Was This Guy Wrong for Blocking in the Person Who Kept Stealing His Parking Space? People Responded.

Parking wars can sometimes get a little out of control, no doubt about it.

Someone steals your spot, then you block THAT person in, and suddenly it turns into a whole thing…

Check out this story of a parking battle gone awry from Reddit’s “Am I The A**hole?” page and keep on reading to see how readers reacted.

AITA for blocking someone in after they took my parking space again?

“In our apartment we’re only given one specific parking space.

It’s been a challenge since both my wife and I have separate cars and finding parking on the street can be a mission sometimes. Usually whichever one of us gets home first parks their car on the street so that the other can park inside since evening is when it gets full.

For the past couple of months our landlady’s girlfriend has been coming over and keeps using our parking space. And only ours for some reason. Several times we’ve had to come knocking at our landlady’s door to move her girlfriend’s car and she’d apologize to us.

The girlfriend always acts like she’s doing us this huge favor when we ask her to move. We both have talked about this problem to our landlady and she promises it won’t happen again. Last Friday my wife was out of town for the weekend. I came home around 10 pm. I was exhausted, just finished working a 12 hr shift and wanted to get home. Guess who was parked in our d**n spot again? It was late so cars were already parked all over the street.

This time I said f**k it and parked right behind her. I didn’t have the energy to go knocking at her door and wait for her to move her car, sometimes they don’t even answer. I wouldn’t be blocking anyone else, just her from being able to pull out. Then I went to bed. Well the following morning when I stepped out to water my grass her girlfriend came at me for making her miss her shift at work.

She said she was knocking on my door for a long time before because she needed to leave and couldn’t. Called me immature and petty when I simply could’ve gone to her to move her car. I reminded her she shouldn’t be parking there in the first place and she left mad.

My landlady again apologized and promised to make sure her girlfriend didn’t do that again, but now she’s not talking to my wife and they’re usually friendly with eachother. My wife’s not happy with me that I did that. Instead of creating conflict I could’ve tried to find parking in the street or asked them to move like I usually do.

But this time I got fed up and don’t have the energy for it.

Was I an a**hole?”

How did folks respond…? Let’s take a look!

This reader argued that the landlady doesn’t care about this person’s parking spot. AT ALL.

Photo Credit: Reddit

Another Reddit user could relate to this man’s story…and they got some good revenge, too.

Photo Credit: Reddit

Another individual said that he should just go ahead and get the car towed next time.

Problem solved!

Photo Credit: Reddit

Finally, this person said that the landlady’s girlfriend needs to show some respect. This is the landlady’s job, after all.

Photo Credit: Reddit

What do you think about how this person behaved?

Talk to us in the comments and let us know.

We’d love to hear from you!

The post Was This Guy Wrong for Blocking in the Person Who Kept Stealing His Parking Space? People Responded. appeared first on UberFacts.

People Talk About Scams That They Think Are Normalized by Society

It’s a sad fact of life: there are scammers are everywhere.

And you gotta keep your eyes open and be aware of your surroundings so you don’t fall victim to any number of scams that are around us.

Unfortunately, some of these scams even get normalized by people.

AskReddit users talked about scams that they believe have been normalized by society.

Let’s see what they had to say.

1. Interesting.

“Funerals.

Paying for things like caskets for your loved once when you’re at possibly the most emotionally vulnerable that you could be.”

2. Scam!

“Amway.

Multi-Level Marketing in general is just a pyramid scheme that is only allowed to go on because the people behind the scheme actually sell a product.”

3. No thanks.

“The $130 a photography company is requesting of me to release the 4 electronic photos they took of me during my university graduation procession.”

4. Flashy.

“Diamond anything.

Just saw the front page post of McGregor’s watch and was thinking its resale value must be as low as it is hideous.”

5. Awful.

“Payday loans.

Unconscionable bulls**t designed to suck wealth out of the people who cannot afford to lose it, who would ptherise have spent that money anyway on something worthwhile for their families, that would improve their lives and potentially provide for the livelihood of others in their community.

If a payday loan place is in a community, it is literally putting 10s if not 100s of thousands of dollars into the hands of very rich people who are definitely not spending that money at the corner store.

It’s even worse in the UK. The US has a cap on how high a monthly loan can be, like 500% IIRC, which is still terrible, but in the UK there was a company putting people in hock to the tune of 5000%.”

6. Trendy.

“Being Trendy. Fast fashion.

People buy unnecessary clothes just to keep up with the trend.

Its totally fine if you wear old clothes for years.”

7. Absurd.

“100% HOAs.

I pay for my house then pay some Karen money for her to tell me I can’t do whatever I want to MY HOUSE.

Ridiculous”

8. Really bad.

“U.S. Health Insurance and Medical Billing.

I used to think healthcare was expensive because of equipment and the cost of the provider salaries, and then I learned about allowed amounts and how it’s the insurers that profit from healthcare not the hospitals or clinics.

What they do should be illegal. Randomly denying claims, paying partial reimbursement, hiking premiums – its madness.”

9. Working your life away.

“Working for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year for 50 years, and that’s assuming you’re lucky, and it’s the only way to even get by for most people.

I sell my life and get the bare minimum in return. Fun.”

10. Rip off.

“Weddings. Holy s**t are weddings a rip off.

It’s such a huge amount of money for one. F**king. Day. We have ingrained the idea in most young girls that they have to grow up to have their “special day” and passed that down from generation to generation.

You’re no less married than if you just go down to the courthouse on a Tuesday afternoon, and/or have your small religious ceremony.”

11. Not worth it.

“Superfoods, which is basically just a scam for people to spend tons of money on imported exotic foods which are not superior any way to the humble potato or raddish.”

12. A real pain.

“In order to cancel my smartphone contract this month, I had to fill out a form on my providers website, call a specific number within 7 days, only to sit on hold for minutes twice before being redirected, confirm the last four digits of by IBAN, answer a security question and finally, again listen to 10 minutes of, “Can I interest you in this special offer we‘ve designed just for you?“.

To contrast this, all I would have needed to do in order to continue or change my subscription plan, even to a significantly more expensive one, was pick an option on their website. No more affordable alternatives though, obviously,

Following that I received several calls a day by different customer retention numbers, which I had to block. They are now sending letters…

Never again. Sad thing is, I know this would‘ve worked had I been only a little less patient or busier. F**king vampires.”

13. Tips.

“Tipping, in particular how it’s viewed in the United States.

Biggest f**king scam that restaurants have pulled off. They don’t pay their employees a living wage then have somehow convinced both their employees and society to shift the blame from the establishment onto the customers.

It baffles me. Pay them a living wage, let me decide if I want to tip or not.”

Now we want to hear from you.

