Article Rewrite:
Please be advised that the following article contains references to sexual abuse.
In a recent survey conducted by the BuzzFeed Community, former students were asked to share shocking stories about teachers in their school district who were fired for valid reasons. Here are some of the responses:
1. “About a year after I graduated, she was arrested for embezzling approximately $8,000 in school funds to pay off her gambling debts.” – Anonymous
2. “My 5th grade teacher threw a desk at a student. Despite the student’s history of misconduct and multiple encounters with the school board, no action was taken against him. They couldn’t fully terminate his employment due to fear of a lawsuit from the union. Instead, they promoted him to vice principal of another school in a different town. Eventually, he became the principal.” – thelategreatnobody
3. “She kept leaving hemorrhoid cream in students’ lockers. It remains a mystery whether it was hers and she kept misplacing it in their lockers or if it was some bizarre gift. We never found out.” – Anonymous
4. “A middle school teacher (28 years old) formed a literal cult around herself. She fit the stereotypical image of an American teacher – blonde, fashionable, and coach of the cheerleading team. Initially, she seemed nice, but her disrespectful behavior towards students became apparent over time. Her favorites, who resembled younger versions of her, would boast about seeing her wedding dress or meeting her fiancé. They were placed in honors classes despite near-failing scores, while a classmate of mine with perfect scores was denied entry into honors because he allegedly mocked her in one of our classes, even though he was simply repeating instructions to a confused classmate.” – Anonymous
5. “My cousin’s science and shop teacher was fired for teaching the boys in the shop class how to make pipe bombs.” – Anonymous [Image: Willie B. Thomas/Getty Images]
6. “Our algebra teacher was fired after just one year because he couldn’t do math. It’s not a joke. Several of us would go up to the board and correct him in the middle of solving equations because we understood how to balance them, while he struggled.” – notsosane1991
7. “When my daughter was in 2nd grade (around 6-7 years old), her art teacher had a meltdown because a student started painting before being instructed to. She grabbed his almost-finished project and tore it up. When some of the kids began crying, she proceeded to destroy their artwork as well. She then threatened the class, saying that anyone who moved would receive detention and be forced to sit in the woods for an hour after dark. The children were terrified, and my daughter and three others ran out of the classroom. The teacher chased them down the hallway, but they found refuge with another teacher. The art teacher dismissed their claims, labeling them as liars. Unsurprisingly, a mass email was sent the following week, announcing her immediate retirement. I believe some of my daughter’s classmates are still in therapy because of that incident.” – lunallee212
8. “One of the chemistry teachers was caught masturbating in his empty classroom.” – Anonymous
9. “I had a middle school band director who stuttered severely. When he got angry with the percussion section, he couldn’t manage to reprimand them due to his stutter. Instead, he would throw drumsticks at them. It’s worth mentioning that the percussion section is always located at the back of the band, so those drumsticks had to fly over the entire band to reach the drummers. Thankfully, we had a new director the following year.” – graytrees
10. “It was discovered that the music teacher had been working at the school for 20 years without a degree.” – Triplesss [Image: Sean De Burca/Getty Images]
11. “My freshman year health teacher was arrested on nine counts of child pornography and one count of child exploitation. He started working at an elementary school the year I graduated, and he was arrested about a year and a half later.” – Anonymous
12. “I managed to get a teacher fired from my middle school due to his inappropriate behavior towards students. It began with him placing his hand on the back of kids’ necks or on their shoulders, but one day, he grabbed a girl’s bra strap on her shoulder and snapped it like a rubber band. When we complained to other staff members, they ignored us. So, I started a petition and circulated it throughout the school. Almost everyone who had a class with this teacher signed it, and I submitted it to the school resource officer. The teacher was gone by the end of the week.” – Anonymous
13. “My high school English teacher, who had recently graduated from college and seemed normal, decided to read her dream journal to the class while teaching the book ‘Finnegans Wake’ by James Joyce. Unfortunately, most of her dreams were incredibly unhinged and explicitly sexual. I won’t go into detail, but one dream involved her having explosive diarrhea while engaging in sexual activities with the elderly art teacher. Students begged her to stop, but she ignored them and continued reading. It was as if she was in a trance. Someone eventually informed the principal, but even then, she refused to put an end to it. Security had to remove her from the school premises. It was a truly wild experience!” – Anonymous
14. “She created a ‘Big Boob List’ that included the names of teachers and faculty members with large breasts. She distributed this list to her students, claiming it was required reading.” – Anonymous
15. “She had an affair with the president of the PTA’s husband.” – Anonymous [Image: Ableimages/Getty Images]
16. “During my freshman year of high school, my science teacher, while sitting on his desk, grabbed my arm as I walked past. He pulled me between his legs, squeezed them together, and whispered in my ear, ‘You excite me.’ Naturally, I went home and told my dad, and we reported the incident to the school board. I was transferred out of his class and received an A in science. The teacher’s contract was terminated at the end of the year.” – Anonymous
17. “A teacher at my small-town school was arrested at a strip club for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest after entering the women’s restroom. A few years later, I encountered him working as a valet at a chain restaurant in Boston.” – Anonymous
18. “She was involved in a hit and run accident that resulted in the death of someone. Despite this, she went to school and taught her classes that day. Someone reported her license plate, and she was arrested outside of school hours. She used to be the home economics teacher at my high school. She received a light sentence, around two years, and was released from prison before I finished high school. She now runs a small boutique downtown, and if you search our school’s name, her mugshot appears.” – Anonymous
19. Lastly, “My 8th-grade science teacher provided elaborate details about her breast augmentation surgery. She discussed the scientific aspects of the procedure, why she decided to get it, the level of pain she experienced, and the appearance and feel of her breasts afterward. She showed us before and after pictures and even presented a chart she had created, depicting the increase in the number of men she slept with per month following the operation. It was an incredibly surreal experience. She was fired shortly after.” – Anonymous
We would like to hear from you. If you’re a teacher who has witnessed colleagues being terminated for absurd reasons, please share your story in the comments or through our anonymous Google Form. Your response may be featured in an upcoming BuzzFeed article.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE. The hotline will connect you with the nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also find your local center by conducting an online search.
