Teachers are often seen as the epitome of virtue, patience, and wisdom. Society would like everyone to believe that teachers are superheroes. But like every person in a multitude of different careers, teachers have secrets that we usually wouldn’t tell—even our teacher besties—well, unless if we had a few drinks first. Sometimes, the reality of being a teacher comes with its own set of hilarious, shocking, and downright relatable confessions, and we are here for it always.

Here are a few we should have kept to ourselves, but what fun would that have been?

“When my kinders say someone said a bad word, I ask them to repeat it to me cuz it’s funny.”

And usually, they whisper it, or it turns out to be the “s” word, “Stupid.” Along those same lines, I also have called over another teacher to hear a pre-school student tell us the type of truck he was playing with; dump truck sounded just like “dumb f***.”

“I use TPT almost daily.”

Honestly, why the heck wouldn’t you? Teachers create material on TPT for other teachers, and some of the material is a lot more engaging than our dry old textbook curriculum. Sorry, we can’t always follow scripts with fidelity.

“I scheduled surgery in January so I could use all my sick days until the end of the year and then retire.”

School districts provide no good incentive to retire with sick days left. They don’t pay you for sick days, or they pay you pennies on the dollar for leftover days. Use them all, and maybe things will change.

“If I get too behind in grading, I delete the assignment and pretend it never existed.”

If someone asks, merely reply, “I decided this wasn’t a good representative of the learning target.” End of story.

“Often, I copy the last week’s lesson plan and change the date.”

I get it. Lesson planning can be a time-waster when you have a teacher’s guide and know exactly what you do daily. Scribbled-down notes should be allowed and left to a teacher’s discretion.

“I crop dust the class and blame it on the 8th-grade boys.”

With 8th-grade boys and crop dusting going on, you may need some heavy-duty Scentsy in that room.

“When I am early to specials, I say, ‘I hear talking!’ and make my students practice walking in the halls to kill time.”

Honestly, walking in the halls is a skill that constantly needs practice. Someone will always jump up to touch something or someone they should not be touching. Get your steps in!

“Secretly, I do have favorites.”

Here’s the thing, though: Favorites vary from teacher to teacher. Some teachers may favor the class clown troublemaker, while others may like the boot lickers. This is highly subjective.

“Sometimes, I really can’t stand these kids.”

We got into the profession because we like children, but we are 100 percent human. After being continuously ignored and disrespected, we can have secret feelings that are 100 percent justified. Am I right? I mean, some days, I can’t stand my own kids and husband. I cuss them out in my head also.

“Years ago, I would tan on my prep.”

I don’t really find this confession shocking, or see it as a confession at all.  A little Vitamin D is great for mental health, and I am sure you brought papers to grade and didn’t ask students to lather oil on you while you basked in the sun’s glory.

“When I need to get things done or a break, I put the students on EPIC to read.”

Teachers don’t have time for grading, so what’s a little extra reading on a platform kids love? Win, win!

“I accidentally killed the class fish while cleaning the tank. I replaced it without telling the students.”

RIP, Mr. Bubbles. You were a good fish. The kids never suspected a thing, and no one wants to explain the circle of life to first graders.

The weight has been lifted, and it feels like we can breathe easier again—just in time to prepare for even more confessions! These moments of honesty remind us not to take life too seriously.

Shocking confessions keep us laughing at the silly, the awkward, and even the absurd, and they remind us that imperfection is part of being a teacher. Keep ’em coming!

These Shocking Teacher Confessions are So Relatable! đŸ€Ł