In the comments, tell us about the scams that you think are normalized by society.

Please and thank you!

The post People Talk About Scams That They Think Are Normalized by Society appeared first on UberFacts.

This Woman Won’t Have Anything to Do With Her Grandparents. Is She Wrong?

Family squabbles can sure turn ugly in a hurry.

We all do our best to avoid these kinds of situations, but sometimes things just spiral out of control.

And a teenage girl decided to share a painful story on the “Am I The A**hole?” page on Reddit and she wants to know if she’s out of line.

Take a look.

AITA For Pretending To Not Know My Grandparents?

“Just for background information, when I (19f) was 4 years old my dad d**d. At his funeral his parents told me, my mom (28yo at the time) and my sister (6yo at the time) that we are the reasons he d**d.

They also kept his life insurance money, that was supposed to go to my sister and I.

Since then, my grandparents have refused contact with all three of us and the only form of contact I have with them is them sending me and my sister a $50 gift card to Walmart twice a year (birthday’s and Christmas). The last time I received a gift card from them was on my 10th birthday and it was for Baby’sRUs. I haven’t heard from them since.

They live in Florida and I live in New York so I have no chance of seeing them either, at least I thought.

Flash forward to present day, 3 days ago now, I was in Walmart near my house to get a few things for my mom. When I walked past the pharmacy I saw my dads parents. I tried to hide in the isles because I didn’t want confrontation, but they saw me anyway.

They started asking me a bunch of questions about my families financial situations and college and if I’m married yet, stuff like that. I responded by saying “I have no idea who you are.” They looked angry and shocked by this but told me who they were and after that I told them I had no desire to talk to them and I didn’t have anything to say to them anyway.

I started walking away and was just going to leave it alone, but then they said “you’re so disrespectful. we are your grandparents and you need to treat us better than that. your mom did a terrible job with you.” After that comment I turned around and went off on them.

I said something along the lines of “you are not my grandparents because you abandoned my sister and I after telling us we are the reasons for our dads d**th and you stole his money from us. Don’t you dare talk about my mother either because she did an amazing job with us without any help from you two. I’d be happy with never seeing your sorry faces again.” I started to walk away again and heard my grandmother start to cry, but I kept walking.

AITA? The are technically my grandparents, but they did so many things that are unforgivable.”

Now it’s time to check out how people responded to this post.

This reader said that the grandparents deserve this kind of treatment and that they’re pretty much strangers to this young woman.

Photo Credit: Reddit

Another person said that it sounds like the grandparents are asking her about money because they might be in financial trouble.

I think they might be on to something…

Photo Credit: Reddit

This individual pointed out the obvious: if the grandparents were so concerned, why haven’t they been in her life before?

Photo Credit: Reddit

Finally, this Reddit user said that the grandparents should have expected this treatment because of the way they’ve acted in the past.

Photo Credit: Reddit

Now we want to hear from you.

In the comments, let us know what you think about this story.

Thanks in advance!

The post This Woman Won’t Have Anything to Do With Her Grandparents. Is She Wrong? appeared first on UberFacts.

This Woman Refuses to Go to a Wedding Because Her Husband Isn’t Welcome. Is She Wrong?

This sounds like a pretty sticky situation, if you ask me…

What happens when you invite someone but don’t invite their spouse?

A woman shared her story on Reddit’s “Am I The A**hole?” to see if she overreacted about her husband not getting invited to a wedding.

Let’s take a look.

AITA for refusing to attend a wedding when my husband is not welcome there?

“My (30f) friend (31f) is getting married in August. She invited me and my husband to the wedding already in October when she got engaged. I was asked to be her maid of honor.

She didn’t have the date immediately as she wasn’t sure how it will be with COVID and now she has the date and she told me she thinks it would be better if my husband didn’t come.

I asked her why and she didn’t want to tell me at first but then she said it is because he is shorten then me and it would look weird on pictures. He has around 165 cm (5 feet 4.961 inches) while I have 166cm (5 feet 5.354 inches). I think the difference is not that big and I offered I wouldn’t wear heels but she said I must wear them cause I am the maid of honor and bridesmaid will wear heels as well.

I said that if my husband is not invited because of his hight I am not coming to her wedding. She said that the day is about her and not about me and my husband and I should respect her wishes about her day. She said that she counts with me as with the maid of honor and I can’t do this to her. I told her she is being shallow and that it is either me and my husband or none of us.

I talk about it with my husband and he think I am not the a**hole and actually would think it would be bad of me to agree with my friend, however he doesn’t like her that much (she doesn’t know that so it couldn’t play a role in it). So I am not sure if his opinion is really objective.

I asked my friend and she said I am the as**hole cause it is just one day and it is about the bride so I shouldn’t make a drama out of it. So perhaps I am the a**hole because I am focusing on me being there with my husband and not at what the bride wants?”

Now it’s time to see how folks on Reddit responded.

This person said that the woman is not a jerk and that she and her husband are in the right in this situation.

Photo Credit: Reddit

Another Reddit user made it plain and simple: this woman needs to get some new friends.

Photo Credit: Reddit

This individual remarked that it’s not like the man can control his height and that he (and his wife) should be livid.

Photo Credit: Reddit

Lastly, this reader said that, at the end of the day, this woman is not acting like a jerk and she’s actually standing up to a bully. I agree!

Photo Credit: Reddit

What do you think about how this woman behaved?

Was she out of line or justified in her actions?

Let us know in the comments!

The post This Woman Refuses to Go to a Wedding Because Her Husband Isn’t Welcome. Is She Wrong? appeared first on UberFacts.

Teachers, Which Students Surprised You the Most Later in Life? Here’s What People Said.

People can really surprise us once in a while, don’t you think?

For example, I know a guy who was a hardcore punk rock dude when we were young and we all thought he’d end up going nowhere fast.

Wanna guess where he is now?

HE WORKS FOR THE FREAKING FBI.

Yeah…

Teachers of AskReddit talked about the former students who surprised them later in life. Let’s see what they had to say.

1. Former bad boy.

“I had a student that used to get into fights and was extremely aggressive and violent towards others, on the last day of fifth grade his last words to me and his class were “f**k you!”

Many years later he came back to the school I’d been teaching at and looked for me so he could give me a big hug and apologize. In his words, “I was garbage when I was here, thank you for putting up with me and I’m sorry”.

I cried like a baby – I was so proud of him.”

2. An inspiration.

“I taught in a low income, high immigrant community for my entire career.

I loved where I taught and still have tremendous fondness and admiration for the community, as powerfully challenging as it was to teach a population with such limited resources.

