Teaching Profession

‘My Dad Is Nocturnal’ And 10 Other Funny Things Kids Have Said to Their Teachers

By Stacey Decker & Marina Whiteleather — November 30, 2023 1 min read
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Kids say the darndest things. That’s why America’s classrooms are full of unfiltered hilarity.

While teachers often work to quell students’ silliness, they sometimes have to stop and laugh along.

Like this teacher who felt cute, only to be roasted by her students:

Here at Education Week, we love when educators share some of their students’ best quips. So recently, we put out a call on social media for even more. What we got back was a mix of cute, creative, and cringey one-liners.

Below is a roundup of some of those responses:

Thanks for the compliment?

“A student once came up and hugged me and took a big whiff and said I smelled so good... like tacos!!”

- Loretta V.

“I love you like my mom, but not in a weird way.”

- Elizabeth M.

“You’re just like my grandma, she is round and squishy too.”

- Deb P.

Ouch

“The year was 1996. I wore a turtleneck, and the first kid walking into class said that I looked like roll on deodorant.”

-Jim H.

“Did you do that to your hair or is it just bed head?”

- Susan M.

“Did you know anyone who was on the Titanic?”

- Sherry W.

Hilarious observations

“Why is my forehead crying? (he was sweating)”

-Abigail A.

“I was playing a lot of Adele, and one of my 11th graders came up to me, real serious, and said, ‘Ms. Carter, who hurt you? Do you need to talk about it?’ ”

- Mary C.

A little too much information

“One of the students told me that he was going to give his Granny one of his teeth because she only has four teeth.”

- Toller C.

“We were discussing nocturnal animals and I had a student raise their hand and say, ‘My dad is nocturnal.’ ”

-Jennifer D.

“Daddy slept on the couch last night.”

- Mary D.

Teachers, looking for a regular dose of inspiration? Sign up for Teacher Update. This newsletter, delivered every Thursday morning, has the latest news and perspectives on teaching.

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