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Education

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Original poster

What school subjects did you find a humiliating experience?

93 replies

BeRubyReader · 02/04/2025 19:10

Apart from PE
I would say Spanish , couldn't learn the language so humiliating when having to do the bit where you had to have a conversation with the teach inn the language

OP posts:

Missey85 · 03/04/2025 05:03

I was hopeless in typing class 😆 I'd make a horrible secretary

Allhatnocattle · 03/04/2025 05:09

maths and French, was able to give up French though fairly early, maths was a school long slog of humiliation

TumbledTussocks · 03/04/2025 08:17

Barleysugar86 · 02/04/2025 19:23

PE and languages for me too. But especially PE.

You'd never get a kid who was bad at maths being made to answer questions publically in front of a whole school of parents and classmates whilst simultaneously 'letting their team down' when they came last everytime. My kids sports day seems a lot gentler now than mine- lots of races run in a relay so its not as obvious who is going slow.

DC’s school had whole school team relays and then bigger opt in races. It was great the athletic kids loved doing the bigger special race and anyone who thought it would be torture didn’t. Everyone still took part.

Barleysugar86 · 03/04/2025 09:02

strangecarinroad · 02/04/2025 20:28

PE -humiliation every bloody lesson, I am rubbish at ball sports,. Why oh why has PE still not progressed to allow children to pick what sports they are actually good at or enjoy?? I would have happily done aerobics/palates or gym work.. But no I learnt to hate sport instead!.

Also French wasn't great im just not great at languages.

I think it has? My son has had both yoga and archery in his PE lessons this term (state primary)

doglikescheeseontoast · 03/04/2025 09:06

PE, for so many reasons. Who, WHO, decided the optimum colour shorts for girls going through puberty was white? And the showering afterwards, with the sadistic teacher who stood at the entrance to the showers holding our towels, refusing to give them back until she deemed we’d been in long enough, and commenting on our (naked, obvs) bodies.

Plus I was (still am) dreadfully short sighted and we had to leave our glasses in the PE teacher’s office ‘for safety reasons’. So games like rounders that involved a small ball, generally hurtling towards you, were another form of torture.

When my daughter went to high school and it became clear that not much had changed, I wrote her a note for every single PE lesson that she asked me to.

LoveMySushi · 03/04/2025 09:28

drspouse · 02/04/2025 19:16

PE - if a teacher laughed at a child who couldn't do Maths they'd be sacked - but it's ok for one who can't do PE?

I was asked to the board for maths and laughed at several times in my teens. Definitely my worst subject. And I wasnt even that bad. I had a new teacher a year later and my grades improved so much.

NewsdeskJC · 03/04/2025 13:12

Pe generally. Had some dreadful experiences. Not least of which was developing before everyone else and being required to shower naked.

AllLopsided · 03/04/2025 17:32

PE has to be the worst! I'm sure I missed the lesson when the teacher explained the rules of netball...

After that, German, because I did A level in a small group of 4 and I was the weakest. The teacher was always cross with me and I spent whole lessons trying not to cry. I would fix a smile in my face to try to stop the tears and she'd say 'there's no point sitting there smiling'. I am actually good at languages and got decent grades in French and Latin at A level, then went on to do some Italian as part of my degree. I lived in Germany for 2.5 years, managed the language fine and left having improved (unlike DH who learned about 10 words ). Now live in a French-speaking country and am fluent. But I failed German A level solely because the teacher was so horrible.

I came bottom of the class in 3rd year needlework but the teacher was always encouraging.

loropianalover · 03/04/2025 17:35

Maths because our teacher used to call people up one by one to solve things on the board. I’d completely lose all ability to add and subtract standing up there in front of everyone, never mind do long division etc. She’d always say ‘what do you not understand’ and I’d be red faced not even understanding what it is that I don’t understand!

Spidey66 · 03/04/2025 17:39

Cookery. I was shit and the teacher hated me and constantly humiliated me.

it got so bad I was always ‘sick’ on Tuesdays, cookery day. This had the knock on effect of my performance and reports suffering.

I believed for years I was useless at cooking. I’ve got better over the years but I still have a huge lack of self belief in my ability to cook.

Mydadsbirthday · 03/04/2025 23:38

Apollonia1 · 02/04/2025 22:42

PE.
I was shortsighted and got glasses to read the blackboard at age 12.
I didn’t realize I needed the glasses to see the ball when playing rounders during PE. So, since I couldn’t see the ball, I just swiped wildly, hoping by chance I might hit the ball. Once I did. The bitch of a PE teacher led the whole class in a slow handclap, saying “she’s FINALLY hit the ball”.
If only I could go back in time and tell her what I think of her, I’d eviscerate her.