I had a student in 3rd grade who was sweet, kind, and goofy, but the typical never-do-homework, mediocre-to-poor grades type at the time. When I moved up to teaching middle school and had him again in 6th grade, little had changed—I liked him as a person quite a lot, but academically and effort-wise he was a solid Meh C/D student.

Fast forward a decade or so: I had to retire from the classroom early and a bit abruptly due to a health crisis, resulting brain surgery, and the aftermath. This devastated me. At the time, I posted about how much I missed teaching and my heartbreak over it on my Facebook page.

This now adult student, who had added me as a friend but rarely to never posted anything anywhere on FB, commented the most heartwarming words about what an inspiration I’d been and how he felt I’d started him on the path that led him to a degree in chemical engineering from a major university. He was the first in his family to go to college, nonetheless earn a degree.

His kind and generous words made me weep, and his academic success left me stunned. If you had asked me back when he was in 3rd or 6th grade which student would be the one to earn a degree in engineering, I think I would have gone through 2/3 of the class before I’d have even thought of him.”

3. Way to go!

“I teach English as a second language and I had a kid who spoke Arabic who barely could master English in the beginning (to be expected of course). Well 8 years later he’s on his way to being an astrophysicist.

He came to school to find me to tell me last year and I’ve never had a prouder moment teaching. He told me I was the only one who believed in him.”

4. Large and in charge.

“There was a very skinny quiet kid who was super smart. The other kids picked on him quite a lot but he never stood up for himself.

I always thought he would work for NASA or something as he was so smart. I saw his Linkedin a few months ago and he is now a prison officer at a maximum security prison.”

5. Didn’t see that coming.

“I was teaching 3rd grade.

I had a kid that would literally shoot spitballs in class. Through a straw. Kid would bring his own straws to school and chew notebook paper to shoot. This happened every day, probably seven or eight times a day I’d catch him doing it. He would just start f**king with other kids, poking them with pencils and s**t loudly in the middle of class.

Now, I h**e sending kids to the principle because I feel it undermines my authority in the class. This kid was different though. He got sent to the office average twice a week. Just couldn’t deal with it. He goes onto highschool. I don’t hear good things about him. I don’t hear much just that he’d fallen in with a bad crowd.

It’s 2005 when I’m teaching him in 3rd grade. Flash-forward sixteen years and I pull up to a red light on my way home from work. Red Lamborgini. Who is sitting there in the driver’s seat? Of course this kid. No sunglasses, actually he had pretty nerdy/hip Jefferey Dahmer glasses on.

“Mr. Igot!” He says. And he smiled at me. Seemed really genuinely happy to see me. I didn’t even had time to compose myself, realize it was THIS kid and respond before the light turned green and he rocketed off. He had this smile on that I’ll never forget. Good for him!”

6. Wow.

“I taught Gym and had a little dude who excelled in my class but was a thug in everything else. My wifes food truck catered for a bike run where a lot of Outlaw MCs took part.

I saw the kid there and he was now the President of his own Outlaw MC… He remembered me and introduced me to his old lady and other gang members..I was super proud of him…”

7. It was worth it.

“Three of my former students went into my field and actually came back to work for me at my school for internships.

One of them was no surprise. One only a little surprise. But the third drove me nuts. He was a huge problem child in class. This was the kid that make me sympathize with Homer Simpson’s str**gling reaction to Bart. But I kept my cool of course!

And he’s now a respected professional in the field. He still credits me for his career path. I feel like all the stress he put me through was worth it!”

8. You never know.

“Never surprised by the jobs they do. Some make it, some don’t and there’s little to help you to predict.

I get some surprise sometimes when I see them but even that only lasts for a fleeting moment.

The fit, athletic kid who is now morbidly obese, the tiny, pretty quiet girl with 3 kids at 18 chain smoking at the school gate. The kid who you only remember because his name was on a class list who is now an international Ice skating champion. The fat kid who was always in trouble, coming to collect younger cousins looking dashing in his suit and tie…

You go through thousands of children. You love them and care for each of them whilst they are in your care but, the truth is, whilst you want each and every one of them to go on and live happy and healthy lives (even the naughty ones), you quickly accept that once they leave, they are no longer your responsibility. You don’t ‘track’ them or follow them – you don’t have the time because, once they are gone, another group of needy individuals arrive who require your undivided attention.

Don’t get me wrong – we love it when former pupils become successful (in happiness – not finance) and return as adults to tell us so. It’s our collective dream for all of you. But we won’t be following your lives. We don’t have the mental capacity for it.”

9. Look at him now!

“A student whose social skills were non-existent and whose academics were equally as troubling is now in college taking nuclear physics.

I swear he was easily 3 grades behind when I knew him in junior high.”

10. Crazy!

“One girl who used to be so shy. Always stay on the last bench. Was friends with only one girl. Barely had any social skills.

She went on to become the biggest superstar in Indian cinema (Bollywood).”

11. This is messed up.

“I taught pre-K, for about 3 years, almost 30 years ago.

I taught, in separate years, two boys who would go on to be m**dered, together, before even graduating high school. They were t**tured by an adult psychopath, in a flophouse drug apartment, naked, bound, begging, in front of a captive audience including some kids they’d known as long as they’d known each other. They were stuffed into the trunk of a car, driven to the gas station, marched to an area just out of sight of several businesses, doused in gasoline, set on fire, and shot ex**ution style.

The man who shot them was mentally ill to start with, but also used meth to the point of near-constant psychosis. He’d just been cleared for discharge after a 72-hour involuntary psych hold, and had only been home two days. He was still in acute, paranoid psychosis, but had been assessed/evaluated by inpatient psychiatrists as safe to discharge home.

They were the same age as my child. They knew each other from first grade on. They had a lot of closer friends in common, some of whom I’d also taught way back all those years ago. Some of whom had been unwilling witnesses to their friends’ t**ture in the hours leading up to the m**ders.

One of them committed s**cide a week later.

Anyway, I’m now a practitioner in ER and ICU, and have been for 20 years. Spent several years at a Level One Trauma and Burn hospital. Got really familiar with the terrible things people do to themselves and others. None of it hit me like these d**ths had. I hadn’t been desensitized yet, and I’d taught these kids how to tie their shoes and write their names, they’d been in classes, on field trips and sports teams, to birthday parties with my son for so many years.

The way their lives ended (or were irrevocably changed) was as shocking as it was gruesome.”

12. She’ll do big things.

“I started in elementary school. One of my first students I had when she was in 3rd grade.

Her father was ab**ive when she was younger and mom left him and was raising her on her own, but her mom was also heavily involved in gangs. She was very behind compared to the rest of the kids, but she was always very helpful to the other children, me, and the staff. I had a soft spot for her and she ended up being one of my favorites. Teachers will often say they don’t have favorites, but that’s a lie.

