What's the worst thing a teacher has done to you?

Push me to reach my full potential and breaking me in the process.

I was a "gifted" kid. Skipped ahead 2 grades and still outperforming my classmates, 99.9th percentile in most subjects, etc, etc. I got a scholarship to a private school in grade 7. My teacher was a leading mind and expert in his field and had retired at 55 before he started teaching. He decided I would be his protege and started working on me.

Despite my intelligence, I was (and still am) lazy as hell. I was achieving the highest grades in the region, 2 grades ahead, by coasting. He tries to break me of that. He pushed me to work and do things like I never had before, and I did do quite a bit I wouldn't have without him

But it came to a head one day: he called me out, I pushed back, he tore into me and broke me down like no one has before or since. He nailed everyone of my self-doubts and insecurities and threw them back at me.

After that, I stopped giving a shit. I got into drugs, booze, music... anything but education. It took me 15 years before I started taking life seriously again.

/r/AskReddit Thread