Same. I played rounders every summer for 5 years and not once did I manage to hit the ball.

The PE teacher wasn't interested in kids like me, never once took me to one side and actually coached me or anything.

Other humiliating lessons, still PE related were netball and lacrosse. Loathed lacrosse with a passion and used to skive off a lot. I actually played netball as an adult for a few years and wasn't the best but enjoyed it a lot.

Against all odds I have two sporty teens and constantly driving them to galas / tournaments / matches / competitions. I'm so happy for them that they didn't take after me.

I was very academic at school though so I moved past the PE humiliation because I was usually top of the class in everything else but that's not what makes you popular at school in the lower years!

Cattenberg · 04/04/2025 00:10

Same. I played rounders every summer for 5 years and not once did I manage to hit the ball.

I think I managed to give it a glancing blow once. The backstop would always ready herself to catch the ball when I stepped up to bat.

Moulook31 · 04/04/2025 00:14

Makinglists · 02/04/2025 19:22

Needlework - in particular dressmaking was hopeless - strange as I was actually quite good at embroidery but we never did that.

French - I was fairly near the top in my other subjects - but could I do French - no just didnt get it - when Ive been to France I freeze when trying to speak any more than Bonjour - I can read simple French and get the general idea. Never understood why I was so hopeless.

The same. Was terrible at needlework. The dress I sewed fell apart. I was good at embroidery though.

MarkingBad · 04/04/2025 00:38

Amberlynnswashcloth · 03/04/2025 03:19

English and the forced reading aloud to the class. Although I was an avid reader, for some reason I could never read aloud as I couldn't get the words from my head to my mouth if that makes sense? Its hard to explain but its like there's a disconnect there. So I would read ahead to my part just so that I was familiar with what to say when it was my turn. I was so worried about it that I didn't take in the plot or any other details so when asked I had no clue. I think most of my class thought I was stupid. So humiliating. In hindsight, I wonder if I had some kind of undiagnosed issue like dyslexia?

Edited

Reading out loud is difficult for me too and yes I was made to read aloud standing in front of the class too which was awful and got the class laughing all the way through. I found out as an adult I live with dyslexia, it was no suprise then that reading out loud is so damned difficult. I was in all the top sets and at 10 had a reading age of 14 years, no one noticed I have dyslexia, some call it stealth dysexia because you appear to do well at school.

I was kicked out of French so often I barely learned a word of French. I have recently considered going and learning French. Nothing to do with dyslexia though more to do with the teacher being an arsehole.

junebirthdaygirl · 04/04/2025 00:40

Spidey66 · 03/04/2025 17:39

Cookery. I was shit and the teacher hated me and constantly humiliated me.

it got so bad I was always ‘sick’ on Tuesdays, cookery day. This had the knock on effect of my performance and reports suffering.

I believed for years I was useless at cooking. I’ve got better over the years but I still have a huge lack of self belief in my ability to cook.

This is me. I hated the cookery side of Home Economics. All other subjects were fine and l loved sport but was totally uncoordinated in the kitchen. I always messed up. I also lost confidence in being able to cook well and can't say l ever got over it. Even though my family all love my food.
My dd absolutely loved Home Ec and while being very academic it was her favourite subject. That was always a surprise to me.

DrCoconut · 04/04/2025 00:53

@Cattenberg I actually did fail cycling proficiency. I couldn't let go to signal without falling off. I still have an awful sense of balance. Unsurprisingly PE was the worst subject and there was not much I wouldn't have done to get out of it.

Leira2025 · 04/04/2025 01:35

PE.

Bunch of vindictive witches, the teachers and the sporty types.

It's why I won't do anything that is remotely competitive team based as a grown up, it just made me insecure and angry and I hope the whole lot of them get sorted out by karma in this life or the next.

Ahem.

I wasn't a huge fan of science either though that was mostly because nearly all the teachers were horrible shouty 1970s blokes with big mustaches.

MrPrehistoric · 13/04/2025 15:58

BeRubyReader · 02/04/2025 19:10

Apart from PE
I would say Spanish , couldn't learn the language so humiliating when having to do the bit where you had to have a conversation with the teach inn the language

I think PE always felt quite 'cultish' for lack of a better word. You either fitted in, or you didn't, perhaps exacerbated by diehard sport-enthusiast teaching.

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