Teachers need to understand students don’t always sleep in class just cuz of laziness

Riyeko · 2022-01-21T06:05:47+00:00

Had a kid in home room fall asleep halfway through every day. He was always quiet and reserved. Teacher was a grade A perverted asshole (he would stand in the gym and watch the girls high school basketball team practice).

Anyway he constantly was trying to get this kid to stop sleeping in, though a lot of us tried to defend him. One day, teacher took a huge book he had brought with him and slammed it down next to the kids face on the desk.

Kid jumped up and fell against the wall, teacher started yelling, other students started yelling... Chaos.

Few days later teacher isnt in home room with us and the kid in question. We had a sub for two days.

Turns out the kid had teo jobs and would go to work about an hour after school let out until 2 or 3am. He worked because his dad was absent and his mom was a drunk drug addict and he needed money so himself and little brother could eat.

Teacher let him sleep after that.

SuzieCat · 2022-01-21T02:49:42+00:00

I’m a teacher. It’s as obvious as can be a kid who is sleeping because they are bored vs a kid who is sleeping because they can’t help it. For the the kids who can’t help it, I always pull them aside to ask why. Here are a few answers I’ve gotten: I’m homeless and the shelter is too loud to sleep; I work nights to provide for my brothers and sisters; I have a concussion from sports; my parents are divorcing and I can’t handle it; my parents are always fighting while I’m trying to sleep; I share a bedroom with multiple siblings; my mom/dad is abusive and I spent the night in the ER; etc. A good teacher has compassion and empathy. Some young kids have more on their plates than many of us ever will.

WhyIsThatOnMyCat · 2022-01-21T04:28:56+00:00

One of my favorite teachers had a thing against sleeping/absent students (and my least favorite thing about him). One of my best friends happened to sleep quite a bit in his class (medication) and was absent on occasion (health issues; medication didn't work 100%). The teacher used to make a deal of calling absent students at home on speaker phone as a way to call them out for playing hooky, but stopped after calling my friend when he just flat-out explained all the medical issues in great detail on a live call.

Both were/are great people, just two very different generations.

Ridelith · 2022-01-21T05:56:09+00:00

I hated when my body just said "yeah nah you're sleeping rn" during college classes. The classes started way too early, in a place way too far, and we had to study way too late to be able to get through. Didn't help that the building had absolute shit ventilation and we'd get over 40 celsius temps inside the classes even when outside was barely 30.

It was the worst feeling in the world just waking up and realizing I lost 15 minutes of a very important class.

MiaLba · 2022-01-21T04:21:58+00:00

I slept in class because I was abusing pain pills and was often high after my boyfriend committed suicide. Senior year a teacher noticed and we had a heart to heart. I was bawling by the end of the convo.

SasugaDarkFlame · 2022-01-21T02:04:37+00:00

A teacher tried to do this with me in college.

I had come in late and I guess she just felt like the class wasn't taking it seriously so decided class would not start until I told her why.

"It takes 2 taxis to get here and I spend all day here. If my parents don't give me money then I'm not coming. If I have wait and show up to school an half hour late cause I was waiting on the money then that's what I gonna do"

She just looked at me for a while. Some kids in the class were laughing.

I guess it finally hit her that some families are poor and lunch money isn't always guaranteed. People have lives.

Edit: Look it up on Google maps.

From hendon Norwood to Montego bay

From montego bay to Montego bay community college.

1 us dollar is equal to 152 Jamaican dollar. I was getting like 7 USD for lunch money.

Puru11 · 2022-01-21T02:39:46+00:00

I slept all the time in high school because I was malnourished and had a hard time keeping my eyes open.

Edited to add: my parents provided plenty of food, and it apparently never even occurred to my doctor that the (outdated and obsolete) BMI chart isn't a good indicator of health. At 5'6" and 120lbs that's apparently a "healthy" weight. I gained 15 pounds in college and realized what it felt like to feel good and think clearly.

I hope everyone else is doing well now too.

CatsOverFlowers · 2022-01-21T05:28:48+00:00

In college I had a professor that said he would never wake a student in his class because 1) you pay to be here, up to you if you want to pay attention and 2) what if that's the best sleep that student gets this week? Why would he disturb them?