A couple years later I was moved to 5th grade and I had her again, she was struggling a lot by this time, but still, I never gave up on her, and she never gave up either. Later, when she was in 8th grade, I was moved to middle school, and once again, I had her again. By this time her mom’s lifestyle had had an influence. She always wore red, threw up gang signs, and used to get into a lot of fights at school.

One thing that was different was she had caught up academically with the rest of her peers, and actually even surpassed many of them. She used to come by after school and started seeing me as a mentor, and we had a connection, as I too was heavily involved with gangs in my teens and early 20s. When she moved on to high school, she kept in touch, her high school was across the street and she used to come by after school all the time to check in.

She eventually got involved in student body, became the senior class president, and was on the honor roll all 4 years. She got accepted into all 8 colleges she applied for. She is currently on a full ride scholarship at Stanford University and plans to continue with graduate school. She is very involved with the community too.

She is currently 20 and a waitress but is planning on doing big things, and I know she will. I’m so proud of her.”

Now we want to hear from more teachers!

In the comments, tell us about the former students that really surprised you later in life.

Thanks in advance!

The post Teachers, Which Students Surprised You the Most Later in Life? Here’s What People Said. appeared first on UberFacts.

Teachers, Which Students Surprised You the Most Later in Life? Here’s What People Said.

People can really surprise us once in a while, don’t you think?

For example, I know a guy who was a hardcore punk rock dude when we were young and we all thought he’d end up going nowhere fast.

Wanna guess where he is now?

HE WORKS FOR THE FREAKING FBI.

Yeah…

Teachers of AskReddit talked about the former students who surprised them later in life. Let’s see what they had to say.

1. Former bad boy.

“I had a student that used to get into fights and was extremely aggressive and violent towards others, on the last day of fifth grade his last words to me and his class were “f**k you!”

Many years later he came back to the school I’d been teaching at and looked for me so he could give me a big hug and apologize. In his words, “I was garbage when I was here, thank you for putting up with me and I’m sorry”.

I cried like a baby – I was so proud of him.”

2. An inspiration.

“I taught in a low income, high immigrant community for my entire career.

I loved where I taught and still have tremendous fondness and admiration for the community, as powerfully challenging as it was to teach a population with such limited resources.

I had a student in 3rd grade who was sweet, kind, and goofy, but the typical never-do-homework, mediocre-to-poor grades type at the time. When I moved up to teaching middle school and had him again in 6th grade, little had changed—I liked him as a person quite a lot, but academically and effort-wise he was a solid Meh C/D student.

Fast forward a decade or so: I had to retire from the classroom early and a bit abruptly due to a health crisis, resulting brain surgery, and the aftermath. This devastated me. At the time, I posted about how much I missed teaching and my heartbreak over it on my Facebook page.

This now adult student, who had added me as a friend but rarely to never posted anything anywhere on FB, commented the most heartwarming words about what an inspiration I’d been and how he felt I’d started him on the path that led him to a degree in chemical engineering from a major university. He was the first in his family to go to college, nonetheless earn a degree.

His kind and generous words made me weep, and his academic success left me stunned. If you had asked me back when he was in 3rd or 6th grade which student would be the one to earn a degree in engineering, I think I would have gone through 2/3 of the class before I’d have even thought of him.”

3. Way to go!

“I teach English as a second language and I had a kid who spoke Arabic who barely could master English in the beginning (to be expected of course). Well 8 years later he’s on his way to being an astrophysicist.

He came to school to find me to tell me last year and I’ve never had a prouder moment teaching. He told me I was the only one who believed in him.”

4. Large and in charge.

“There was a very skinny quiet kid who was super smart. The other kids picked on him quite a lot but he never stood up for himself.

I always thought he would work for NASA or something as he was so smart. I saw his Linkedin a few months ago and he is now a prison officer at a maximum security prison.”

5. Didn’t see that coming.

“I was teaching 3rd grade.

I had a kid that would literally shoot spitballs in class. Through a straw. Kid would bring his own straws to school and chew notebook paper to shoot. This happened every day, probably seven or eight times a day I’d catch him doing it. He would just start f**king with other kids, poking them with pencils and s**t loudly in the middle of class.

Now, I h**e sending kids to the principle because I feel it undermines my authority in the class. This kid was different though. He got sent to the office average twice a week. Just couldn’t deal with it. He goes onto highschool. I don’t hear good things about him. I don’t hear much just that he’d fallen in with a bad crowd.

It’s 2005 when I’m teaching him in 3rd grade. Flash-forward sixteen years and I pull up to a red light on my way home from work. Red Lamborgini. Who is sitting there in the driver’s seat? Of course this kid. No sunglasses, actually he had pretty nerdy/hip Jefferey Dahmer glasses on.

“Mr. Igot!” He says. And he smiled at me. Seemed really genuinely happy to see me. I didn’t even had time to compose myself, realize it was THIS kid and respond before the light turned green and he rocketed off. He had this smile on that I’ll never forget. Good for him!”

6. Wow.

“I taught Gym and had a little dude who excelled in my class but was a thug in everything else. My wifes food truck catered for a bike run where a lot of Outlaw MCs took part.

I saw the kid there and he was now the President of his own Outlaw MC… He remembered me and introduced me to his old lady and other gang members..I was super proud of him…”

7. It was worth it.

“Three of my former students went into my field and actually came back to work for me at my school for internships.

One of them was no surprise. One only a little surprise. But the third drove me nuts. He was a huge problem child in class. This was the kid that make me sympathize with Homer Simpson’s str**gling reaction to Bart. But I kept my cool of course!

And he’s now a respected professional in the field. He still credits me for his career path. I feel like all the stress he put me through was worth it!”

8. You never know.

“Never surprised by the jobs they do. Some make it, some don’t and there’s little to help you to predict.

I get some surprise sometimes when I see them but even that only lasts for a fleeting moment.

The fit, athletic kid who is now morbidly obese, the tiny, pretty quiet girl with 3 kids at 18 chain smoking at the school gate. The kid who you only remember because his name was on a class list who is now an international Ice skating champion. The fat kid who was always in trouble, coming to collect younger cousins looking dashing in his suit and tie…

You go through thousands of children. You love them and care for each of them whilst they are in your care but, the truth is, whilst you want each and every one of them to go on and live happy and healthy lives (even the naughty ones), you quickly accept that once they leave, they are no longer your responsibility. You don’t ‘track’ them or follow them – you don’t have the time because, once they are gone, another group of needy individuals arrive who require your undivided attention.

Don’t get me wrong – we love it when former pupils become successful (in happiness – not finance) and return as adults to tell us so. It’s our collective dream for all of you. But we won’t be following your lives. We don’t have the mental capacity for it.”

