12 Back-to-School Moments Teaching Us Kindness Is Still the Most Important Life Skill in the 2026-2027 School Year

People
08/22/2026
12 Back-to-School Moments Teaching Us Kindness Is Still the Most Important Life Skill in the 2026-2027 School Year

2026 longitudinal study published in the journal Developmental Psychology, tracking students from kindergarten all the way through sixth grade, found that the quality of a child’s relationship with their teacher genuinely shapes their social, academic, and behavioral development over time, not just in the moment, but well into later grades.
It’s the kind of thing most of us already know from lived experience — one teacher, one classroom, one small moment that had nothing to do with grades and everything to do with someone choosing kindness over convenience. As the 2026-2027 school year kicks off, we found real people online still telling stories about the teachers and classroom moments they’ve carried with them for years, sometimes decades, long after graduation.

My son started 6th grade in clothes from the donation bin. The first week, his teacher pulled him aside (thankfully) and said, “Did you find these in the trash?” Can you imagine? The thing is, my son didn’t tell me anything. I found out from another parent 2 weeks later.

I called the teacher because I was furious, yet I was feeling very ashamed of my situation. “I earn minimum wage. You have no idea what he’s dealing with,” I said while swallowing my tears. She went quiet for a second. Then said she wanted to come by in person, as she didn’t want to apologize over the phone and forget about it.

She showed up Saturday with a bag of clothes that still had the tags on, sizes she’d guessed while watching him in class all week. Said the comment had been stuck in her head since she said it. My son wore one of the shirts Monday.

I could have easily gone to the principal and gotten her fired, but why do that when I know firsthand how hard it is to find a job? I’m now looking for a second job so that no one will ever be able to make my child feel that way again. Enough is enough. I’m really happy that the teacher learned a life lesson.

IF MORE PEOPLE WOULD PRACTICE MICAH 6 8 HOLY BIBLE LOVE WHAT IS KIND DO WHAT IS RIGHT WALKING HUMBLY WITH GOD THE REAL GOLDEN RULE DO FOR OTHERS WHAT YOU WOULD WANT THEM TO DO FOR YOU

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We see so many cases of bad and/or entitled behavior without remorse or consequence.
Seeing someone, especially a teacher take responsibility and make amends, gives me hope.
Just when you expect lies, gaslighting and doubling down on the bad behavior, we see someone with remorse, empathy and take responsibility.
For all of you people who get caught behaving badly, THIS is what humility looks like!
Please learn from it.

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HUMILITY? HOW ABOUT STUPIDITY? SHE WAS "HUMBLED"? HOW ABOUT, BEING A TEACHER, SHE ACTUALLY "THINKS" BEFORE OPENING HER MOUTH? DON'T START NONE, WON'T BE NONE.

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That comment should've never left her mouth in the first place, but at least she had the guts to show up in person and fix it instead of hiding behind a phone call, right?

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Really????? YOU THINK EDUCATION ABOUT CLOTHES PEOPLE WEAR. THAT'S NOT THE TEACHER JOB. TO CRITICIZE WHAT A CHILD IS WEARING...
THEIR JOB IS TO EDUCATE CHILDREN ACADEMY.. As for her turning up at your doorstep with a bag of tagged clothes is rude and degrading.. l would have slapped her face and slammed the door on her face..

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Look lady I feel for young people today young parents and man single parents ( as TOO MANY MEN fear actual responsibilities) I'm 72 years old I've had a pretty decent life especially sine I was 16yrs old for a hot two months when my son was born ( rest in peace) I know what it is to have to look to other people for help, because life can be overwhelming at times. I was Lucy enough to have a WONDERFUL STRONG AND INTELLIGENT WIFE ( REST IN PEACE ) Anyways looks like I'm making this about me, and that's not my intention, after 1970 I had a Daughter in 73, and then after I Madeira thrown those HARD times 6 years after my first wife passed at 39, I married again this woman had 4 children, ya see my point here is it was a hard long strange trip. But easier than a person like yourself THESE days, with rent food utilities and yes cloths. All at an incredibly bloated make me richer and keep the surplus population scrambling so they really don't see how under the thumb they really sre!!! I SALUTE your courage young lady, and are impressed by the reactions of that teacher when she finally realized how utterly cynical and selfish the world these days had made her just as it has way TOO MANY PEOPLE !!! I'm sure this won't be the last time something like this takes place, and again I'm sure making things actually work these days let alone GET AHEAD will be difficult, but young lady keep your head high, because in my opinion you KNOW what truly matters, and that my dear hopefully gets passed down to your children. GOOD LUCK

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How dare you damn men!!!!! 1st off if a man leaves a woman it has to be a reason..And maybe the woman is the problem period .Stop damning men for a a woman's mistakes, faults etc..

