Teacher Tries to Publicly Embarrass Student and It Seriously Backfires

Growing up in a family of teachers, I’m very familiar with the fact that there are a lot of approaches to education, and a lot of theories about the best way to help people learn.

Here’s an interesting tidbit: social ridicule can be very effective in changing someone’s behavior, but, unsurprisingly, it doesn’t generally help them learn much. Which is why it’s always pretty gross to hear about teachers employing the tactic, especially with young kids.

A big conversation about this got kicked off on r/PettyRevenge with a post about a teacher who got the embarrassment tables turned on him.

It’s good to hear that there was an apology. And as bad teacher stories go (especially those on this particular subreddit), it’s a relatively mild encounter, but it still stirs up a lot of feelings.

The writer was pretty proud.

Teachers with a healthier perspective chimed in.

Turns out instructors like this aren’t popular with anybody.

Why publicly embarrass a student other than for the sake of a power trip?

It’s just not a good policy.

Kids get enough of that junk from their peers.

The best authorities are caretakers, not bullies.

You can teach someone facts or you can teach them fear.

One of the best virtues is having the humility to admit when you’re wrong.

Also in the thread: a few good Monday-morning comeback coaches

Hopefully our classrooms will continue to move in a more mature direction. Keep calling out nonsense when you see it, kids.

What’s your worst class story?

Tell us in the comments.