13 Reasons Why Teachers Make the Worst Students

You spend years molding young minds, managing chaos, and enforcing rules. But the moment you sit on the other side of the classroom? Everything changes.
Teachers in the student seat are often a unique disaster — a mix of overachievers, skeptics, and rule-breakers who can’t resist questioning everything. Think you’d be the perfect student? Think again! You might think educators would be model learners, but the reality is much funnier — and sometimes frustrating.
Here’s why teachers make the worst students:
1. You Question Everything
You don’t just accept information. You challenge, analyze, and sometimes argue. When the instructor says, “That’s just the rule,” you demand proof, history, and real-world applications.
Instructor: “This is just the way it’s done.”
You: “But why?”
It’s like a reflex. You need sources, historical context, and at least one TED Talk before you believe a single thing. And if the teacher says, “Because I said so,” you break out in a rash.
2. You Overanalyze Assignments
A normal student sees an assignment and does it. For you, a simple instruction turns into a research project with a labyrinth of possible interpretations. You spend more time decoding the assignment than actually doing it.
- “Does this need to be double-spaced or 1.5-spaced?”
- “Are we citing in MLA or APA? And why not Chicago?”
- “Does this mean I need five sources or five types of sources?”
By the time you figure out what the assignment means, the deadline has passed, and you’re emailing for an extension.
3. You Resist Arbitrary Rules
No eating in class? Phones away at all times? You’ve let kids break these rules, so why should you follow them? You know which rules matter and which ones exist just for control.
If an instructor demands blind obedience, your inner rebel comes out. You’re sneaking snacks, subtly checking emails, and mentally listing all the times you’ve let students break these exact same rules.
4. You Compare Everything to Your Own Teaching
You can’t help it. Every lecture, every assignment, every test — you’re mentally grading the instructor. Everything gets compared to how you would have done it.
- “That lesson lacked engagement.”
- “They should have used more examples.”
- “Where’s the rubric? How do they expect us to succeed without clear criteria?”
Halfway through the course, you’ve basically rewritten their curriculum in your head. Sometimes, you even want to leave feedback — detailed, constructive feedback.
5. You Expect Too Much from the Instructor
You know what good teaching looks like, so your standards are sky-high.
You expect engaging lessons, prompt feedback, and well-organized materials. If an instructor is vague, unprepared, or slow to grade? You lose all patience.
If the professor ends class 10 minutes early, most students cheer. You? You mutter, “We still had time for at least two more discussion points.”
6. You Get Annoyed by Bad Teaching
You can spot poor instruction from a mile away. If the instructor stumbles through explanations, uses outdated material, or lectures endlessly, you mentally rewrite their lesson plan.
Long, dry lectures? PowerPoints with size 10 font? Group work with zero structure? You’re suffering.
And the worst part? You can’t fix it. You have to sit in silence as the teacher fumbles through concepts you could explain better in your sleep. Every bone in your body wants to raise a hand and say, “Would you like me to take over?” But you bite your tongue — most of the time.
7. You Struggle to Be Silent
Class discussions? You can’t hold back. You jump in, over-explain, and accidentally turn a five-minute conversation into a full-on seminar. You can’t resist. You’re used to leading, so stepping back and listening feels unnatural. The teacher says, “Let’s hear from someone else,” and you groan inside.
Instructor: “I’d love to hear from someone who hasn’t spoken yet.”
You: Oh no, they mean me. I should stop talking. But what if they don’t understand?
Your classmates stop volunteering because they know you’ll do it for them. And yes, they can resent you.
8. You Need Everything to Be Useful
If an assignment doesn’t have a clear purpose or feels pointless, you will disengage and complain. “When will I ever use this?” suddenly becomes your go-to complaint.
“Is this knowledge I can use in real life?”
“Will this help me in my career?”
“Can I just do something meaningful instead?”
The irony? You’ve given students the exact same “pointless” assignments before. But now that it’s happening to you, it’s unacceptable.
9. You Hate Being Controlled but Love Being in Control
As a teacher, you’re the one running the show. You set the rules, lead discussions, and decide what’s important. But as a student? Suddenly, you have to follow the rules, and it’s infuriating.
Instructor: “No late work accepted.”
You: “Oh, so now deadlines matter?”
Instructor: “We’ll be working in groups today.”
You: “I didn’t approve this.”
You’re used to being the one calling the shots, and the moment someone else is in charge, you feel personally attacked.
10. You’re Used to Setting Deadlines, Not Following Them
You give deadlines, enforce them, and even extend them when necessary. But being on the receiving end? It feels unfair. “Wait, no late work accepted? What kind of monster are you?”
And, when you have to actually turn something in? That’s different.
- “Aren’t deadlines guidelines?”
- “Can I have a two-day extension? Just to make it perfect?”
- “Oh, now late work isn’t accepted? Interesting.”
You suddenly understand why students beg for extra time. And now you regret every firm deadline you ever enforced.
11. You’re Too Independent for Group Projects
Group projects are your nightmare. You hate relying on others to complete work and you’ve led enough of them to know how they go.
- One person does all the work.
- Everyone else slacks off.
- The whole group gets the same grade.
You refuse to be the slacker, so you just end up doing everything yourself to “make sure it’s done right.” When your classmates suggest splitting tasks, you shake your head. Meanwhile, your classmates thank you and call it “great teamwork.”
12. You Overprepare for Everything
While other students skim, you deep dive. One reading assignment turns into a weeklong study session. You create lesson plans for material you don’t even need to learn. You’ve color-coded, cross-referenced, and possibly created a slideshow — just for yourself.
Your classmates ask, “Did you actually read all that?”
You respond, “Well, of course.”
They look at you like you’re an alien.
13. You Hate Being Tested on Useless Information
You’ve designed enough tests to know when one is absolute nonsense. You know the difference between useful knowledge and trivia.
If a question is overly specific, you mutter, “Who even needs to know this?” If it’s too vague, you roll your eyes. And if it’s pure memorization, you seriously consider writing “Google exists” as your answer.
You tell yourself, This isn’t how learning works! But, unfortunately, your grade depends on it.
Bonus: You Have No Patience for Busywork
You know what busywork looks like. You’ve assigned it before. And now that you’re the one stuck doing it, you’re outraged.
A 10-page reflection on something that could be covered in a paragraph? Pointless worksheets? Discussion posts where no one says anything meaningful? You feel your soul leaving your body.
You seriously consider rebelling. Then you remember: you’re paying for this class!
Final Thoughts
Teachers make the worst students because we’re too analytical, too skeptical, and, frankly, too experienced. We can’t turn off our teaching instincts, and we expect every class to be structured correctly.
But here’s the funny part: This is also what makes teachers great educators. We question things, we demand quality, and we know what actually matters.
So if you find yourself being that student, don’t worry. You’re not alone. Now go ahead — share this with a fellow teacher and give them a laugh. You know they’ll relate!
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