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WHEN "MEN" ACTUALLY START TAKING "RESPONSIBILITY" FOR "THEIR" ACTIONS, MAYBE IT WON'T HAPPEN, AS MUCH. WOMEN ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES MAKING "MISTAKES", IT IS UNIVERSAL. STOP MAKING IT A WOMAN'S FAULT, BECAUSE THE "REASON" MIGHT BE HIM.

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DUDE, YOU HAVE HAD A ROUGH TIME. MY SYMPATHIES FOR YOUR LOSSES. MY THANKS FOR DOING YOUR BEST. MY HOPES THAT THINGS ONLY GET BETTER, FOR YOU.

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A grim tale, if ending in a somewhat bittersweet fashion; what amazes me is the negative responses, I can only hope that, at some time in the future, they are all forced to face the same dilemma. One small point however, its not new clothes every year; my family were relatively well off, and it was new, hand me downs, and 2nd hand clothes every time we grew out of them or wore them out, for us every time. That's more frequent than yearly.

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I was that child. we grew up very poor, I often went to school with "dirty clothes" because the washer was broken. I, through no fault of my own, was the class "pig pen." Very low self esteem and suffering grades followed. A teacher needs to have compassion and understanding. IT'S not the kids fault, they are just trying to survive, just like everyone else!

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I am a mom, but it doesn’t mean I’m made out of money just because it’s moom AK Mom, I’ll tell you what I do believe I was in sixth grade could’ve been Don’t remember too long But I wore a dress my mom got it at Goodwill. It had a stain on it so she put a little brooch on it. Some girl told me it was her dress and I said no it’s mine. She took the bro chopped the dress and said see there’s a stain there my mom threw it away and gave it to Goodwill. My son’s never wore secondhand clothes I would do without, but when times are hard like it was when I was growing up I was able to get hand downs from friends.

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The teacher should not have said anything,imagine whatyour son felt like ,worried about you ,doing your best.

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ARE YOU MADE OF MONEY? THIS MOM DID NOT DO ANYTHING WRONG, AND PEOPLE LIKE YOU BELONG ON A CHAIN GANG. THE TEACHER IS THE PROBLEM, FROM START TO FINISH. BEING POOR IS NOT ILLEGAL. BEING AS IGNORANT AS YOU, SHOULD BE.

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Yes, but The sentence stuck in her head and she did something about it. It's likely that she'll be far more careful with her verbiage. We tend to notice the bad and not recognized the positive outcomes.

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I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT I MISUNDERSTOOD WHAT YOU WROTE. MY APOLOGIES FOR THAT. I WILL TRY HARDER TO NOT DO THAT AGAIN. HAVE A BLESSED DAY.

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Susan! She DID NOT Have a Kid KNOWING She couldn't Buy him new Clothes Every Year! SHUT YOUR GODDA%M MOUTH! STOP LECTURING AND JUDGING PARENTS FOR NOT BEING RICH AND NOT ALWAYS BEING ABLE TO BUY NEW CLOTHES FOR THEIR KIDS EVERY YEAR! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY'RE GOING THROUGH! MIND YOU OWN BUSINESS AND LEAVE. THEIRS. ALONE.

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Well good for you Susan. There are parents that can't afford new clothes for their children for school. Buying new clothes for school doesn't make you a good parent. Teach your children never to look down on child by what they are wearing. The teacher should have been turned in to the principal. A good caring teacher would never speak to a child like that. Shame on her and you. With everything being so expensive who can afford .

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I'm sorry, but there has to be a way for any, AND I MEAN ANY CHILD that the parents can show that they cannot afford "NAME BRAND" clothing could use the BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO BE FROM THE LOTTERY, BONDS, GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIZED SCHOOL MONEY, BE GIVEN TO THE PARENTS TO PURCHASE NEW CLOTHING.?

