Teacher Tales

Teaching is never just about notes and lesson plans, but about navigating unexpected, hilarious, and downright bizarre things students say. Teachers have had their fair share of funny student stories, but some stories stick out more than others. From innocent misunderstandings to brutal honesty, these stories from WV teachers will make you chuckle.

Mr. Ryan, for example, recalls an odd answer for one of his questions in class: “Yeah, when Jasmine burned her ex’s clothes over spring break.” When students got back from spring break, Mr. Ryan assigned a question asking what students did over spring break involving science. Jasmine Stephenson decided to be honest and tell the class what she did over break, which happened to be science related. Moreover, Mr. Pollock, before he switched to the library, remembers a bizarre question asked from one of his freshman students. One student asked him if he would go on a date with the student’s mom, which he said no.

Ms. Shearer ponders on her most out-of-touch question a student has asked her. She took some time to think of the craziest statement a student has said to her, and one sticks out like a sore thumb from her old school: “What was it like being born in the 1900s?” Ms. Shearer was, in fact, not born in the 1900s. Mrs. Core-Stine also remembers a distinct memory from her first years of teaching: “I can fit 35 cents up my nose. Probably more, but all I had was a dime and a quarter…”

This story from Mrs. Walters features her whole English class getting confused with History. She began her lesson on Shakespeare, and asked her students what he has written, and one student confidently raised her hand and answered “Hamilton!” After Mrs. Walters explained that he did not write Hamilton, she moved on to facts about Shakespeare. While a student was writing his notes, he said that Shakespeare married Anne Frank, not Anne Hathaway. Another student scoffed and retorted that Anne Frank was the deaf and blind girl, not his wife. These conversations happened during the same class period.

Last, but definitely not least, Mr. Kneisley told us about a students rushing in to class to tell Mr. Kneisley about an impressive bowel movement the student had, and how the bowel movement was shaped as a Hi-C bottle. Mr. Kneisley didn’t say if he was impressed or not, but I would assume he was.

If there is one thing teachers can count on, it is that no two days are ever alike, especially when it comes to the random conversations coming from students’ mouths. Those wild, wacky, and strange instances remind us that humor is just as much a part of the classroom as learning is. Therefore, as a student, teacher, or someone who enjoys a good story, remember that the best stories are where you would least expect them to be.