Those of you who are teachers, do you remember every student you’ve ever taught?
Posted by AndyKWHau@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 62 comments
For context, I left school about 20 years ago but I bumped into my former French teacher on the tube recently. I plucked up the courage to say hi to him and said, “you probably don’t remember me but you taught me French when I was 13”. To my surprise, when I mentioned my name, he remembered me almost instantly and even mentioned specific details about me, which made me believe he wasn’t just pretending to spare my feelings.
It just made me wonder if teachers remember most of their former students.
Lollylauralou@reddit
I tend to remember faces, not names.
BobBobBobBobBobDave@reddit
I am not a teacher, but both my parents were.
My dad wouldn't know most kids from Adam as soon as they left his class.
My mum used to get people come up to her in the street and say "Excuse me..." and she'd say something like "Hello Sarah, how are you, I haven't seen you since your last exam on 1974, how are you and how is your brother? Do you still play hockey?".
It was some Rain Man shit.
ItsDominare@reddit
Same here! Both parents, an aunt, and a sister are teachers. I, however, detest children.
Happily-Incorrect@reddit
I sometimes struggle to remember my current students. I have a real problem with bumping into people outside of the usual context I see them in and recognising them. So if I see someone in a shop, and I usually only see them in lessons, I struggle to register that they're the same person.
gorroval@reddit
I have this too!! Literally last week I met a colleague who recognised me instantly, but I didn't have a clue who she was! I had to figure it out by a process of elimination.
I'm autistic and apparently face-blindness is a fairly common symptom of it. Ghastly, it's so embarrassing, especially since apparently I'm cursed to be readily recognisable in the street 🙃
Embarrassed_Put_7892@reddit
Oh man I have this! I REALLY struggle with faces and have to remember specific features rather than the whole face if that makes sense. That’s why people like Mel Gibson and Kevin Costner look pretty much the same to me because I categorise them by being older men with deep lines around their mouths. Danny de Vito, Phil Collins and Greg Wallace also look pretty much the same.
Sometimes when people don’t have anything specific I can latch onto about their face, I just cannot recognise them at all. Tom hardy for instance. I know I’ve seen him in films. I know he’s an actor but if he walked in the room right now I wouldn’t recognise him. I can’t recall anything about his face. This happens in real life too. One of my parents at school was a guy I’d known for years. He’s been at my friends weddings. We’ve hung out - like an acquaintance I have had extended chats with. He walked in with his child and I had no clue he was the same guy. Met him multiple times and couldn’t recognise him any of those times.
I try and explain this to my husband and he thinks I’m mad.
Loz543@reddit
I’m exactly the same! I think it’s mild face blindness. I also think certain people look similar because of this, and my husband will say they look nothing alike, and I think it’s because they share a very specific feature that might not be noticed by most people who see whole faces
AdventurousTeach994@reddit
Its difficult when you meet people out the normal setting/context where you would regularly see them- colleagues and students- after you've been teaching a few years and have moved a round a few schools- it can be very difficult to try and find the hook that triggers your connection/memory- often it's a couple of minutes after the interaction that your memory catches up. It can be awkward and embarrassing at times.
cragglerock93@reddit
I think that's quite common. When I unexpectedly see work colleagues outside of work it really throws me.
Mr06506@reddit
I flew recently and the pilot recognised me and I had no idea who he was, my brain was so thrown trying to work out how I knew a pilot.
Worked out maybe an hour later he was a friend of a friend and we used to go to some wild parties together as kids. Not the association you want with the person in the cockpit.
Sussurator@reddit
I’m exactly the same. WFH is another example, you’ll see them on Microsoft teams and they’ll be completely different in real life.
AllScatteredLeaves@reddit
I dont even remember my current students.
AdventurousTeach994@reddit
You were lucky to meet the guy who somehow had that connection- sometimes its the voice- people can obviously change quite a bit physically but your voice and speech pattern doesn't change much- just a bit deeper with age but mostly still recognisable. I've heard people speaking behind me and instantly know who it is.