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IN CALIF. WE VOTED FOR THE LOTTERY, BECAUSE IT WOULD "HELP" SCHOOLS FINANCIALLY. WRONG. THE MONEY MAY HAVE COME FROM THE "LOTTERY", BUT IT IS NOT "EXTRA" MONEY. THEY JUST CHANGED WHERE THEY TOOK IT FROM. THE SCOOLS DO NOT GET ANY ADVANTAGE FROM THE LOTTERY. NO ADDITIONAL BENEFITS, NO STABILIZING SALARIES FOR TEACHERS, ETC...
AINT LIFE GREAT?

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My children grew up wearing 2rd clothes. The clothes were clean, and neat. Never no complaints from anyone. You did what any honorable mother would do. We adults can be mean at times, I'm glad she apologize and help with some clothes for him, please teach your son to show respect for all people and forgive them for what they say and do

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THE "LESSON" SHE LEARNED WAS AT THE EXPENSE OF YOUR SON! SO SHE SMARTENED UP, WHOOPEE. THAT KIND OF STATEMENT, TO A VULNERABLE (THEY ARE ALL VULNERABLE) CHILD, CAN STAY WITH THEM FOREVER. SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISCIPLINED, AT THE VERY LEAST. I STILL CRINGE, WHEN I REMEMBER SOME OF THE CRUEL ADULTS, I HAD TO DEAL WITH DURING (CATHOLIC, ESPECIALLY) SCHOOL. HANG IN THERE MOM, YOU ARE AWESOME.

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Children need love, protection, basic needs met (food, shelter, security). Brand name clothes might show up on the list on the LAST PAGE of a very long list, and I feel sorry for those who can't grasp this.

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just now
Oops. The comment was captured by a UFO.

No, that just makes you rich, not a better mother. You are a good mother, I can feel it, but not "a better" one

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That doesn't make her rich. We certainly weren't rich a recieved new clothes every year. That diminished with time and age! Whoever Susan is, probably buys her kids love....seems like her husband buys her stuff to shut her up and its probably cheaper to keep her.

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How do you what situation she was in when she had her child? Everyone goes through hard times. Don't judge people before you know the whole story. And no you are not a better mother just because you can afford new clothes.

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Wrong,maybe your kids are spoiled. Try teaching your children love and understanding. And while you are at it teach some to yourself you do not know her circstances

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It just makes you someone who can afford it. Good for your kids, but dont be such a B

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A better mom would've taken their privileged children to the resale shop to teach them some humility before breaking the piggy bank for name brand gear.
Teach them it's ok to save a buck!

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"BETTER" BEING THE BUZZWORD HERE, LIKE BEAUTY, IS SUBJECTIVE. IT IS RARELY USED PROPERLY. MORE AS WAY TO DEMINISH, OR BELITTLE SONEONE ELSE. IT REALLY DOESN'T MEAN WHAT WE ALL THINK IT MEANS

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Susan, you must have never experienced a hardship in life to say such something so cruel. It just means you think money buys happiness. It's great you bought things for your kids but I hope they don't inherit your arrogance.

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What do you earn a month for minimum wage Susan M? Some people only make $2.25/hour, some make $7.50/hour but after all the expenses that need to be paid a lot of people can't afford anything else. Some people are single full time parents that are having a hard time finding a job. Some people are struggling to make ends meet every month,.go without food and etc. people rely on food banks to help them out I personally don't have any help, I am permanently disabled now. I have worked as a nurse, as a secretary in a medical claims office and had my own greeting card business and got nothing to show for it! I was receiving a substantial amount of money over the years from social security and lost it all due to not being able to report a marriage to a man (my late husband) that I have taken care of for 11 solid straight years. He had CKF, ESRD and was on dialysis with no chance of getting on the kidney transplant list! He died on May 18, 2021 and I didnt have any help and I didn't have money coming in for taking care of him. He only got $400/month from SSI and I had my own Social security income. But also I didn't have time to phone anyone because taking care of someone that sick took 24/7 365 non stop to take care of them! I am glad I did actually get the chance to do what I do best and that was be a nurse and etc. I put my own life on hold in order to take care of him. Nobody asked me to and I didn't get minimum wage! I didn't get anything for being a caregiver or for sustaining injuries that are bad enough that one of my health issues can result in SUDEP. Plus my social security income went to survival which was rent, utilities, food, basic needs, transportation, my late husband's medical bills and medication! Now social security says I owe them 185,000 in overpayment due to not reporting my marriage to my late husband!

