Today, I asked one of my teachers to write me a letter of recommendation for my top school. Even though I did fairly well in their class, I found out that they don't think that I'm very intelligent, but my "strong, work ethic" makes up for it. They mentioned it in the letter and submitted it. FML
Collection
Halloween
A failed costume, stolen candy and a very real scare: Halloween, the one night when fear is allowed.
Today, I asked about 30 students and 3 of my teachers to sign my yearbook. So far, only my math teacher agreed to write in it. He wrote, "You need to try harder next year." FML
Today, I got back the essay I wrote about how my country's education system is fucked. At one point, I made a spelling mistake. My teacher wrote a note about it, basically calling me illiterate, and telling me to pay attention in school instead of whining about it. She misspelled "school". FML
Today, I had my teacher look over my essay before turning it in. He said it was extremely well-written, so I handed it in. When I got it back, the feedback he left said it was one of the worst essays he'd ever read. FML
Today, in calculus, our substitute teacher told me I was smart. Everybody in the class, including my friends, burst out laughing. FML
Today, I got my grades back. I got a very poor evaluation for my lit class, which was odd because it didn't match the impression from my end-of-class meeting with the professor. It does, however, include a nod to the supposedly-anonymous negative class review I gave her, though. FML
Today, out of my whole class, I received no awards. All my teachers thought that I would get plenty from the others. Now people think I'm stupid. I have a 3.66 GPA and they won't believe me. FML
Today, someone in my class wrote, "Erase me if you can!" at the very top of the board, as I'm always tormented about how short I am compared to everyone else. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't reach it. I'm the teacher. FML
Today, I got my report card from school. I pulled my grade up in Algebra from a D to an A. My parents told me that they never expected me to accomplish this, and good job but they've already enrolled me in boarding school. So much for all that extra credit and staying late after school to study. FML
Today, my English professor bragged to my entire class about how good my essay was. He kept on saying great things about it for the duration of class. To my surprise, he'd given me a C-. When I asked why, his only response was: "I'm a hard grader." FML
Today, I asked my classmate to look over my essay. His comments were longer than the essay itself. FML
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Top comments
Branessa9611 14
Use your "strong work ethic" to do exceptionally well in college and then come back 4 years later to take their job.
FlyingMangoes 5
Wait until after you've graduated and then tell them what you REALLY think about it. A dose of brutal honesty in return may be good for them.
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Comments (36)
holly_fly 34
I think everyone is missing the comma between strong and work ethic... I took that to be the punch line personally.
9a_z1 11
I hope there are other ways to demonstrate your intelligence in your application. Don't let it hold you back, teachers don't always know you as well as they think they do. Several years back a teacher took my parents aside and told them I wasn't cut out for the career I was aiming for, I've done very well not following his advice.
christian_slate 16
Hopefully this wasn't an English teacher, otherwise YDI.
Twunt 14
Not only that, switching from singular to plural when discussing one teacher....
SilverInGray 25
They can be used to describe one person, and has been used for years and years
Demon_of_Light 27
In casual conversation it's quite common. However, in formal writing it is considered incorrect to use "they" to refer to a singular person.
chosha_fml 27
An FML is hardly formal writing. And 'they' is okay is you are choosing not to reveal the person's gender.
alaina1104 11
I'm sure you are intelligent, but a strong work ethic is much more important, in life and probably in the eyes of the university. Your transcript says more about your intelligence than the word of your teacher, anyway. It's not as bad as it seems :)
ballinball 14
it seems harsh now but it's really a compliment, people are born intelligent but a work ethic is earned
Aethereal 14
That stray comma between ''strong'' and ''work ethic''...
l3b4s1 8
Ive had a teacher tell me i wasnt very smart as well lol arent they supposed to encourage students or something?
bretzeller 13
When I was getting my econ degree, the professor would demand to see your full transcripts before they'd write you a letter of recommendation. These complainers need to not get a letter at all and have to explain that.
heyLaddieHey 18
So while it's kind of unfortunate that they said in a rec letter that you're not the brightest student, it's your work ethic that's more important. Being a genius means nothing if you can't work hard. Hell, I think I was smarter than the valedictorian of my high school, but she worked so much harder than I did that she was top of the class and went on to Harvard. So don't take it too hard :)
chinaski7628 32
Yeah, but your Valedictorian was likely intelligent *and* hard working, hence the being a Valedictorian and Harvard student. I doubt one could make it to Harvard on hard work alone. OP's teacher seems to think that he is hard working, but *not* intelligent. Despite what many commentators here seem to think, that is not the kind of student colleges go after. Colleges want students who are both hard working *and* intelligent (those are not mutually exclusive traits, after all).
dontknow1 19
People will always underestimate you, you can't control that, but what you can control is the way it will affect you, don't let people's thinking control your life, show them they are wrong.