If you could sit in a room with a teacher of your choice from your childhood and tell them anything, what would you say?

[BruhWhy]

I often think about running into my P.E teacher and letting her know that what she didn't know about me was that I was being neglected by my parents, and was ashamed about the way I looked and smelled... also ashamed and worried about the fact I didn't have period products, and that's why I made excuses and forged notes to get out of P.E - I wasn't lazy and stupid, she didn't need to shout at me in front of everyone and say these things, all she needed to do was ask and I'd have told her...

I'd also love to tell my lovely English teacher that him telling me that my essay was the best he'd read that year was the first compliment I'd ever gotten from a teacher, and I still think about the way that made me feel to this day

And a positive one!

To Miss Brinkley. Thank you. I couldn't thank you at the time because I was too wrapped up in my own pain, but your kindness really did make all the difference. You were the one good thing about that school. You showed me that I wasn't alone, and that there might be a future.

So I'm still here, and life is so much better than it was. Better than I could have imagined. I think of you often. I dedicated my first dissertation to you, even though I knew you'd never see it.

I wouldn't have written my book if it weren't for you

Mrs J - you told me I was the last person you would recommend for the 11+. Mrs P, you persuaded my parents to let me try. I passed. I still remember the look on Mrs J's face when she was telling me how thick I was.

And Mrs C - you were an awesome Classics teacher and made me fall in love with the subject. I'm so sorry you are no longer with us.

You betrayed my trust by believing my father when he said my depression was attention seeking. My mother and I were actually victims of domestic violence.

You were a bunch of jealous , petty minded abusive bitches. Nuns who seemed to resent our freedom and youth. Worse was the Head nun that sucked up to the daughters of wealthy parents. Pathetic to watch.
You made me hate school,thought college would be more of the same and just wanted out of education. Have to to take some of the blame myself but I definitely under achieved due to your negative influences .
Micky Dodgers .

Stop ending every explanation with 'now did you understand that Champagne!??'
We all know I struggled at maths but that sentence was for your benefit not mine. I got a C at Gcse and it wasn't because of your 'help'

I absolutely 100% did not cheat in that test, it really was my own work!

Would love to thank my husbands special needs teacher. Hes severely dyslexic. Told her he had big dreams for his future and she always encouraged him, was with him step by step and he flourished. To the teacher that laughed at him and said not to aim high as the highest he would achieve is a shop job I say something I shouldn't write down. Oh and hes now an IT architect.

I've recently been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to thank my J4 (year 6) teacher for being so all-round awesome and for being the first teacher to awaken a glimmer of self-confidence and encourage me to put my hand up and answer questions, having been practically mute in school until that point, and for sparking a lifelong fascination with old graveyards when he found my namesake in one during a school trip (apparently my mum went into school and gave him a bollocking about that!). We're friends now on FB - he was so legendary that when I told my teenager, he said 'What - THE Mr Roberts??' as if I'd told him I was friends with Beyoncé 🤣

I would love to thank the teacher that let me sit in her classroom every lunch time for months.

Mrs Edmunds - you had no right to grab my arm because i didn't understand the angles of different triangles, you didn't have the right to call me a stupid girl in front of the whole class either, I was 7 ffs.

Mrs Knibbs - the shitty Romeo and Juliet masquerade mask that I made, that you slagged off in front of everyone, was made with the materials I bought with the £5 I made babysitting. I had a choice between eating or doing the homework and I chose to complete the homework. Fuck you.

Alison, English lit and language tutor in college. It's been 15 years and I still love poetry and classic literature, I have a beautiful illustrated complete works of Shakespeare and I read the Jabberwocky to my boy now. You were a legend and you didn't deserve to be forced into voluntary redundancy.

I would thank my old headmaster Mr C. He was an inspirational headmaster and well ahead of his time. He would be pleased to hear that I finaly made it to uni - albeit many years later - and achieved high academic honours.

Some years after I left school (1960s) I found out that one of my bosses lived near to Mr C (now retired) and asked that he pass on my good wishes if they ever met. At his retirement party my boss told me that he had indeed met my old head a few weeks before and had passed on my good wishes and regards. He told me Mr C remembered me at once. He said that one of the most satisfying and humbling experiences for a teacher is to be told by a former student that you had inspired them and made a difference in their life.

That pointing out that I would have been the only girl in electronics was wrong and unnecessary. It made me think I wasn’t welcome and shouldn’t want to do it. I would have aced it and got the top mark, in the same way I did for A level physics where I was also the only girl.