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SOCIAL "SECURITY" IS NIETHER OF THOSE THINGS. MY LATE FIRST HUSBAND, WAS A CROOK. I SPENT YEARS AND ALMOST A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, TRYING TO EXTRICATE MYSELF FROM HIS "DOINGS". BEING AN ABUSED SPOUSE, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN EXPUNGED, BECAUSE I WAS FORCED TO SIGN OUR TAX DOCUMENTS, UNDER THREAT OF FURTHER VIOLENCE. IT WASN'T. I FEEL SO BAD FOR YOUR EXPERIENCE. IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING IN YOUR NAME ONLY, HIDE IT, OR YOU COULD END UP HAVING UNCLE SAM, AND HIS "BOSS" LOCKING YOU OUT OF YOUR HOME, BANK, AND ANYWHERE ELSE THEY CAN "TAKE" SOMETHING FROM YOU.

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Sometimes things happen in life and you gotta do the best you can!!! She as a Mom was doing her best 😡

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YOU KNOW THE OLD SAYING: THEM THAT CAN, DO. THEM THAT CAN'T, SAY THEY ARE "CHRISTIANS". SORRY, I WILL GET OFF MY SOAPBOX NOW.

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Please tell me your playing or something. My mother got our clothes at yard sales the clothing closet from our school all kinds of things and I have an an amazing mother just because you were able to do that for your children doesn't make you a better mother .

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Did your heartless comment make you feel better about yourself?? I bet you had a silver spoon up your A and never knew firsthand how it feels to struggle.

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No Susan, that does not make you a better mom. It make you A Disgusting worthless woman that believes money makes you better. I'm 57, A Retired ARMY Ranger Master Sargent. I have seen and know SOLDIERS IN TODAYS MILITARY that live below the POVERTY LINE because IGNORANT PEOPLE LIKE YOU do not see the world like they do. I hope that the PRIVATE JET OR ROLLS ROYCE YOU DRIVE FALLS OUT OF THE SKY OR DRIVES OFF A CLIFF so you will be able to see what " WE THE POOR AND UNFORTUNATE PEOPLE LIVE LIKE "...

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Please tell me that your comment was in jest. If not, every word you posted is f-ing gross. You are better than no one, in any way. You should be ashamed of yourself.

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If by that you mean being a self rightious *** maybe you are! I hope for your sons sake you never fall on hard times ...

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Lets hope you cant have children. They obviously woukd be horrible people with you as a mother. Susan i hope you realize this.

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My mom buys me clothes from discount stores and from thirst shops I Raley get new clothes and I also get hand me downs. But my mom is the best mom I could ever have you don't understand what it is like to be poor clothes at all is better than none it only matters how much you're parents love you not what they buy u.

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IT AIN'T EASY BEING GREEN. SO SAID KERMIT THE FROG. IT AIN'T EASY BEING POOR. SO SAID EVERYONE THAT HAD TO LISTEN TO A STUCK UP, SENSELESS, "I'M BETTER THAN YOU" IDIOT.

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What kind of teacher would ever say that to a student she should never work with children again and I hope she got fired big time.

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A teacher made that statement to a young person. However many other young people has she hurt, embarrassed or humiliated? She should NOT be a teacher and should lose her job

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I went to school in my sisters’ clothes back in the 80s. And? Who didn’t, and a donation bin is no different. I was a valedictorian

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EXACTLY. "INTELLIGENCE" IS LEARNED, NOT BOUGHT. LOOKING GOOD, WON'T MAKE YOU SMARTER. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO SPELL THE DESIGNER'S NAME, NOT JUST WEAR IT ACROSS YOUR AC S.

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Ain't nobody got time for that.

My attendance dropped 2%. Got called into a meeting for it. My mom kept telling me I was being dramatic about the days I couldn’t get out of bed. Head of year running the meeting was annoyed at first, then my mom explained why, and his whole face changed. He asked her straight up why she hadn’t taken me to a doctor yet. Then mentioned his wife had something with the exact same symptoms. Endometriosis.

2 years later, 16 years old, diagnosed with a severe case. If that meeting had gone like every other conversation about my attendance, I don’t think I push for answers that hard.

THAT CAN PUT AN END TO YOU! STILL TOOK 2 MORE YEARS TO DIAGNOSE? YOU POOR THING. MY SYMPATHIES ARE WITH YOU.

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Got hit by a ball in PE, primary school, and my hairband snapped in half. My granddad bought it for me. I cried way harder than a broken hairband should get you. The headteacher asked what was actually wrong. I told him about the hairband. He left, drove somewhere, and came back with an identical one before school ended that day. He absolutely didn’t have to do that. I miss my school years so very much.