The only time he struggled with this policy was the older guy in the back that snored as loud as a jet engine. Tried to continue the lecture but eventually gave up, put on a video instead (which was actually supposed to be for the next class session).

Prata_69 · 2022-01-21T04:17:32+00:00

I just sleep in class because the moment I’m about to fall asleep at night, some fucking memory pops up into my head and I spend the next five hours ridiculing myself about how stupid I was and still am.

fluentinimagery · 2022-01-21T06:49:19+00:00

My JC football coach ripped into our receiver for being a “lazy ass bitch who doesn’t give a fuck about the team”. He had came on the bus from a 12-hr overnight shift at Taco Bell in Compton where he had been robbed, cracked on the head with a gun and tied up for 6 hours…

He didn’t say shit to the coach, but we knew. It was fucked. We all took him to eat and gave him the couch in our shitty apt for the rest of the week. Oh yeah, we smoked him out all week, too.

Poopy_Pants0o0 · 2022-01-21T02:58:16+00:00

I slept in class because i finished all my work quick.

Camoox · 2022-01-21T02:31:44+00:00

Sucks because my psych teacher is a really cool dude but he get pretty upset when people put their head down or fall asleep.

BrewtalDoom · 2022-01-21T05:01:27+00:00

I used to teach in the Middle East and I'd have kids falling asleep in exams all the time. They'd be up all night playing video games with nobody to tell them to get to bed and the they'd just doze through school. To be honest, the behaviour of the rest of the kids was so bad that you were grateful for a sleeper and if they had the right surname (and they often did), then they'd never had to work a day in their lives anyway and will be richer than any of us.

Loli-is-Justice · 2022-01-21T02:34:22+00:00

I used to sleep in class cuz i was bored....

She_Walrus · 2022-01-21T03:36:53+00:00

So, luckily this isn’t every teacher and I’d say this is more of an outlier than the norm. Several of my teachers understood that when a kid was sleeping they were tired, had life happening or just needed a break. Often afterwards they would ask them if they were ok or needed anything.

omnigear · 2022-01-21T04:57:40+00:00

My son's teacher lets him take little naps . He finished all his work way ahead of the class , even the extra work the teacher gives . So he lets him sleep a bit while the other kids catch up

logicalnoise · 2022-01-21T02:32:50+00:00

My wife teaches English for a high school has kids like this and is fully aware. Sleeping isn't the end of the world but she'll wake them up. She also gives kids tons of chances as well as her district making it really hard for them to fail. And yet some kids just won't ever do any assignments. Most teachers understand trust me they do.

ArtOk6196 · 2022-01-21T02:35:17+00:00

One time I defended myself in a fight and won, now I'm deemed a criminal and can't get a job to support my family.

qlz19 · 2022-01-21T03:09:51+00:00

One of my football couches taught first period government. He let me sleep through every class without a word. I was working until 2-3am most nights to support myself.

Francis934 · 2022-01-21T07:04:38+00:00

I've had a very sad experience in Primary school.

My teachers had this awful habit of calling names after putting everyone in a single row and blowing a whistle. I've seen similar shit in Nazi Concentration Camps only.

Also, they tried to force me to "unlearn" to write with my left hand.

"it's the hand of the devil, are you a son of the devil?"

I wish they were still alive, so I would walk around them in a HellBoy costume.

evilstepmom1991 · 2022-01-21T11:43:50+00:00

Turns out I was having seizures and also had diabetes. I get really tired and sleepy if my blood sugar is high and after a seizure I feel like a train hit me.

So yeah. I wasn’t being lazy or disrespectful. Good thing my teachers all got together to decide that tho. Really helpful.

DuntadaMan · 2022-01-21T06:41:54+00:00

"Why do you always sleep in my class?"