9. Look at him now!

“A student whose social skills were non-existent and whose academics were equally as troubling is now in college taking nuclear physics.

I swear he was easily 3 grades behind when I knew him in junior high.”

10. Crazy!

“One girl who used to be so shy. Always stay on the last bench. Was friends with only one girl. Barely had any social skills.

She went on to become the biggest superstar in Indian cinema (Bollywood).”

11. This is messed up.

“I taught pre-K, for about 3 years, almost 30 years ago.

I taught, in separate years, two boys who would go on to be m**dered, together, before even graduating high school. They were t**tured by an adult psychopath, in a flophouse drug apartment, naked, bound, begging, in front of a captive audience including some kids they’d known as long as they’d known each other. They were stuffed into the trunk of a car, driven to the gas station, marched to an area just out of sight of several businesses, doused in gasoline, set on fire, and shot ex**ution style.

The man who shot them was mentally ill to start with, but also used meth to the point of near-constant psychosis. He’d just been cleared for discharge after a 72-hour involuntary psych hold, and had only been home two days. He was still in acute, paranoid psychosis, but had been assessed/evaluated by inpatient psychiatrists as safe to discharge home.

They were the same age as my child. They knew each other from first grade on. They had a lot of closer friends in common, some of whom I’d also taught way back all those years ago. Some of whom had been unwilling witnesses to their friends’ t**ture in the hours leading up to the m**ders.

One of them committed s**cide a week later.

Anyway, I’m now a practitioner in ER and ICU, and have been for 20 years. Spent several years at a Level One Trauma and Burn hospital. Got really familiar with the terrible things people do to themselves and others. None of it hit me like these d**ths had. I hadn’t been desensitized yet, and I’d taught these kids how to tie their shoes and write their names, they’d been in classes, on field trips and sports teams, to birthday parties with my son for so many years.

The way their lives ended (or were irrevocably changed) was as shocking as it was gruesome.”

12. She’ll do big things.

“I started in elementary school. One of my first students I had when she was in 3rd grade.

Her father was ab**ive when she was younger and mom left him and was raising her on her own, but her mom was also heavily involved in gangs. She was very behind compared to the rest of the kids, but she was always very helpful to the other children, me, and the staff. I had a soft spot for her and she ended up being one of my favorites. Teachers will often say they don’t have favorites, but that’s a lie.

A couple years later I was moved to 5th grade and I had her again, she was struggling a lot by this time, but still, I never gave up on her, and she never gave up either. Later, when she was in 8th grade, I was moved to middle school, and once again, I had her again. By this time her mom’s lifestyle had had an influence. She always wore red, threw up gang signs, and used to get into a lot of fights at school.

One thing that was different was she had caught up academically with the rest of her peers, and actually even surpassed many of them. She used to come by after school and started seeing me as a mentor, and we had a connection, as I too was heavily involved with gangs in my teens and early 20s. When she moved on to high school, she kept in touch, her high school was across the street and she used to come by after school all the time to check in.

She eventually got involved in student body, became the senior class president, and was on the honor roll all 4 years. She got accepted into all 8 colleges she applied for. She is currently on a full ride scholarship at Stanford University and plans to continue with graduate school. She is very involved with the community too.

She is currently 20 and a waitress but is planning on doing big things, and I know she will. I’m so proud of her.”

Now we want to hear from more teachers!

In the comments, tell us about the former students that really surprised you later in life.

Thanks in advance!

The post Teachers, Which Students Surprised You the Most Later in Life? Here’s What People Said. appeared first on UberFacts.

Teachers Share Which Former Students Surprised Them the Most Later in Life

You never really know where people are headed in life…

Which, when I think about it, is probably part of the fun for teachers because it’s all kind of a crapshoot.

Teachers, which former students surprised you the most later in life?

Here’s how people responded on AskReddit.

1. The big time!

“I ran a program for kids grades 4-7 for a local newspaper. I would reach them the fundamentals of journalism, and they would write stories for a weekly kids page.

One of my students got a degree in journalism and was a television broadcaster for a little while. Another went into public relations and works for a university, last I heard. Another runs a really cool vlog and has been getting some notice as an influencer.

And another got a degree in journalism, earned an Emmy just a few years out of college, and now hosts a national television show and interviews famous people on the red carpet.”

2. Drove you crazy.

“I had a class of 8th graders one year that I SWORE we’d someday see one of their pictures on the front page of the paper because they were arrested for something (small town). That class drove me crazy.

The one that drove me the craziest was hyper, wouldn’t do his work, copied on tests so openly that I had to pass out 3 different tests every time…the list was endless. He ended up on the front page of our paper, though.

He was a top adviser in the Bush administration!”

3. Big turnaround.

“I retired from teaching after 36 years of working with special education students of varying exceptionalities. There was one female student that I worked with for several years that displayed a keen aptitude in math but also initially had a phobia for math.

Interesting. I would always approach her with math by using the words, “Okay, we’re going to play with some math.” The shift in her approach to math along with the elimination of anxiety associated with the subject was truly amazing to witness.

Within a half a year I mainstreamed her into a regular education math class and she was out performing other students. She went onto the University of WA and was awarded scholarships for her work in math.”

4. On to better things.

“Product Design teacher here.

Can’t tell you how immensely proud I am of an ex student who got out of the small time town, emigrated to Denmark, came out and has become a designer for Lego.”

5. Elite athletes.

“Two former students ended up playing in the NFL.

I reached out to both and let them know I was proud of them for their dedication and following through on their dreams. Both took time to respond and thank me for making a difference in their lives.

I have so many former students who keep in touch, and I love getting to see how they are doing!”

6. Cool!

“One of my kids would only play with Legos and h**ed school because he figured things out far more quickly than anyone else.

He was one of the founders of MakerBot.”

7. From a veteran teacher.

“I teach, and have always taught, in a Title I school. Lots of bad situations, very poor families, lots of things we can not fix or even help.

One of my third-grade boys, many, many years ago, was ANGRY. I mean, not the “pick fights” kind, but the “I h**e everyone, you all suck, there’s no point” kind of angry and far too weary of the world for a 9-year old. He was BRILLIANT. Such a smart kid, and he would work for me, but his fourth and fifth grade teachers could get him to do almost nothing, he did just enough to pass.

They thought I was crazy when I talked about how smart he was. On the standardized test for fifth grade, he basically maxed out the math portion, and won some kind of national award. I wept. Ugly cried. I was so proud for him! He had a rough time in middle school, but by high school, he was doing a bit better. Still angry, still unmotivated, but managing, I guess.

