Few feelings are more satisfying than proving someone who doubted you wrong. Success-against-the-odds is truly a delicious dish of revenge that should be bragged upon to all of the haters and people who tried to tear you down.
Of course, in a perfect world no one would have to deal with people doubting them in the first place. But alas, human beings are insecure flesh bags who often feel the need to kick others down in order to feel good about themselves. Luckily, we all have the ability to funnel those negative comments back into motivation if we so chose.
In a popular Reddit thread, people shared the times their success proved a doubting teacher or acquaintance wrong, and the come-ups are delightful.
1. OnlyMe369 won the bet.
I went to high school in a really small town, in this small town I worked as a farm hand. After I got my associate's degree at the local community college I followed my boyfriend to a larger city where he got a job and would work part-time and continue my education. When I told my boss about my plans he said, "50 bucks says you'll be pregnant in 6 months".
You better believe I went back and collected that $50. Now I'm married, own a house, and two years into my Ph.D... still not pregnant.
2. QuokkaMocha proved their mean art teacher wrong.
My art teacher in my last two years of high school (in the UK) told me I was talentless and lazy, and caught me and my friends once in the school concourse looking at my portfolio of set and costume designs I was prepping for an interview for theater school in London. He grabbed it from my friend, leafed through with a sneer, and said I’d get nowhere with that rubbish and no college would take me, let alone one in London.
Well, I was offered a place on the course the day after my interview, mostly on the strength of my portfolio. Fast forward to my final year in college and I was designing the sets for one of the BA Acting class’s shows, and I don’t recall why but we needed chemistry equipment as set dressing. As I was back up in Scotland for a long weekend, I called my old chemistry teacher, who I did get on with, and he agreed to give me a loaf of stuff he’d had lying about in his garage.
I went into the school to pick the stuff up, intending just to go in and out again without speaking to anyone else, but do I not run into the art teacher in the corridor and he demands to know what I’m doing there. “Oh, just getting some props for the show I’m designing, down in London.”
His face was a picture. Funny thing is, I’ve since had illustrations professionally published, have sold paintings and I actually can’t even remember that art teacher’s name.
3. damndingashrubbery proved their teacher wrong in a heartwarming way.
My 1st grade teacher. I gave her a big hug on the last day of school. She hugged me back and told me "one day you will be too big and will be embarrassed to hug me", i told her id never be too big, she just smiled. Cut to 15 years later, I am 21 and just got back from a deployment, went to visit/surprise my mom (4th grade teacher in same school) at work. Saw my 1st grade teacher there and gave her a hug in front of her class of kids. I reminded her i would never be too big for a hug.
4. hughnibley got the last laugh.
I have one that was a very quick "you were wrong".
My life until I was 11 or so was pretty normal, but serious issues at home started to to really take a toll on me. I turned inward as I tried to cope, and become progressively more quiet and shy at school.
Starting in 6th grade, I played the tuba in band. In 7th grade, I was really excited for the solo and ensemble competition because I'd get to play more than half and quarter notes. Me playing the tuba was actually hilarious because I was so small for my age, I had to sit on two phone books to reach the mouthpiece.
I practiced my solo like crazy, both with and without my piano accompanist, but the head band director at my middle school (yeah, there were two), insisted everyone had to come and 'audition' for him before he'd let us go. The rules, however, were explicit - that was not a requirement. Still, I went to my scheduled audition the afternoon before the competition.
My older brother was in his band and the source of most of my family's struggles and not unrelated, the band director hated him. I assume because of my brother, he was a real jerk to me. I was so intimidated by him I couldn't even get through the first few measures. He yelled at me, told me I was not allowed to go to the competition because I'd embarrass him and the school with my performance.
Then, for the first time in my scholastic life, I felt part of myself push back against the authority. He was probably ~6'0" and I was this tiny kid who probably weighed 90 lbs and was no more than 5'0"; I remember rage filling me over how I was being treated. My jaw clenched and I coldly said "It's not your decision."
He stared at me for a moment then launched into a tirade telling me about how lazy and untalented I was. I rushed out of the band hall, tears streaming down my face, but resolute nonetheless.
I showed up the next morning, and he scowled at me as I came in. I first played in my ensemble with 4 other brass players, and when we got our score back I couldn't be more thrilled. The scores went from 5, at the worst, to 1 at the best. Judges could also give out a handful of 'Outstanding' ratings to those with 1's who did particularly well. My ensemble got a '1 - Outstanding'.
