Teen Called Out For Telling Teacher They Shouldn't Do A Retest Despite The Class Demanding It

Each of us has a subject in school that we were better at than others.

There's a chance that someone around us was envious of how easy it was for us.

One student on the "Am I the A**hole?" (AITA) subReddit found comfort in math.

But when Redditor BriefLiving7045 made some comments about the ease of the content, they were ridiculed by their peers.

So much so, the Original Poster (OP) wasn't sure what to do next.

They asked the sub:

"AITA for telling my teacher we shouldn't do a retest after the class demanded it?"

The OP had a disagreeable opinion when their teacher how they felt about a recent test.

"My high school teacher inquired how we felt about the unit test we just completed. I was the first chosen to speak."

"This is exactly what I said, it was recorded:"

"'Yes, while I agree the test certainly felt more challenging than previous tests and quizzes, Question 6 and 8 in particular, I distinctly remember the teacher reminding us repeatedly that specifically these questions can come up as thinking questions on the test, and he went through similar variations of these questions in class.'"

"'So while I understand the sentiment of a retest given the heightened difficulty, I don't think it is fair, given the 2 review periods and multiple worksheets that had questions for practice similar to 6 and 8 on the test.'"

"'Hopefully, we can clarify this more later. Again, this is just my opinion, and I mean no offense to the class.'"

Their classmates were furious because they did not feel the same about the test.

"I did not know that on the group chat while I was saying this that we were all planning as a class to ask for a retest because many found Question 6 and 8 unfair."

"Safe to say, my classmates were very furious."

Some made disparaging remarks to the OP.

"These are some of the comments I received from my classmates:"

"'I think you might have missed that people have stuff going outside of math class. Not everyone can spend all day doing math unless they have a spare and no job like you. Maybe stop talking!'"

"Other said, 'Exactly lol (laughing out loud). Why are you trying to make it harder for the class? So selfish.'"

"Someone else said, 'While I see that you have spent the last week doing nothing but math, I think it's unfair for you to assume that everyone has done the same. Students have jobs, another class, family, and so much more you don't have. Shame on you.'"

"The moment I spoke in class, I received a notification that I was suddenly blocked off our private group chat."

"One of my classmates emailed me a profane text and told me that they were only being nice on the teacher discussion about their disapproval of my comment, and that they were making some very disturbing jokes about me in the private group chat we shared. He told me I should be ashamed of myself for being a teacher's pet and a snitch."

The OP didn't receive support from their family for their actions. 

"I shared these comments with my older sister. I told her that I personally emailed all of them with an apology but it's been a week and they haven't responded."

"She said: 'They will never forgive you and you'll have to do all your group projects alone now. This is why Mom says you don't have social skills. What a loser you are.'"

And they received an integrity-based threat from a classmate. 

"My teacher says he told the class he'll decide whether we'll do the retest or not in the coming days."

"A classmate told me if my teacher didn't grant the retest that they will collectively email the teacher a lie that I was confident about my test result because I cheated. They told me they'll fake screenshots from our group chat to make it seem like I was bragging about it in our private group chat."

"I apologized over 50 times in the past week but they all said it was too late and that they won't stop until I'm punished."

Fellow Redditors weighed in:

• NTA: Not the A**hole
• YTA: You're the A**hole
• ESH: Everybody Sucks Here
• NAH: No A**holes Here

Some questioned the OP's abilities to handle social situations. 

"I mean... YTA a bit, probably due to not knowing how to manage social situations. I don't doubt a bit that your opinion is absolutely true and the test was completely fair. Also, the teacher asked for comments."

"But. Why the h**l would you go out and volunteer to speak in such a way that is clearly detrimental to the rest of your colleagues? I understand the will to answer truthfully, but you could have remained silent unless asked directly."

"And even if asked directly, you could have been less categorical and affirmative. Something like, 'Well, I found the question fair enough, but I have fewer hours of class than other people and these are the kind of problems I enjoy a lot working on, but they were considerably harder than what we typically expect'."

"See? Basically the same thing but talking about only your experience. And even that wouldn't have had made you many friends." - ceene

"You may by TA in this situation but don't beat yourself up on it too much, you didn't see the chat in time and want to be more thoughtful of your classmates next time."

"Maybe email the teacher and say that you want to clarify that just because you found it fair/easy, that doesn't mean it was if pretty much EVERYONE else I'm the class didn't think it was. Good luck" - Vfell4

Others offered support to the OP.

"You really didn't do anything bad, your classmates are bullies and they're excluding you because you're an easy target, including putting your neck out without realizing it."

"Please don't blame yourself for navigating this situation poorly — nobody can ever know what they don't know until after messing up! You will learn from this experience."

"More than that, I hope you find a community of kind and understanding people in the future. I'll be honest, it may take a while — but I bet that you can make it happen with time."

"I wish you the best of luck, friend. Rooting for you!" - sonyaellenmann

"You will leave your classmates behind. They're like a pack of jackals, giggling and snapping their teeth. Leave them behind."

"High school is h**l."

"You can focus and work hard. You are willing to learn. You are succeeding even with all the burdens you carry."

"Life will be hard for you but you have a good attitude for growth."

"If you like programming or maths or art or anything that benefits from obsession, you will find other people with similar challenges."

"You will leave these classmates behind in your dust once you get to university."

"As the other person suggested, try dialectical therapy if you can. Study it in the same way you studied for the maths test."

"Life is hard sometimes but there is also joy."

"Hang in there. You can make a good life for yourself." - Awoogagoogoo

"Tell your teacher what they are threatening to do and how they behaved also talk to your parents because the situation doesn't seem salvageable on your own."

"The next time remember if someone complains about a test being unfair or something similar just, keep your mouth shut and write an E-mail if you feel really strongly about it and always demand anonymity." - p**nomancer90

A few said the OP was definitely in the wrong.

"Definitely YTA. You undermined your classmates...for what reason?" - FFIFISISHFISHFISH

"You obviously knew how your classmates felt about the test. You started with 'while I agree', so there must have already been some kind of point made."

"And you probably raised your hand/wanted to get your opinion out there."

"So this 'I didn't know' and acting all innocent is just being really fake to me."

"You acted like a teacher's pet."

"YTA" - Lively_Sally

"So you knew people were upset about the questions, and went on a rant about how they were completely wrong? And you're surprised people are upset about that? Yup, YTA." - Michael_Chandra

The subReddit was divided on this one, unable to reconcile whether the OP intended to harm the rest of the class or not.

It seems math is a passionate subject for this student, and the particularly difficult questions for some students were their sweet spot.