I met a girl I was at school with while at the polling station during the elections last week. We both made eye contact and in a hesitant and wary "I think I know you, I do know you, but how do I know you" glance eventually it clicked. We hadn't seen each other since 1978 almost 5 years ago when we were 17. Now aged 65 there was something familiar that we both clued into - even with 50 years of ageing. There have of course been other times when I still can't remember the person who appeared to know all about me and who was in the same year. Our minds and memory are fascinating. The important role SOUND has in triggering memories- the sound of a voice and of course a piece of music can trigger a whole treasure trove of memories- as can certain smells.
AdventurousTeach994@reddit
You were lucky to meet the guy who somehow had that connection- sometimes its the voice- people can obviously change quite a bit physically but your voice and speech pattern doesn't change much- just a bit deeper with age but mostly still recognisable. I've heard people speaking behind me and instantly know who it is.
I met a girl I was at school with while at the polling station during the elections last week. We both made eye contact and in a hesitant and wary "I think I know you, I do know you, but how do I know you" glance eventually it clicked. We hadn't seen each other since 1978 almost 5 years ago when we were 17. Now aged 65 there was something familiar that we both clued into - even with 50 years of ageing. There have of course been other times when I still can't remember the person who appeared to know all about me and who was in the same year. Our minds and memory are fascinating. The important role SOUND has in triggering memories- the sound of a voice and of course a piece of music can trigger a whole treasure trove of memories- as can certain smells.
apeliott@reddit
I've been teaching overseas for 20 years and have taught thousands of students of all ages.
I'm pretty shit with remembering names but there are lots of students I'll never forget. Either because they were very good, very bad, or were particularly interesting for some reason.
20127010603170562316@reddit
Same with colleagues I think. I realised that I don't actually remember most of the people I ever worked with, not even their name or anything about them.
The ones I do remember are for good or bad reasons. And I remember certain people from every job I've ever had, but most of them are forgotten.
AdventurousTeach994@reddit
How many people do you remember from your own school days?
20127010603170562316@reddit
More than colleagues I think. I think I could name 50 people from my schools.
gaaarrrgh@reddit
I've been a teacher for 20 years. Until about 5 years ago, I could remember every kid I'd taught by name. Now I can't, because I'm over 40. I reckon if any kid came up to me and said their name and when I taught them, I'd genuinely remember them.
Obviously I remember the very good ones, and the utter arseholes.
Michael_of_Derry@reddit
I think pupils are more likely to remember teachers that the other way about.
lkap28@reddit
I have thought about writing some kind of thank you card to my GCSE English teacher but I’m 30 now and can’t bear the idea that he’s like ‘well that’s nice.. who the hell is this person though’ 😅
xiopan@reddit
Please do write it, but please, please sign your full name and year. I have a box of wonderful notes, but having taught over 5000 students, I cannot remember which Alicia is which. I should have written the name and date myself, but hindsight is 20-20.
pickindim_kmet@reddit
I was in the same shoes as you. I had one teacher that was patient with me, helped me, and I really connected with. I often thought about reaching out in some way but didn't do it. Bumped into him when I was late 20s and introduced myself and he had no idea. I felt like we had such a good connection and I mentioned all my friends in the class too, but nothing. It makes sense, he's seen thousands of kids probably - but still broke my heart a little bit!
PositiveTurnover8923@reddit
Most teachers keep all their thank you cards - I look at mine sometimes when I've had a bad week.
Please write it, it will be hugely appreciated.
GeminiCheese@reddit
Whether they remember you or not, I'm sure it would brighten their day to receive such a message.
Plenty of teachers go into the profession with lofty ideas of raising up children and impacting positively upon their lives. In general, we don't tend to see the results. Kids leave us after their exams and other than their results, we don't tend to see any more. Most teachers also end up jaded by the bureaucracy of the school system; and often end up moving away from classroom teaching towards leadership/admin roles as time goes on. Having someone remind them of the reason they got into teaching in the first place can be a wonderful boost.
Worst case, they don't care and put it in the bin. Best case you provide an uplifting moment for someone who may need it.
Do it!
Embarrassed_Put_7892@reddit
There are a few that I remember really vividly - some for good reasons, some for obviously not so good reasons. I don’t have the capacity to hold all their names and faces in my head though so sometimes I’ll think about one and just not be able to recall their name or what they looked like. I don’t have the RAM.
AdventurousTeach994@reddit
I taught for 27 years like most teachers. In that time I taught THOUSANDS of kids, some looked alike, there were members of the same family and some kids had the same name of the years.