Three years ago, I was in my classroom in the afternoon, and got a call from the office. I had a visitor. I went down, and there he was. With his wife, and the fattest, sweetest baby on the planet. He is in the army, and y’all, he was SO HAPPY, and had a job he loved, and a woman he loved, and a baby. He is still best friends with another boy that was in our class that year. He just radiated happiness and well-being. My heart!

Things could have turned out so much differently for him. Given his circumstances, they should have. I am so thankful he beat the odds.”

8. A real shock.

“The former student of mine who d**d by s**cide this year.

It was a complete shock to all of us who’d taught her in elementary school. She had really been one of those kids with a constant ear-to-ear smile – not just full of joy, but radiating joy; not only was she well-liked by all, but she really seemed to genuinely like everybody.

When my students leave at the end of each year, they go off to middle school, so every year’s end (though always desperately needed) has that bittersweet, vaguely funereal bite to it. This’ll sound strange, but to me it feels sort of like when a parent’s first child gets married – there’s happiness and excitement aplenty, but there’s also a sense of something ending that naturally brings back a flood of childhood memories, and with them usually some tears.

All of that is to say that I was already familiar with the devastation memory can precipitate when I heard the news. But death really does hit different.

The best I can do to describe it is this: there’s no hierarchy in the memories that come after a person d**s. None of them are insignificant. The first thing I remembered when I heard was that her line number was 11 (that is, that when our class lined up, her spot was 11th from the front – in the days before digital assessment or camera-scanning, there was a real time-saving advantage to having students always hand in assignments in alphabetical order as they walked out the door).

Over the next couple of weeks, other such memories were constantly percolating, to the point where at one point one of my current students asked me why I kept randomly pausing in the middle of my sentences.

I wasn’t collected enough at the time to tell them the truth, so I just brushed it off, but if I could have another go at it, I think this is what I’d say:

You have no idea how much we remember of you. You have no idea how much of yourself you give to a classroom, because you would never think of things like the way you write your name, the way you sit, the way you laugh, the way you smile, the sound of your voice, your accent, the way(s) you wear your hair (or maybe the fact that I had to ask you to take your hood off three times a day).

The way you keep using the same pencil until it’s only about 2 micrometers long, the way your backpack looks like it’s eating you when you carry it, the way you find cool leaves at recess and show them to me, the way you tell me every single day about what your pet bird did the night before, the way you said “Yes!” with genuine excitement when you saw the newest Aru Shah book on your desk…simply put, the way you are – as gifts.

But they are, and I can’t even begin to describe how grateful I am to receive them.”

9. Not a happy ending.

“I was his sixth grade English teacher. He joined the class a bit late but he was a sweet kid, and eager to please. Along with a cousin, he was now being raised by his grandparents since the state had recently deemed his mother unfit.

The boy craaaaved positive attention, and at school, he found it. He worked hard, was funny as hell, and he was a freaky good athlete. But academically, he struggled. He was very open about his life and talked openly about how few resources he had at home or about times he endured with his mom. I think the other kids felt bad for him, because they’d ask if they could stay after to help him with his assignments. They’d volunteer. He was a charmer.

I was also a coach then, so I’d see him often. He started confiding in me, coming to me for advice, etc. As he was being recruited, I talked him up, “marketed him” , wrote a ton of letters on his behalf, and helped him and his grandparents complete forms, and forms and forms . His grades were a problem, so it happened later than anyone expected, but he accepted a scholarship to a college out of state.

I hadn’t seen him over the summer, but a few days before he left for college, we had lunch together. He arrived disheveled and barefooted. He didn’t eat, and frankly, he “talked crazy.” I was concerned, but wished him luck and he left for college. He was asked to leave the school less than three months later.

From what I’ve learned since, being away was less than ideal. He was a homeboy and being away scared him. He grew anxious, befuddled…couldn’t sleep. Worse, he stopped taking the antipsychotic meds he’d been on since early his senior yr of h.s. Back home, his grandparents insisted on him taking his medication, and he insisted that he wouldn’t.

He was huge and strong and these altercations grew violent and frequent before long Police would come and arrest him, but that was just a stop gap. He’d return home from a night or two in jail and nothing would change. Jail wasn’t a deterrent, because he had become schizophrenic and jail couldn’t do a thing for him or for his family.

I didn’t know a thing about his mental health issues, or that he was even home. So yes, I was surprised by that boy of promise who grew into a man, who through no fault of his own, deemed it necessary to spend several hours beating his grandparents and cousin to d**th using a pool cue and a set of forty pound dumbbells.”

10. Former gang member.

“My wife is a secondary school teacher. The school she teaches at is rough. One of the students she remembers was a gang member and was acting out in the classroom in front of his friends.

He couldn’t go home after school for family reasons so he would come to my wife after school and ask for maths tuition / time on the computer. He came daily and with the support of my wife he founded his passion and it was to work on cars.

Fast forward 5 years, he is now a mechanic (apprentice learner) for Mercedes AMG in Dubai.”

11. Great work!

“Am a college professor in India, and well, having fair skin is a pretty big issue here, with fairness equated with beauty and class. One of our first year female students was caught ingesting pills and passing out in class.

Some of the disciplinary committee was for suspension of the student, but me and my colleagues from our Department asked that she be let off with a warning, and we would personally see to her, since she always seemed like a pretty good sort to us. We had a talk with her, and she said that coming from the village to a city college, she felt ashamed of her dark skin and round figure, and she had taken those pills because some friends of hers told her that they were slimming pills and fairness pills.

We told her that she was beautiful as is, that those pills actually did her more harm than good (they were laxatives, diuretics and stomach meds). We gave her some extra attention, and besides, her classmates were also pretty nice kids, and she eventually thrived, getting into fitness and dancing, as well as academics. Fast forward a few years, she graduated with honours both from college and university, and was also the Varsity Beauty queen.

She is also the first from her village to receive a NET (National Eligibility Test for lectureship eligibility), as well as the first to be admitted to a PhD programme.”

12. Going places!

“My mom had a student in 3rd grade who was a bit of a troublemaker. She would have pretend trials sometimes in her classroom and made this kid a judge once.

Many years later he nominated her for a big teaching award just because she gave him that opportunity in the classroom, he said it made him want to grow up to be a judge.

Last I heard he was elected as a district attorney.”

Okay teachers, now we want to hear your stories!

In the comments, tell us about your former students who really surprised you later in life.

Don’t hold back now!

The post Teachers Share Which Former Students Surprised Them the Most Later in Life appeared first on UberFacts.

People Discuss What Formerly Popular Hobbies They Think Are Fading Away

I feel like some hobbies that used to be mostly for old folks are now catching on with younger generations, like gardening and knitting.

But what about the hobbies that are falling away by the wayside and getting lost in the shuffle?

