Every teacher has a list of sentences they never imagined saying out loud when they signed up for the job. A young high school teacher who posts as @mymainmangunnar decided to share hers, and it is a list that could only come from a room full of fifteen-year-olds. “These are things that I never thought I would have to say as a high school teacher,” she begins, and then she proves it, one deadpan line at a time.
The first one sets the tone. “No dude, I’m not getting Sandy over the weekend,” she tells an unseen student. “This is the third time you’ve asked. Please stop asking me.” She never explains who or what Sandy is, and honestly, that makes it funnier. Whatever the request was, it clearly came up more than once.
Then it gets personal. “Why is your laptop wallpaper a picture of me?” she asks, the kind of question no college education class prepares you for. Teenagers have always found ways to tease the adults they spend all day with, and this generation apparently does it with school-issued laptops.
Scrambled Eggs at 1:45 in the Afternoon
Next comes a mystery worthy of a detective show. “Who dropped scrambled eggs in this seat?” she asks. “It is 1:45 p.m. I don’t even know how this happens.” Anyone who has ever cleaned up after a teenager knows the feeling. Breakfast should be long over by then, yet somehow there it is, on a classroom chair in the middle of the afternoon.
The artwork is another problem. “Alright guys, let’s stop drawing me as a horse,” she says, before adding the follow-up question that sends the whole thing over the top: “And why did you put udders on me?” It is an odd artistic choice, to say the least, and a pretty clear sign her students care more about getting a reaction than getting a good likeness.
She also has to correct a student who has been using a bit of slang on her, reminding them that saying it does not make it true, and gently pointing out, “You’re like 15 years old.”
And then there is the grand finale, delivered with the weary calm of someone who has said it before. “Alright guys, let’s stop farting on each other’s desks. I can smell it from here and you’re on the other side of the room.” Her caption sums up the whole school year so far: things just keep getting crazier as the year goes on.
@mymainmangunnar
For anyone who sat in a classroom decades ago, the details may be new, but the spirit is very familiar. Kids passed notes about teachers, doodled cartoons in the margins of textbooks and pulled pranks that seemed hilarious at the time. The tools have changed. The teenage sense of humor has not changed much at all.
Why Teens Tease the Teachers They Like
It might be tempting to read a list like this as a sign that kids today have no respect. But many longtime educators will tell you something different. Teenagers rarely bother joking around with an adult they dislike or fear. The silly drawings, the repeated requests and the wallpaper stunt usually happen in classrooms where students feel comfortable. A young teacher who is close in age to her students often becomes the target of that kind of playful attention.
That does not mean it is easy. Managing thirty teenagers for an hour at a time takes patience, timing and a thick skin. Teachers have to decide in a split second whether something is harmless fun to laugh off or a line that needs to be drawn. Notice how this teacher handles it. She does not yell. She names the behavior, asks them to stop and moves on. That calm approach is a classroom skill that takes many teachers years to master.
How Grandparents and Parents Can Help From Home
If you have a teenage grandchild or child, a story like this is a good chance to start a conversation instead of a lecture. A few simple ideas can make a real difference for the teachers in their lives:
Ask about their teachers by name. Kids often share more when you ask, “Which teacher makes class fun?” rather than “How was school?” You may learn a lot about the classroom culture, good and bad.
Talk about where the line is. A funny doodle is one thing. Sharing a teacher’s photo online or making fun of someone in a way that could embarrass or hurt them is another. Teens do not always see the difference until an adult points it out, and school rules on photos and devices can carry real consequences.
Back up basic manners. Cleaning up after yourself, not making a mess of shared space and respecting the people around you are lessons that start at home. A teacher should not have to ask a room of high schoolers to stop leaving food on chairs.
Say thank you. Teachers hear plenty of complaints. A short note, an email or a small token from a family that appreciates their work can carry them through a long week. Many teachers keep those notes for years.
Volunteer if you can. Retirees are often a huge help to schools. Reading programs, tutoring, chaperoning and library help are common ways older adults pitch in, and many schools welcome the extra hands. A call to the front office is usually all it takes to find out what is needed.
In the end, this teacher’s list is a reminder that the job is about far more than lesson plans. It is crowd control, comedy, a little bit of detective work and a lot of patience. She seems to be handling all of it with a sense of humor, which may be the most important teaching tool of all. And somewhere out there, a fifteen-year-old is probably still asking about Sandy.
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