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In primary school, Year 6th, our teacher would sometimes see we were getting restless near the end of day, and he said children should not be stuck indoors all day long. If it was a nice day he would say, “Forget about this boring work, lets go outside and play football or something.

He would let us spend the last hour of the day outside playing football while the teacher would referee, most of the girls played hockey or badminton. Even if you just wanted to just sit and watch, no big deal. I know it was basically just an extra PE lesson but it was always a nice surprise and good to get out in the sun.

My best friend and I had this unnecessary rivalry in middle school over which art software was better. Our IT teacher must’ve overheard us arguing about it, and told us to see him at lunch. We thought we were in trouble. Nope. School got a Photoshop license; he wanted us to be the first to try it. Any lunchtime, no strings.

20 years later we’re both designers, and use it every day. He probably has no clue how much that one lunch mattered.

My fifth-grade teacher refused to let me and about 8 other boys in his class get past him without learning math. We were all at least a grade behind the others. We stayed after school for extra work, and our parents were given assignments to help us learn. By the end of the year we were all at grade level or more. He refused to just pass us along.

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I was 17 and I couldn’t write a proper sentence. Teacher pulled me aside, basically said, “You’re not stupid, but your writing makes you sound like you are. You’re better than this,” and then he sat with me during work time every class for at least 10 minutes and just worked on my writing. I didn’t turn into some English genius, but I swear he was single-handedly responsible for me getting into University.

SEN teacher (Special Educational Needs) at my primary school had me from nursery through year 6. Always let me tag along with her group at lunch, even though I wasn’t technically one of her kids. We got to eat first, skipped the queue on trips, used the lift instead of the stairs. Got diagnosed years later as an adult. Sometimes I wonder if she noticed something back then and just quietly made room for me anyway, never making it a whole conversation about why.

Not in class, but a kid I had in first grade once gave all the money he collected from his birthday cards to buy food for dogs at a local shelter. 15 years later and this kid is still a stellar human.

Head of sixth form told me flat out I was going to fail at life. Not a wake-up call, not tough love, just “you’re never going anywhere.” He’d done this to other kids before me too, I found out later, mostly girls, mostly ones who went on to top universities anyway. My form tutor, who taught the same subject, pulled me aside separately. Said she couldn’t stand him. Gave me extra hours on her own time to get me through it despite everything he was doing to tank my grade.

I’d missed a chunk of school that year, wasn’t doing great mentally either. She never gave up on it. I beat every prediction he’d made, badly enough that it should’ve embarrassed him. Now I work in that exact field. Small chance I’ll run into him one day at a conference. I think about what I’d say.

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Senior school form tutor from 1987 still sends me a Christmas card every year. Still sends one to my parents too. I was a very, very mouthy kid who probably got away with more than I should have. Well, I guess mostly because I did well academically and teachers let that slide a lot back then. Nearly 40 years later, getting that card is such a strange, small thing to still mean something. Someone who spent one school year with a teenage version of me, still checking in decades later on how the rest of it turned out.

Secondary school form tutor, barely 5 feet tall, more terrifying than teachers twice her size. Other staff used to laugh when they found out she was our tutor. Wished us luck like we’d drawn a short straw. Her walking across the yard, me realizing I haven’t done homework. But out of every teacher I had for years, she’s the only one I remember fondly. Only one who ever asked how I was doing. Scary and kind at the same time, apparently that’s allowed.

Teachers remarks and sctions can blight a life. I had a teacher who didn't like me. One-day sitting revising while others did Bible studies (I was Cstholic) and one particulsr tescher wss marking homeeork in the same room. She a homework book at me. That is a disgrsce, do it again.

Turned out it wss not my homeeotk but teacher"s pet's homrwork. She changec 1 out if 190 to 9 out of 20 when Teacher's pet got it. Same teachers wouldn't let me tske my school leaving Englidh GCE Englidh exsm. Teacher's pet snd zi both did badly in pre exsm test, same mark. Teacher let her tske it. Said shechad a bad day. Mh work wasn't good enough.
I went to Secretsrial School next year snd passed it eith top grades. To me that is bad teaching. Still makes me angry at the way she treated me. Unfortunately zi wasn't able to tell her I had done it.

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Now we want to hear from you. Is there a teacher who showed you unexpected kindness back in school?

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One time my biology teacher said she sees potential in me. I didnt become a professor or whatever, but my love for plants grew

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