AskReddit users talked about what formerly popular hobbies they think are going away.

Let’s see what they had to say.

1. Fun hobby.

“Have people just forgotten about geocaching or is there any other reason you can think of that it is going away?

I went with my kids a month ago after years away and sure enough the multi-cache we tried has some of the waypoints missing… and the final cache. Ugh.”

2. Times have changed.

“Collecting all 50 US state minted quarters.

I remember there used to be TV commercials selling you fancy cardboard with holes in them to help you collect them all, LOL

Ohh how times have changed.”

3. My youth!

“Indoor Rollerskating Rinks.

Skating has become popular, yes, but weirdly the number of roller skating rinks seems to be going down. The 4 within 25 miles of me closed down over the last 15 years. I don’t know of any new ones and I’m not sure where to go in New England to find an operating rink now-a-days. Meanwhile there’s lots of private outdoor groups.

It must just be too expensive to have the sqare footage to support a roller-skating rink in an urban area.”

4. Way too expensive.

“General aviation/being a private pilot.

A series of lawsuits against plane manufacturers combined with insane certification requirements for airplanes and parts have made it so that buying new planes or replacement parts is ludicrously expensive for pretty much anyone earning less than $500,000 per year.

Old used aircraft from the heyday of the 60s-80s had been filling the void to an extent over the years, but they are starting to get really worn out and people feel less and less comfortable flying them as time goes on. And unfortunately there’s just no replacements as they age out.

As an example, a brand new Cessna 172 in 1969 cost $12,500 (about $90,000 in today’s money). Today, a 2021 model would cost around $400,000.”

5. Good times.

“Flying Radio Controlled Helicopters and Airplanes.

Why would someone want to deal with all the hassle of flying a model helicopter (that is insanely difficult to fly), when they can buy a DJI drone that has a first person video stream, records video in 4K, and can fly around by itself via GPS?”

6. Old-school gaming.

“Bridge.

Super complex game, has layers and layers of rules, and it’s going away.”

7. See you on the strip.

“Drag racing, the vehicle kind.

A major track in Georgia just got sold because of a local battery plant is being built nearby and the houses around it skyrocketed in value.”

8. Don’t hear much about it.

“Paint ball.

It’s too expensive unfortunately and you need a good selection of people to play. The more players typically the more diverse the skill range is.

I think if it was cheaper there would still be a lot of players. On average the routine/competitive player will buy two cases of paint (2,000 rounds per case) for around $40-65 USD each, pay for entry and air ($25-35), and then buy any gear you may need or need to replace.

Back when 2008 financial crisis happened most fields I knew lost 3/4 of their serious players and most never returned. Which really sucks because paintball was growing really fast until then.”

9. Pretty rare these days.

“Ceramics, there used to be 2 or 3 shops in every small town.

Where you could go, pick a piece, clean it. They would fire it for you then go back a week later and paint it. They fire it for you again.

Then you go and pick up your finished master piece. It was so refreshing.”

10. Fraternal organizations.

“The Rotary Club, the Elks, the Masons, the League of Women Voters.

All kinds of fraternal organizations. Beyond that participation in all kinds of civic organizations, churches, labor unions, sports leagues, hobbyist clubs are way down from previous generations.

Americans used to be world renowned for their enthusiastic participation in clubs and civic organizations of all kinds. Now we’re becoming an increasingly atomized society.

The cost is that today the average American has fewer closer friends, is less likely to know their neighbors, and has less of an informal support network than at any point in history.”

11. Interesting.

“Collecting spoons.

I’m a teenager yet I often enjoy finding spoons at cool tourist attractions.

My personal favorite is one I got from Prague during Christmas time, it has a revolving dice in the handle.”

12. Had a revival.

“Swing dancing got really popular for a while in the late 1990s.

Haven’t heard much about that in a long time.”

13. All of them.

“Hobbies in general are going away — here’s (part of) why.

I regularly meet parents who balk at the idea of their child doing something “for fun.”

Unless it can translate to a career or a college application it’s viewed as a waste of time and money. And if it can translate to one of those then there is crushing, constant, pressure to “be the best” at it.

We are raising a generation of children who cannot comprehend of hobbies.”

What are some hobbies that used to be really popular that you think are going by the wayside?

Talk to us in the comments and let us know what you think.

We really appreciate it!

The post People Discuss What Formerly Popular Hobbies They Think Are Fading Away appeared first on UberFacts.

What Small Ways Has Society Progressed in the Last 20 Years? Here’s How People Responded.

You blink and you’ll miss it.

An older gentleman told me that when I graduated from high school. I kind of shrugged off his words of wisdom but it turns out he was right…

And things are always moving forward, which is good news for all of us here on planet Earth.

In what small ways has society progressed in the last two decades?

AskReddit users shared their thoughts.

1. That’s nice.

“My grandfather has been blind for forty years.

He says people are way more friendly than they used to be, especially younger people are eager to help.”

2. Much more aware.

“I think the majority of the world knows a lot more about other cultures and countries.

Thanks to the internet and learning facilities and the vast possibilities of travelling, people can really get into these topics if they want to.”

3. Progress.

“Infant mortality rate in Africa is now the same as it was in Europe in the 1970s.

Absolutely amazing progress.”

4. Knowledge is power.

“Think about the public’s access to information.

Just Wikipedia is equivalent to thousands of dollars of encyclopedias and almanacs in the 1990s.

And it’s way more valuable than that because it’s constantly being updated.”

5. A good thing.

“The rapid skill increase across all forms of gaming/sports, art, leisure activities, etc.

The internet really has allowed niche-activity folks to learn the most effective practices collectively, as opposed to independent and un-structured learning.

Hobbyists can (and are) now able to quickly get really good at nearly everything, at a ridiculous rate. Poker, paintball, video editing, computer games, etc…. doesn’t matter what it is, it’s easier now to jump from “beginner” to “pretty good” in nearly anything.”

6. You can learn anything!

“The intermet has made it easier to learn almost anything.

When something in my house/car breaks or needs upgraded, I can generally diagnose it with Google and then watch how-to videos on youtube to decide if I should do it myself or just save time and contact a professional to complete the repair.”

7. Click it or ticket.

“Stressing the importance of seat belts and helmets.

Old TV shows commonly depict no helmets and seatbelts.”

8. The little things.

“I took my grandparents to my Grandpa’s sister’s funeral, on the drive back home I had to buy a Pepsi and a coffee because I was tired.

I finished the can of Pepsi, and put the can in the cup holder.

Grandpa said “you know son, 10 years ago that would have went right out the window.””

9. More opportunities.

“Giving more opportunities to people with disabilities.

