4.
“I think this counts as dirty. I wrote an anonymous letter to my math teacher in Year 9 (when I was 14/15 for Americans), asking him to please shower more often and wear deodorant because his B.O. was so horrific. I tried to word it as nicely as possible, and I felt ashamed for years because maybe he was struggling outside of work, but he never brushed his teeth, wore the same clothes for days on end, and absolutely stank. The sweat stains were horrific. You knew it was the same shirt because the stains got bigger throughout the week and were crusty.”
“We would be tearing up from the smell. To the point, some of the students would have to leave the room because we thought we’d be sick. It was getting to the point where I was starting to fail maths and needed a tutor because I couldn’t concentrate in lessons and was skipping class to avoid him. I can’t believe the faculty never approached him about his hygiene, it was honestly horrific and the worst I have ever come across.
He did take the feedback on board because he started showering and wearing deodorant, started changing his clothes, and stopped smelling so badly. Maybe he was depressed and couldn’t tell how bad it was. I honestly felt like a terrible person for writing that letter and leaving it under his door, but something had to be done because it was unbearable. I still feel like a horrible person years later, nearly 20 years later. So much guilt, but how bad that a student had to do that to try and make a change? Am I a bad person?”
“You probably saved his career. In the short term, he would have felt hurt, but I’m sure he’s incredibly grateful to you now.”
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