How on earth do you expect anyone to remember every Kidd they taught? And don't get me started when some bald middle aged guy you last saw 25 years ago when they were 15 comes up to you in a pub and says- "I bet you don't remember me"..... WHAT DO YOU THINK THE ANSWER IS GOING TO BE 99% OF THE TIME?
GeminiCheese@reddit
This is the best one. Oh aye, I completely recognised your male pattern baldness, beer belly, and brood of children. Last time I saw you, you had a face full of acne and could barely coordinate your gangly limbs.
Cultural-Summer-2669@reddit
Interesting, I work in a hospital and I was sure I recognised my teacher from 30yrs ago, I meant to ask and meant to ask, then she died.
Don’t feel so bad realising she probably never gave a shit going by these answers 😂😂
GeminiCheese@reddit
It isn't that they don't give a shit, it is often just the sheer numbers.
An average teacher might teach 15 classes of 30 students each year. That is 450 students. Multiply that by a 20+ year career and you soon realise that it just isn't possible to remember everyone.
Think about it the other way. Do you remember every patient you treat? I doubt it. But I bet you remember the ones with weird injuries, or the ones that were really sweet, or the ones that were a giant pain in the arse!
InYourAlaska@reddit
My mum is a teacher, has worked in the same primary school for around twenty years.
She first narrows it down by what name people use due to divorces and one marriage eg do they shout Mrs smith, Mrs jones, or ms Williams
That at least gives her a rough gauge of what role she was working at the time, as she’s worn many hats.
Unless you were a particular dickhead she won’t remember too much of you if you shout Mrs smith
Might vaguely remember a few things about you if you shout Mrs Jones
If you shout ms Williams then you’re fairly recent ish so she’ll probably remember your name
But she remembers almost all the kids that were in mine and my siblings year group - so about 250 odd kids, give or take a few
User-1967@reddit
I don’t always remember their names but I remember their voices and faces
GeminiCheese@reddit
Same. I'm so bad with names it is beyond funny. I am always jealous of people who can instantly file away names. Every time someone tells me their name its like there is a little voice in my head drowning them out.
I have tried all the tricks. Registers with photos, cheat sheets for classes, word association, visualisations, repetition; none of it works for me.
AndyKWHau@reddit (OP)
My old headteacher literally knew everyone’s name at school. If you ever bumped into him, he would say “hello, [name]”. I always wondered how he did that.
GeminiCheese@reddit
Aye, I have worked with a fair few people like that. It feels like sorcery to me.
jeminar@reddit
I probably remember 5%
decentlyfair@reddit
I teach adults and have done for 25 years. I remember a lot of those I have taught but not all but if I bumped into one of the ones I didn’t remember I would recognise them and then possibly remember their name.
appelsalad@reddit
I don’t I remember all the students/kids I’ve worked with but deffo a high percentage of them. Sometimes I’ll see one randomly and I can never approach them to get a life update because there’s no way in hell they remember me. I’ve been teaching workshops to adults since January and I remember every single student so far (maybe 30??), what they’re working on and what they’ve needed help with and between sessions I think about how to help (no notes, all mental).
I have a pretty good memory with people and I think the earliest students I can remember in detail is about twenty years ago now.
CheesecakeGlobal277@reddit
When I was a teacher, I remembered nearly all the names of the students I taught.
There was a point in time, where students I didn't teach were asking me " sir how do you know my name ?" when I didn't teach them and I always told them, it's because when your teacher was calling your name, I noticed and immediately put your name to your face.
Even times I would stop teaching students because of class changes, I still remembered former students and colleagues were always impressed by this ability, but that was just because I have a really strong memory.
Usual-Sound-2962@reddit
As others have said I usually remember you because you were either a) a pain in the arse, b) have some weird or odd fact/life circumstance or c) were unbelievably good at my subject.
If you came in and cracked on I’d know your face but wouldn’t always have your full name committed to memory.
Aware-Combination165@reddit
15 years and I’d recognise any of them, but probably wouldn’t remember all of their names. Looking back to my first ever class, the ones I remember are the really delightful ones with nice parents and the really naughty ones, so maybe you were one of those 😂
AndyKWHau@reddit (OP)
I was always good as gold 👀🤞🏼
djalexander91@reddit
Depends. Some I’ve forgotten and some have such an impact on my own life that it’d be hard not too.
bonshui@reddit
God no. U can't remember the ones I currently teach.