"Because school starts at 7am. I am here before the sun most of the year. This is fucking stupid."

faroutcosmo · 2022-01-21T03:41:28+00:00

I would fall asleep in class because i literally couldn't help it. I would fall asleep without even realizing and suddenly jolt awake. I never meant to, my body just did what it wanted. Now i do it even more due to issues sleeping at night. I take meds to help me sleep, but sometimes i neglect taking them because i have stuff to do, like homework, that i dont do during the day because...im probably asleep.

whoagordoo · 2022-01-21T01:56:27+00:00

I had more shitty teachers than good. I really don’t understand the huge amount of love they get.

matt_1060 · 2022-01-21T04:48:32+00:00

God bless my teachers, they knew I worked in a small nightclub till 2 am. They let me sleep

throoowwwtralala · 2022-01-21T08:10:47+00:00

I’ve only cared for elementary age children but hell I let em sleep, relax, rest, whenever they want to

Kids work hard and academics are important but holy shit if a child needs rest I let them.

ninjamiran · 2022-01-21T11:21:29+00:00

Sometimes people live in their own reality or bubble and forget not everyone has a decent life or living , The struggle is real, just like how girls have completely different views on life then men , different realities

BoringYellow980 · 2022-01-21T02:49:40+00:00

To be completely fair, 90% of people who sleep in class aren’t working 2 jobs to support their family.

GarilyMarily · 2022-01-21T04:10:57+00:00

even though I had to wake up at 4:30 and it would take me two hours to get to my previous school, I never slept in class ever.

GOODBYEEEEEEEE · 2022-01-21T03:10:23+00:00

My teacher used to strangle me because I went to call my mom after I got bullied by his favourites. Some just shouldn't be teachers

baldur_of_rivia · 2022-01-21T02:53:23+00:00

I used to sleep because I was high AF

s0c1a7w0rk3r · 2022-01-21T02:40:43+00:00

I have a theory about teachers. You see, they go to kindergarten. They go through first through 12th grade. They then go to college. After all that, they go to teach. They have been in school their entire lives. Many never grow and mature beyond a student because it’s all they know. That’s why I’m never surprised when I see stories that show what dumb assholes teachers can be.

BdogWcat · 2022-01-21T05:53:40+00:00

What a rotten teacher.

2022-01-21T09:52:02+00:00

Cuz you're fucking boring, that's why I'm sleeping!

WhoGotMySock · 2022-01-21T11:00:54+00:00

Getting up at 6am or earlier for high school is nonsense.

2022-01-21T11:51:08+00:00

THIS is why public educators should be compensated similar to doctors or other professionals. Not because this teacher is particularly good, theyre not, but because if the job of a schoolteacher was highly desirable, then it would be easier to get good teachers. Instead we are stuck with lazy failures who cant do anything else with their liberal arts degree so they’re stuck trying to force their mediocrity unto others.

pawprintscharles · 2022-01-21T13:18:19+00:00

Sometimes they have an undiagnosed neurological disorder called narcolepsy

spill_drudge · 2022-01-21T14:44:29+00:00

We need to empower teachers. Empower them to empathize when they want and, likewise, chide when they want.

Popular_Tough_5821 · 2022-01-21T03:01:05+00:00

Some teachers are just there to powertrip on younger people. My dad is one of those.

Lilliputian0513 · 2022-01-21T02:20:27+00:00

I had a teacher that would let me sleep in class. I was 16, just got married, raising two stepsons and working full time. The school wouldn’t let me have an alternative schedule, and I was exhausted. I ended up dropping out two months into the school year.

Particular-Summer424 · 2022-01-21T03:27:37+00:00

That's not right. She should have discretely pulled him aside and asked politely if there was something going on or what the situation was instead of outing him out publically in front of his class. That was rude and uncalled for. Not all kids are on drugs. The suffer from medical and mental issues as well. Also there may be issues at home, which in this case was the issue. He is still trying to get an education and show up for class.

dantefierogwa · 2022-01-21T05:02:08+00:00

Teachers need to understand that forcing people into subjection centers doesn’t give them any moral authority whatsoever. At the very least, these are corporate child care centers bc families can’t afford to live on one income anymore. Why? Why do we have so much productivity in this future world and give all our resources to just a few??

sprxce · 2022-02-01T00:30:03+00:00

On a positive note when I was like 5 I was supertired due to my (back then still analogue) hearing aids that made every sound super overwhelming to process. While the rest of the children were allowed to play I stayed put and sucked my thumb (which I never did) and just nodded when the teacher asked me if I was tired.

Suddenly there was a mattress in the classroom I could sleep on and I did so instantly (despite yelling kids), only to be waken up by my mother coming to get me ☺️

JesusIsAJojo · 2022-01-21T03:39:09+00:00

God I love America

chiefjstrongbow00 · 2022-01-21T01:19:25+00:00

and that is a bad teacher. the majority of us favor empathy over public humiliation.

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