And to my A level maths teacher that he was generally a shit teacher who made a beautiful subject more confusing than it needed to be, by picking obscure and difficult content that was really unnecessary. His inability to teach it meant that I dropped it and in doing so closed off a whole chunk of subjects to me. And also that frequenting the same bars and clubs as your students is creepy and weird.

Thank you Mr Windross, for calming me down in between exams and for introducing me to philosophy and critical thought!

I was 10 years old Mrs Williams and you bullied me until I admitted to something I had not done. Because of you I had a breakdown and failed the 11+.

MAY YOU BURN IN THE FIRES OF HELL!!

Mr E I did deserve my excellent GCSE result for your subject and no, it was not a fluke. Your words and behaviour destroyed me and I’ve struggled with confidence in my academic abilities ever since, even with an Honours Degree under my belt. Even studying the subject as part of my degree did not restored my confidence.

Mrs C there are no words to describe the humiliation you put me through.

Mrs M you were the only teacher with a positive influence during my entire school life. I ended up studying your subject at uni even although that was never my intention.

Miss, you had a joy for teaching and a love of children that shone through all you did.

Out of 14 years of learning, and maybe 30 teachers and you were the best

Mr G you were a pervy sleazeball. All us (16 year old) girls thought your ‘subtle’ sexual innuendos were disgusting.

David even as a 4/5 year old I was in love with you, I remember you playing Bob Marley 3 little birds on your guitar. I just wanted you to love me, you were the only man I had in my life as my dad just left us. I remember when you were asked in assembly to pick your favourite boy and girl from your class. I sat so nicely and had a beaming smile as I waited for you to say my name but you didnt, I felt a lump in my throat, I was heartbroken.

Mrs kaur You didnt need to always stop in the middle of reading and look at me in disgust to say go and wipe your nose, you gave everyone a free pass to take the piss out of me, you could have just passed me one and not made a big deal. I was so glad when you once said it to another boy, it took the spotlight of me for a change. You always used to asked us if you looked young, I think you were fishing for compliments but you just looked old with your greying hair. Even years later as an adult when I got the opportunity to work with you, you asked me the same question,stop being fucking weird, yes your old!

Miss Perrins thank you for sticking up for me, when I never had a partner and natasha was showing off. You were always so kind to me. I hated that school and I couldn't wait to leave. I hated coming to school. I didnt really have anyone to play with and spent most of my time playing with the younger kids.

My y7and 8 head of year and maths teacher. You were so nice at first even though you didn't know my name. Then when I started getting into trouble in year8 I was in your office more, I found it strange when you spoke to me in a harsh tone around other staff when in the office, then when they left you would tell me to shut the door and just sit there with you. Even weirder was that time you shouted out 'i love you' when I got an equation right answer in maths, everyone kept wooing, even my friend asked me if you fancied me because you were always sniffing around me.

Omg so sorry didnt realise it was that long.

Just because I was shy, didnt mean I did not know the answers and your disdainful surprise saying 'I dont know how you managed that, you never say anything', that I came third out of 35, in the written exam was rude and hurtful. What would have been more encouraging was something like 'well done Rose'.

Mr Robinson, you were an amazing teacher. Thanks. Me and R are still friends (over 30 years later!) and we both agree you were the best teacher ever.
Mr P-G you were a nasty c*nt of a principal who terroised kids like some sadist. Seriously, strapping anyone at the drop of a hat like it was the 1950's? and telling my parents it was my fault I was bullied as I would be a 'hermit by the time I was 30??' really? I can safely report that is definitely NOT the case. So F you.
Miss Thomas you were an awful b!tch. Changing the uniform when we were halfway through our final years and expecting us to shell out for a new uniform that would be worn half a year . . . yeah right! if you put as much effort into actually teaching (and actually dealing with the full on sexual harrassment a lot of us girls were dealing with and fobbing it off) then you would've been and OK teacher. F you.

I did get the chance, as I went back to the school to work as the IT Manager and two teachers that really stuck in my mind where still there.

Maths teacher, who said to me "you will never go to university, you're too thick.". Could tell him I did go, graduated and he was talked shit and should never have been a teacher. He had the shock of his life when I walked in the staff room.

My computer studies teacher. He always believed in me and encouraged me and we had a great working relationship. He was one of the best teachers I ever had.

Mrs S, I was an abused and neglected child, thank you for telling me I was good for nothing except the dole queue. Actually, once I had dragged myself from poverty, purchased several houses in my twenties, sold my business and effectively retired at 35 I graduated from Oxford in my early forties for fun. I guess I was not so thick after all. Also your habit of leaving empty tea cups containing squashed lemons all over the classroom was gross.