Melodicmat@reddit
this would be me if I was a teacher! I can't remember any of my teachers at all, really. Names or faces! And It was only like 15 years ago lol. It fries my brain how all of my friends seem to remember so much lol
Agitated_Ad_361@reddit
The good ones yes, the bad ones yes, the middley kids with something interesting about them (whether it’s their face or a fact) yes. The dull ones, no.
Sussurator@reddit
I was just thinking that I can only remember a few of my teachers names, so I’d say it would be impossible for them.
justhangingaroud@reddit
I don’t remember kids I taught yesterday
lizzie_knits@reddit
My old history teacher who constantly complained about my little cartoons I drew in my homework had no clue who I was three years after I left school. My old drama teacher who barely acknowledged my existence knew exactly who I was thirty years later.
Teachers be weird.
Carnationlilyrose@reddit
No. I taught for 32 years and I just can't remember all of them. If you teach 6 classes on average, with about 30 in each one, that's 5760 over 32 years, and these days I can barely remember what I had for breakfast, but there are many that I will never ever forget. I will certainly never forget the 7 who died during that time.
GeminiCheese@reddit
I am awful with names. Always have been. It isn't for lack of effort or care. It took me 6 months to consistently get my own son's name right, and I chose it (funnily enough, even 13 years later I sometimes call him by my brother's name).
Faces on the other hand; great with those.
I have had a few occasions where I have bumped into a former student 10+ years after last teaching them. I can instantly picture talking to them, or helping with an assignment, or dealing with misbehaviour; but have to carefully dance around the fact that I haven't a clue what they are called.
targetsbots@reddit
No but I've taught an average of 360 different pupils every year for over 20 years (science) big classes and lots of them every year.
beardymo@reddit
I am a teacher. It varies. I'm good with names and faces so I remember a large number of the students I've taught. If I only taught them once a week in a class I shared with another teacher and they didn't say much then I probably won't, but otherwise I generally will. I'll certainly normally remember a name even if I can quite remember the face. At the same time I have a colleague who will forget students he's taught for five years, pretty much in the summer holidays.
gorroval@reddit
Depends entirely on the student. I could teach 200 students in a given year. And of course I also have mild face-blindness, which doesn't help matters. There are students from my very first tutor group whom I still remember over a decade later. Meanwhile there are kids I see around school who I know I taught last year, but I've completely forgotten everything about them. And God help me if I ever meet them outside of school, I barely recognise some of my colleagues in their civvies 🤣
Every_Stand4168@reddit
bumped into my high school science teacher nearly 10 years after he taught me. I would have happily ignored him but he said hi to me and I was a bit embarrassed for some reason that he remembered me? I awkwardly said hi back then walked off haha
ipdipdu@reddit
I’ve been teaching 15 years, last year during a sort out found class photos from my first 2 years of teaching, tried to name everyone but could only do two thirds. Recently when I met 2 of them in person I did remember them, one of them at a sports event, she was thrilled I’d remembered her, another one was a trainee electrician and was freaked out I knew who he was.
IamTory@reddit
I've been working in schools since 2012, teaching since 2014. I remember some pupils--many, even--but no, not all. There are a lot of pupils I taught in my first year or two who I wouldn't recognise or know the names of now. One of them works in my dentist's office and remembered me, and I was sad and embarrassed to find I had no memory of her despite teaching her three times a week for a school year.
But I do remember a lot. Mainly those who made an impression--clever, or unusually sweet-tempered, or big personalities, or an interesting background or event, or yes, the ones who drove me nuts with bad behaviour.
Worried_Suit4820@reddit
I remember some, but definitely not all. Hard to think of them as parents now, and maybe even grandparents...
bookishnatasha89@reddit
My History teacher always remembers me when I see her and asks after my school best friend too. We left school 20 years ago.
(She was my favourite teacher however!)
crispycat40@reddit
No, not off the top of my head.
But if I jumped into someone in person then it’d probably come back to me.
Mavz-Billie-@reddit
Usually yes.
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