I still remember the room I went to go play my solo in. I remember the judge and my accompanist both smiling at me, and the judge telling me to begin whenever I felt ready and how different the tone was from the 'audition' with my band director.
When I was done I remember walking into the school cafeteria, score in hand, to see my band director standing there, glaring at me. As I got near, he shoved his hand out without saying a word, wanting to see how poorly I'd done. The confusion on his face was one of the sweetest things I'd ever seen. On my solo I'd gotten a '1 - Outstanding'.
He didn't say a word to me, but the scowl on his face melted away to something more neutral and he walked away. I'm sure my beaming smile didn't encourage him to want to say anything positive to me.
I wouldn't say he was friendly to me after that, but he definitely showed restraint, and I hope a modicum of respect, after that.
5. AJ462 exceeded expectations.
My sixth grade math teacher would do this thing where she'd make people stay in at lunch. She'd do it mostly if you pissed her off or if she just wanted to. I was terrible at mathematics and my grades in her class were a bit abysmal. I vividly reminisce about one certain day where she was irritated and furious due to my lack of understanding of GCF (greatest common factor) and she went on a whole tirade. One of the quotes that stood out to me was "Cute ain't gon' get ya too far."
Fast forward 5 years later. I graduated high school a year in advance and made National Honors Society. My chemistry teacher, who I liked even though I was garbage at chemistry, hugged me at graduation. The best part was that barely any of my friends or teacher knew and it came as a shock when I walked across that stage.
6. knitkitty started at the bottom now they're here.
In 6th grade everyone took a typing class where, among other computer basics, we were supposed to be learning how to touch type. I was struggling a bit because I was mostly using the correct fingers on the correct keys, but I watched the keyboard and not the screen.
Also, I could never get the hang of the two shift keys. I'd only use the right shift key which meant I was using the wrong pointer finger when doing some of the middle letters as capitals. The teacher insisted that I was never going to be able to do anything on computers and would fall behind.
Fast forward to senior year and I'm taking a Lotus123 class with the same teacher. I'm now the top student and she's asking me to go help everyone else after I've finished my assignments.
I showed her! LOL
7. AYASOFAYA became her teacher's success school.
I went to a fancy private school in Connecticut and I really was a misbehaved little punk. Detentions and psychologist visits and all that. I ended up being “asked not to return” after 2nd grade which is their way of expelling people so other girls can take the spot next year without having to formally put it on anyone’s record.
Anyways my little cousin started kindergarten there exactly 20 years later. In the pre-visits a year before, I went to see the school with them for old time’s sake. Shook hands with the teacher. She said “Hi, I’m Mrs X.” I said “I know, you were my kindergarten teacher.”
She flipped and started introducing me to everyone after asking what I was up to these days. She remembered me (only like 3 black people per grade so not hard by process of elimination) but apparently conveniently forgot about how terrible I was. She even told all the parents that they should send their kids there because everyone ends up “beautiful and successful” like me.
8. MyPreciousHeft is glad Mrs. Davis didn't keep them down.
In high school I had a teacher named Mrs. Davis for statistics and trig who tried to fail me.
She'd tell me stuff like various euler identities weren't math and that the double angle half angle formulas were the only ones. She'd mark as much of my work wrong as she could and she hated me. She even called a parent teacher conference because she miscalculated both of my grades according to the weights in her own syllabuses to make them Fs instead of As. I had to get the administration to enforce my grades.
After all her bullsh*t I was the only one ever to get a 5 on the AP statistics exam from her class. I was also the first person in the school to ever make national AP scholar (edit: at the time 0.1% of high school students in GA did this).
She had to sit there and watch me get the commendation. I went on to college to get degrees in CS and physics and I very much learned that she was a bullsh*tter who didn't know trig or statistics at all. Didn't really justify the Umbridge attitude. Now there's a plaque on the wall with my name on it she has to walk past every day.
Sometimes I see her now in the grocery store when I'm visiting my dad and I swear she looks just as angry and unhappy as she did all those years ago.
9. toofatfortv's girlfriend's mom ate her own words.
When I was 16, my girlfriend's parents were adamant that I was going to pump gas my whole life, I forgot all about them until a few years ago, 20 years after the fact, I pulled in to gas up my "new to me" 2 year old f150 that was loaded to the tits with every available option they offered at the time I think. Guess who was pumping gas. Her mom. I never sought her out, and usually I forget about her right away, but every once in a while I find myself at that gas station again.
