When a Student Complains About a Quiz, This Teacher’s Petty Revenge is Chef’s Kiss

Teaching: The Only Profession Where You Can Assign Homework as Revenge
If you’ve ever wondered what a day in the life of a high school teacher is really like, imagine wrangling 200+ students, juggling 8 different classes, and trying to remember who owes you an essay—while your brain is running a dozen tabs at once. Sprinkle in some ADHD, and it’s a wonder anything gets done at all.

But for one dedicated English teacher in a non-Anglophone country, the real challenge isn’t just lesson plans or grading. It’s dealing with students who—let’s just say—don’t always bring their A-game in the manners department. And when a student decided to air his grievances about a quiz in the least polite way possible, this teacher’s response was a masterclass in petty, yet professional, revenge.

The Student Who Cried “Unfair!” Let's set the scene: Our teacher, earbuds in, is mentally preparing for another day of academic chaos. With each class hovering around 36 students and some classes feeling more like crowd control than education, it’s a system held together by sheer willpower and color-coded notebooks. (Seriously, shoutout to teachers everywhere for keeping it together.)

Now, grading time is looming. At this school, teachers need to deliver at least three grades per student per class before the semester closes—a manageable number in theory, but Herculean with hundreds of students.

Enter our protagonist’s morning interrupter: a student who skips the pleasantries and launches into a rant about an upcoming quiz. No “Good morning,” no “Can I talk to you for a second?”—just a full-on “Why are you giving us a quiz? It’s not fair!”

For a split second, the teacher is confused. Did she schedule a quiz and forget? (Totally plausible—who among us hasn’t blanked on a calendar event?) But as she consults her trusty class notebook—a lifeline for the memory-challenged—she realizes: yes, there was a quiz announced a few days ago. On ten vocabulary words. Nothing major.

The Petty (But Perfect) Revenge Now, here’s where the story takes a gloriously petty turn. The teacher, instead of getting flustered or annoyed, decides to make lemonade out of this lemon of a morning. When it’s time to hand out the quiz, she addresses the entire class:

“Everyone, thank [Student] for reminding me we had this quiz. I had totally forgotten.”

Is it over-the-top? Nope. Is it cruel? Not at all. Is it a chef’s kiss moment of poetic justice? Absolutely.

The student who was trying to dodge a pop quiz literally ensured that it happened, and even got credit for it in front of the whole class. The quiz itself? Just five vocabulary words, straightforward and fair—a gentle reminder, not a punishment.

Lessons in Classroom Management (and Karma) What’s so satisfying about this story isn’t just the harmless pettiness. It’s a window into the everyday tightrope walk teachers navigate: balancing fairness, discipline, and the occasional need to remind students that actions (and attitudes) have consequences.

A few insights for students (and maybe their parents):

Politeness Matters: A simple “Good morning” or “May I speak to you?” can go a long way. Teachers are people, too!
Sometimes, Silence is Golden: If you’re worried about a quiz, maybe don’t remind the teacher who might have forgotten about it.
Petty Can Be Powerful: Petty revenge doesn’t have to be mean-spirited. Sometimes, it’s as simple as letting someone’s words come back to (gently) haunt them.

For teachers everywhere, this is a reminder: you have more power than you think—and sometimes, the best response is to let a student’s own actions do the talking. For students, well, let’s just say the next time you’re tempted to complain, you might want to check if the teacher is holding a notebook first.

Conclusion: Revenge is a Dish Best Served Educational
Whether you’re a teacher, student, or just someone who loves a good story about karma, this tale is a delightful nod to the art of petty revenge. Sometimes, the universe—or at least, the classroom—really does keep score.

Have your own story of classroom justice, accidental self-sabotage, or teacher triumph? Drop it in the comments below! And remember: be nice to your teachers. You never know what quiz you might accidentally remind them about.

Found this post entertaining? Share it with your favorite teacher (or student) and let’s keep the stories—and the lessons—coming!

Original Reddit Post: High school student