And this doesn’t mean just work either, but designing more building to universal design so that people with disabilities can access more spaces unassisted.

It’s really great!”

10. You see it less and less.

“Way fewer people smoke these days.

Honestly, in my extended family it’s maybe only one of my distant cousins.”

11. No more stigma.

“Wearing glasses has all but lost the negative stereotypes surrounding it.

They often used to make kids suffer through school unable to see.”

12. Normalizing.

“We’re normalizing openly discussing miscarriages. It use to be uncouth to discuss in social settings and was more something that couples had to suffer silently to themselves.

After recently experiencing one, the outpouring of support has been amazing and such a pillar of support for us through this tough time. We were thankful to have others to mourn with us.”

13. Preservation.

“In my country several efforts have been made to save our only remaining native indigenous language from being extinct.

A decade ago less than 1,000 people could speak it, now I believe the number is closer to 10,000.”

How about you?

What progress do you think we’ve made in the last two decades?

Sound off in the comments and let us know!

The post What Small Ways Has Society Progressed in the Last 20 Years? Here’s How People Responded. appeared first on UberFacts.

Even Smart People Mispronounce These 27 Words

It’s really easy to mispronounce words you don’t know, no matter how smart you are. If we’ve never had occasion to hear something said, after all, we can give it our best guess but never know for sure.

You’ll often hear people who read a lot, and widely, mispronounce a word on their first try because they’ve only read it, not heard it, and these 27 words are especially tough.

If you’d rather avoid the situation where you say it wrong in public, here are the correct pronunciations for some really complicated words.

27. Joust (j-oust)

Back in the 13 century, people said it “just,” but the word has evolved (maybe since no one physically jousts anymore) to be pronounced j-oust.

26. Transient (tran-zee-ent OR tran-shent)

If your’e from the United Kingdom, you probably say “tran-zee-ent”, though that’s also popular in the States.

Some Americans, though, prefer and use the two syllable “tran-shent.”

25. Either (eee-thur OR aye-thur)

You can choose here, eee-thur or aye-thur – you can even swap them out depending on your mood and the day!

Go crazy!

24. Status (stay-tus OR stah-tus)

Guess what? You’re not saying this one wrong, because both “stay-tus” and “stah-tus” are technically correct. Pick your poison, friends!

23. Quasi (kway-zi)

I was definitely saying this one wrong – “kwah-zee” – instead of the correct way, which is “kway-zi.”

22. Prelude (pray-lood OR prel-yood)

The difference is subtle, but once again, you can pick between the two choices of “prey-lood” or “prel-yood,” because both are technically correct.

21. Long-lived (long-liv d)

People used to pronounce this word “long-lyved,” but post 20th century, “long-livd” is universally accepted as correct.

20. Valet (val-it OR val-ay)

This word has evolved over the years, and was originally French and pronounced “val-it.”

In Britain, the word pronounced that way means a butler who helps you dress, while a val-ay is a person who parks your car and/or carries your bags.

Since most of us only employ the second (and only on occasion), the second pronunciation is generally considered to be correct.

19. Comptroller (con-tro-ller)

This is a person who controls finances, so the “mp” becomes an “n” when you pronounce this management title.

18. Forte (fort OR fort-ay)

This one surprised me, y’all – if you’re talking about someone’s strength, the ‘e’ is silent.

You only pronounce it fort-ay if you’re using it in the musical sense.

17. Gyro (yee-roh)

This one is tough, because most of us don’t actually speak Greek, but it’s “yee-roh.”

There are too many wrong pronunciations to count!

16. Err (er OR air)

In the United states, pronouncing this to rhyme with hair or air is correct, but in the U.K., it rhymes with ‘her.”

Go figure.

15. Victual (vittle)

This outdated term for food is pronounced “vittle,” not like “ritual,” but only a really pretentious person would need to use it, I think.

14. Gala (gay-luh)

Sorry, gal-uh people, but you’re just wrong – this should always be pronounced gay-luh.

13. Espresso (es-press-o)

Unless you’re in France (where you can order an “un express”), there’s no ‘x’ in this word.

Sorry, y’all.

12. Applicable (APP-LIC-able OR A-PLIC-able)

This one is another choose your own adventure, except it’s more like choose your own emphasis.

Applicable or aplicable are both correct.

11. Bon Mot (bohn mo)

If you want to sound worldly and use this term to mean “witty remark,” you’ll want to make sure you’re saying it correctly, right?

Barely pronounce that ‘n’, get all nasally, and ditch the ‘t.’

10. Spherical (sferr-i-kal)

Another example of why English exists just to mess with us. This isn’t pronounced like the word “sphere-i-Kal,” but instead, “sferr-i-Kal.”

What.

9. Bon Appetit (bo-nap-e-tea)

In this French tern, you hit the n a little harder, but blend it straight into the ‘a.’ Also, that last ‘t’ is silent.

Bo-nap-e-tea!

8. Decrease (DE-crease or de-CREASE)

It depends on how you’re using it. If it’s a noun, it’s de-crease, but if it’s a verb, it’s de-crease.

Who has time to parse your sentence before saying it, though?

7. Macaron (mac-a-ron)

We all love to scarf these down, but can you say it?

If you’re referring to the pretty-colored sandwich cookies, it’s “mac-a-ron,” and there’s no ‘S’ even if you eat an entire box.

I like that.

If you’re eating coconut haystack cookies, those are “mac-a-roons,” and feel free to pronounce the ‘s’.

6. Caramel (kah-ruh-mull OR kar-mull)

“Kar-mull” used to be a regionally accepted Midwestern thing, but has become acceptable worldwide, as is “kah-ruh-mull.”

And don’t let anyone tell you differently.

5. Scone (skoon)

In Scotland, where these delicious pastries were invented, they pronounce it to rhyme with “cone,” but some other places in England and the like choose to rhyme it with “gone” instead.

In America, they recommend “skoon,” though I’ve personally never heard it.

So you do you, y’all.

4. Mauve (mov)

Many people think this word rhymes with stove, or use an “aw” sound to make the “au,” but “mov” is safe and actually correct.

3. Nouveau (new-vo)

The French word for “new” isn’t pronounced “no-vu,” but “new-vo.”

Just a little way to impress your friends and enemies the next time you want to insult someone at a party.

2. Regime (ray-gime)

Hold onto your hats, folks, because the first syllable is “ray.”

The second syllable is a soft g still, though.

1. Sans (sahn)

This is the French word for “without,” and despite the way you hear it most of the time, the last ‘s’ is silent.

Not only that, but the ‘a’ should be long, like in “saw,” and you should barely pronounce the ‘n,’ either.

I’m feeling better about myself already, how about you?

What word do you commonly hear mispronounced? Educate us in the comments!

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