Note: There is nothing wrong with pumping gas for a living in my opinion. I just don't do that anymore.
10. grrodon2 just bought their own house.
My teacher used to tell me I was too lazy, and I couldn't hope to make a living doing nothing.
I'm a custodian, and I just bought my 2nd home at 42.
11. AdamJadam is glad they were able to show their teacher what is possible.
I was in special ed as a kid. We had to fight with the schools to get me the help I needed. At one meeting with the school higher-ups, the high school principal turned to me with a sweet smile, pointed out I was 16 now, and asked if I'd like to drop out of school. I was stunned.
Why would I be fighting to get an education if I planned to throw it away as soon as I was legal age to do so?! I informed her that I planned to go to college, that she was a wretched person and a horrid teacher (I was going through a Charles Dickens phase at that age so used colorful insult words) and that she should be ashamed at making such an assumption.
When I got my PHD, I looked her up. She was still at the school, so I went there and scheduled a meeting with her. I slapped down my resume, and a copy of my book, and waited to see if she'd recognize me. She did not, and told me she wasn't looking for any school counselors (my PHD is in applied psychology with a masters' in mental health counseling). I assured her I wasn't there to get a job, that I already had one as a professor.
I asked if she remembered a few years back when there was a very angry young woman who was struggling in school and fighting to go to college. I described how I used to look (I lost like 200 pounds in college) and I could see the realization dawn on her more and more as I described the terms of my IEP.
She didn't apologize or anything, but she KNEW she had been wrong. I ended our meeting by advising her not to give up on her students any more, especially the ones who WANTED to succeed. Those kids need an advocate and a supporter, not someone advising them to drop out and throw away their futures! Lucky for me, I am a defiant little brat who refused to let grownups tell me I couldn't do whatever I wanted, and I wanted to get a PHD more than anything, so screw them all.
12. g_will318 never plagiarized.
Was accused of plagiarism by my English teacher on the first assignment I handed her. I asked her to back up her accusation (it was bullshit) she was unable to do so.
I refused to attend her classes for two years, I camped out in the tiny library in the school during English lessons. I got the list of poetry and texts we were supposed to study from my classmates and used past exam papers to get an idea of how questions might be asked.
Sat the state final exams in English and stuck my results under her nose, a B1 (B+ elsewhere). I told her it must have been some very fine plagiarism to cheat in that exam and get that score undetected. I will never forget the look on her face.
My freshmen year of high school was kind of rough. As such, my grades suffered quite a bit. But I finally made a friend who I had a number of classes with, including biology.
Well, my biology teacher hated me, for reasons unknown, but I have my suspicions. I had her class right after lunch. For the first half of the year I had no friends, and also a lot of anxiety, much of which was centered around the cafeteria and not having anyone to sit with. I'd get tummy aches and leave early, fairly often. So I missed her class a lot. I also was driven to school by my brother, who would hotbox me most mornings. I was very innocent at the time, and didn't realize I was going into school smelling like weed.
At the end of junior year it was time to sign up for senior classes. By this time I'd become very close with previously mentioned friend. My grades had also gone up and I was doing very well in school. She wanted to sign up for AP chemistry and dual enrollment biology ii for senior year. I wanted to have classes with her, so I wanted to sign up for the same.
In order to take two science classes, we had to get approval by the department head. Which was, you guessed it, freshman year biology teacher. I went with my friend to have our forms signed. Friend went first. Teacher raved about her and having her in her class. Then comes my turn. She kept asking if I was sure. That it would be a lot of work, was I sure I was up to it? Did I really think I could handle it? On and on. Honestly, she made me feel like crap. But I just said yes, because I was desperate to have classes with my friend, and also felt more confident in my knowledge and ability.
So she finally relented and signed.
And then, at the end of the year, she had to give me a trophy at graduation for being the best student in the class.
14. unopenediary made it out of the darkness.
Have AD-HD and struggled with depression in my middle school years. Neighbor thought I was going to go insane and end up in an asylum. 10 years later I'm in college about to get my degree and found a decent job while doing it. Overall my neighbor was nice and I'm sure she was just worried about her own children. They moved and i haven't nor will I take the chance to say "Look at me now". But we never really know whats going to happen to someone.
15. CliftonLedbetter went back and gave a speech.
I went back and gave the 10 year anniversary graduation speech as guest of honour. Shared the stage with my favourite teacher and also the nasty principal who never liked my family for our religion. Felt real good.
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