We all have had at least one teacher in school that we did not particularly like, either because they simply weren’t good at their job or because they were unprofessional. There have been multiple times when I have sat in a classroom and wondered about how this person is able to keep their job with the way they behave; or, if they even realize what they are doing (or in some cases, not doing). Personally, I have experienced several “bad” teachers.

My first experience with a bad teacher was when I was in the second grade. I was a good student and never really caused too much trouble. Now we all know those kids who always said they needed to use the restroom, but never actually did. They would just sit in the bathroom or walk around the halls with their friends. I never cared what they did; it never affected me. Until one day, I really, really needed to pee. I raised my hand and asked my teacher if I could use the restroom. She said no. Again, I asked her and again she said no. She even made a comment saying that she didn’t believe that I actually needed to use it. So what happened? Well, my 8yr old bladder couldn’t hold it and I peed all over the chair and my dress. Instead of apologizing to me or helping me in any way, my teacher punished me with detention. Fortunately, my mom came to my rescue and had a strong discussion with her and from then on, my second grade year was fine.

Moving on! I thought I was lucky and wouldn’t experience another bad teacher. I finished elementary and middle school with great teachers. However, my sophomore year of high school was different. I was taking a math class and my young, pretty teacher, as sweet she was, was just as naïve. She taught well, but was too easy. When it came to tests, if a student asked what the answer was or said that they didn’t know the answer, she would simply do it for them. She would literally take the test for the students that didn’t feel like doing it. That’s not teaching. Even worse, during those tests, there would be a group of guys sitting next to each other. One of them would raise their hand, she would come over, and while she was leaning over to look at the problem, the other guys would be checking her out and making comments loud enough for everyone to hear; including her. But did she do anything? No. I like to think that she was too nice and too naïve to think that they did so on purpose.

I graduated high school with no more problems. A couple years of college went by and I let most of my frustrations with faculty go, chalking it up to them just being overwhelmed with the amount of students and parents they had to deal with. However, I came upon a math class that I am currently taking this semester. The teacher I have is obnoxious and I question every class period how she has her job. For starters, she would teach the wrong math equation and then weeks later, she would correct herself as she passed out the test. When I thought that she couldn’t get worse, she did. My teacher knocked over a student’s drink and it spilled all over the floor. Did my teacher apologize? No. Instead, she threatened to kick the student out of class for disrupting the class while trying to clean up the mess. I attempted to speak to someone higher up, but they just blew me off and implied that they didn’t believe me.

Now, what’s the moral of these little stories? That you should just stick it out and put up with bad teachers? That there will eventually be justice? Unfortunately, no. In life, shit happens. You will find people that frustrate you and make you question who is in charge, but it’s important to just persevere. It sounds cheesy, but don’t let “bad” people get you down.