they've been farting around the planet for a few extra decades. After all, if it's possible for them to be wrong in any capacity, how can they possibly be teachers?

[TheHuckster]

When I was in elementary school, teachers would try to "explain" things they thought would be over our heads by simply denying them.

In second grade, we were taught that there were "no such thing as negative numbers." I tried to show her examples of negative numbers from various books that challenged this, but she said they were wrong.

I had a variation of this from a best friend around that same time, where his teacher said that numbers didn't go to infinity. I told him that didn't make sense, and tried to explain that you can take any number, add 1 to it, and come up with a new number. He said something along the lines of "yeah, but you can't do that forever, cuz you'll die before it happens." Can't argue with that logic. When I asked him what the highest number is, he said "Duh, nobody knows. Pfft."

I guess teachers feared that if they were told numbers were infinite their heads would blow up or something? Problem is, even if you're trying to simplify things for them, they're going to be very confused when in later grades they do learn about infinite numbers and negative numbers and wonder what else they said that weren't true.

[Rageaholic]

In my experience, the more times someone uses the word "fact" in their statement, the greater the odds that their statement is bullshit.

[NorthernZel]

When I asked him what the highest number is, he said "Duh, nobody knows. Pfft."

Actually, still being a moron, he accidently was right. There is a number so large noone can tell how large it actually is.... but they do know it ends with the digit 7.

(For those who don't like YouTube clips, go look up "Graham's Number" on Wikipedia. It's a hoot)

[RedRoseSpiral]

While I've had some amazing teachers, I've had more who shouldn't be allowed to train a puppy let alone fellow humans. The worst was my first 2nd grade teacher (my mother regrets to this day that she listened to this woman about holding me back, a decision that had ultimately been up to her due to my grades in all but one area being A's), but the most facepalm worthy teacher was my 5th grade teacher.

She evidently didn't know her own anatomy. She had all the girls in class convinced they peed out of their vaginal opening because where else would the urethra be? I don't know maybe above it?

I wasn't allowed to participate in recess for a week because I told one of my friends that she didn't need to change her tampon every time she peed and that I didn't. The official reason for the punishment was for disrespecting her by arguing with her about the placement of the urethra and the class for talking about something so inappropriate (great way to empower your young charges about their developing bodies ).

The teacher then tried to convince me that I was going to get horrible infections for the rest of my life for 1. using a tampon in the first place and 2. not changing it every time I was in the restroom.

[Rageaholic]

I wasn't allowed to participate in recess for a week because I told one of my friends that she didn't need to change her tampon every time she peed and that I didn't. The official reason for the punishment was for disrespecting her by arguing with her about the placement of the urethra and the class for talking about something so inappropriate (great way to empower your young charges about their developing bodies ).

Reminds me of this.

It's undetermined whether it's real or not. It's possible that it's real, but it also reads like a bad parody (I don't think a teacher would be so blatant about it).

[crashhelmet]

I'm a former high school teacher. If they were paid what they're worth and not bordering on fast food wages, I'd still be doing it.

Yes, there are teachers blinded by their own hubris that they refuse to accept the notion that they could be wrong. I remember once having it out with my geometry teacher about the ability to reduce fractions in multiple fraction problems horizontally, and not just vertically. I also had several teachers blinded by their own political stances that refused to see anything else. My English professor in college was a feminist and graded every paper based on how empathetic they were to her beliefs. I also had a psych professor that was married to a feminist and attempted to indoctrinate all of us into their belief system.

But... Because there is always a but...

You have no idea how many lies are told by students because they either didn't get their way or are afraid of getting in trouble.

"I failed/didn't get the lead because the teacher hates me" or "because they like so and so better" or "because they're having sex with the student that got it" or "because they're sexist/racist/anti-semite/etc."

My little sister used a multitude of excuses, but the truth is she never did her homework and tried to sleep through most of her classes. Even in kindergarten, she would throw her work off the desk because she'd rather be outside on the playground. She, like many other students, didn't care enough to put in the work.

I've said before, either here or on CS, that I had to set up video cameras in my classroom to record everything out of fear that someone would make a false accusation of me. It came in handy more than once when administrators and parents would come to me about their kid's complaints and/or accusations. Thankfully, I was never accused of anything inappropriate with a student. No amount of evidence would have ever cleared my name from the public eye for that.

[gremcint]

I've not encountered this but I did run into teacher with a big stick up their arse, I forgot my book one day one time and got detention writing lines because of it, there would the days where the teachers would make you organize your desk and inspect it or wouldn't let me leave this little tiny calendar in the corner over night, or the one who docked me marks because I wrote the date on the left side instead of the right side, the list just goes on.

[Rageaholic]

I've not encountered this but I did run into teacher with a big stick up their arse, I forgot my book one day one time and got detention writing lines because of it, there would the days where the teachers would make you organize your desk and inspect it or wouldn't let me leave this little tiny calendar in the corner over night, or the one who docked me marks because I wrote the date on the left side instead of the right side, the list just goes on.

I got similar crap from teachers in middle school. On my second day, I forgot to bring this notebook and got crap from my homeroom teacher who acted like it was this huge crime. She said that since it's the first day, I'll get off with a warning, but still... making a deal out of a forgetting a book?

Then another teacher I had yelled at me for being late to class (I came in 3 seconds after the bell rang, big. fucking. deal.) and he called my name and asked me if I was late. I said that I came in a few seconds after the bell ring and he exploded, saying that I didn't answer his question (he only wanted a yes or no answer).

And those were not the only times something like this happened. Students who forgot their notebook or show up a few seconds late would be treated as if they just assaulted someone (or had drugs). When you take into account the zero tolerance bullshit where someone who even mentioned drugs would be investigated, it was a very tense atmosphere. Teachers, LIGHTEN UP!

[gremcint]

I never did great in school until I got to college, I find that most college/university teachers don't force the same bullshit down your throat that they do in elementary and secondary school.

[wolfie]

In second grade, we were taught that there were "no such thing as negative numbers." I tried to show her examples of negative numbers from various books that challenged this, but she said they were wrong.

I had a variation of this from a best friend around that same time, where his teacher said that numbers didn't go to infinity.

What's wrong with the teacher telling the class "The school board has decided that negative numbers/really big numbers are too complicated for second grade students. In this class, we won't deal with them, but you'll learn about them in higher grades"? It would explain to students "above the norm" why concepts they know about aren't being taught, and nobody would wind up being taught in a higher grade something a previous teacher had told them didn't exist.

[the_std]

Then another teacher I had yelled at me for being late to class (I came in 3 seconds after the bell rang, big. fucking. deal.) and he called my name and asked me if I was late. I said that I came in a few seconds after the bell ring and he exploded, saying that I didn't answer his question (he only wanted a yes or no answer).

As a former teacher, I can only speak to this one instance, but it's an expectation that you are there, ready for class, by the time the bell rings (signaling the beginning of class). I'm not saying an explosion is an appropriate reaction, but your response sounds to me like excuses instead of answering his question. You were late - it doesn't really matter by how much.

With the pressure and restrictions that teachers are under to get through curriculums and to hit benchmarks all the way through the year, an interruption of a regular routine, even a small one, can be immensely stressful. Once again, I'm not saying an explosion is the way to handle it, but can you imagine how often students are late to classes (not just yours, but every one he teaches)? In the grand scale, wasted seconds (and the seconds spent dealing with your interruption) add up to a hell of a lot.

From your description of the event, and knowing what I know about how it can be from the teacher's side of things, I would say that this isn't a teacher who needs to LIGHTEN UP. This is you, making a mistake, not owning up to that mistake, and the teacher reacting poorly.

All of that aside, I have to say that, from your regular posts and issues on Fratching, I might venture that your attitude might play a part in why you encounter so many problems, both with school and work. Yes, there can be rigid rules and miles of red tape associated with a lot of the necessary things we deal with on a regular basis. Yes, they can be very frustrating to deal with. But having a positive attitude can be so helpful in stressful situations. If you tend to face problems with that outlook, you'll find that it's rarely people just power tripping or making your life miserable because they like it. The majority of humanity, especially those in positions of influence in your life, are very similar to you - trying to deal with difficult/stressful/unhappy situations as best they can. Obviously, there are exceptions to this, but I highly doubt that everyone you've encountered with these difficulties and frustrations are doing it specifically to mess with you.

That is my two cents on the situation. I can only know what you tell us, but I'm extrapolating from your posting habits, so I'm not basing this opinion off of this one post, or this one topic.

[anakhouri]

Some of the teachers I have run into in my educational career are dicks. Some of them were made that way by years of teaching apathetic students, some are just naturally that way. However, they were very much in the minority.

Whenever anyone complains about a teacher who insists on incorrect information being correct, I always think of my friend's ex-boyfriend. He had a short-lived college career, because he was sooo much smarter than anyone else in the world and especially his professors. He told me how he argued with an astronomy professor, and, after 'proving him wrong' in front of the whole class, walked out in a blaze of glory. Or so he thought. If that had had happened in one of my classes, everyone would have been shaking their heads at his dickishness.

Thus, when people say they are smarter/more knowledgeable than the teachers who specifically trained to teach these classes, I tend to take it with a grain of salt.

I'm not saying you haven't run into some bad teachers; they do exist. But if this appears to be a continuing problem, you might want to look at how you treat your teachers and perhaps you will find a clue as to why they behave the way they do.