Thinking about consequences that “fit the crime,” I instantly remember our end-of-year camp in fifth grade. We were sequestered in boy and girl cabins for a week without our parents, and our fifth-grade teachers were our supervisors. Needless to say, it was the wild, wild west that week.
At the height of unsupervised chaos, word spread through camp that someone in the boys’ cabin was leaving, uh, human waste in the sink. 😳 When they finally caught the culprit, the fifth-grade supervisors made the guilty party clean the entire bathroom by hand. (Obviously, the girls’ cabin won the Respectful & Responsible Award that week.)
Though the punishment wasn’t for me, it obviously left a lasting impact. Would I remember that story if the boy had just gotten a stern talking-to? Maybe. But I remember feeling like the consequence he got was not only appropriate, but important to consider the impact it had on the cleaning staff.
A teacher on Reddit shared similar perfect consequences (scrubbing spray paint for hours and hours—yikes!), and they prompted others to share. Here’s 19 other times educators dished out the perfect consequences for their students:
In the shadows
Yep, this one is at the very top because it is my FAVORITE perfect consequence! Kid came back CHANGED!
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by u/SearsShearsSeries from discussion What’s the best/most fitting punishment you’ve seen?
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Let’s do lunch
Now, that’s one awkward lunch!
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by u/jayhof52 from discussion What’s the best/most fitting punishment you’ve seen?
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Practice Academy
Practice makes perfect, am I right?
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by u/HolyForkingBrit from discussion What’s the best/most fitting punishment you’ve seen?
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Psychological trick
Have any of the rest of you thought of this one before?
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by u/Curae from discussion What’s the best/most fitting punishment you’ve seen?
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Lock the doors
Why did I just picture Dorothy at the gates of Oz? Ha!
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by u/Catinthehat5879 from discussion What’s the best/most fitting punishment you’ve seen?
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I love my principal
Nope, I changed my mind. This one is my favorite.
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by u/LeftStatistician7989 from discussion What’s the best/most fitting punishment you’ve seen?
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Fluorescent colors
…wait a minute, are bright yellows, oranges, and pinks poor fashion sense? I’m in trouble!
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by u/Karsticles from discussion What’s the best/most fitting punishment you’ve seen?
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Not Meemaw’s slippers again
I don’t think I could afford it, yet this sounds pretty effective!
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by u/Orazzocs from discussion What’s the best/most fitting punishment you’ve seen?
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What is it with teenagers and ceilings?
I’m glad he never hit the clock again! And the admin smirked!
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by u/tylersmiler from discussion What’s the best/most fitting punishment you’ve seen?
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Mom for President
Not sure about that last part, but I’m glad the young lady received the apology she deserved!
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by u/Top-Consideration-16 from discussion What’s the best/most fitting punishment you’ve seen?
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Wafting
“Mom? It’s me. I need to explain what wafting a fart is to you.”
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by u/Ube_Ape from discussion What’s the best/most fitting punishment you’ve seen?
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“Wait… Mom?”
Shew, I would have been SO EMBARRASED. This is a fitting punishment!
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by u/Mountain-Ad-5834 from discussion What’s the best/most fitting punishment you’ve seen?
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Female mathematicians
Yikes! I can’t believe they said that!
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by u/wouldeye from discussion What’s the best/most fitting punishment you’ve seen?
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Properly labeled
I love that a lesson was learned WITHOUT a lunch detention!
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by u/Stewtheking from discussion What’s the best/most fitting punishment you’ve seen?
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Bathroom punishments
Either they stopped trashing the bathroom, or they had a really clean building!
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by u/zebra-eds-warrior from discussion What’s the best/most fitting punishment you’ve seen?
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Pucker up
Now, this one made me cackle!
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by u/sevenandseven41 from discussion What’s the best/most fitting punishment you’ve seen?
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A lesson from the master
Comments like these were throughout this post! Kids really don’t want to self-incriminate to their parents!
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by u/CeeKay125 from discussion What’s the best/most fitting punishment you’ve seen?
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Punishment twist
I did not expect to read this today! Wow!
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by u/noormeanslight from discussion What’s the best/most fitting punishment you’ve seen?
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Chew ’em up, spit ’em out
I’m seeing flashes of the Sandlot scene at the fair. 😳
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by u/mobius_ from discussion What’s the best/most fitting punishment you’ve seen?
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With out ever-evolving techniques to “solve” behavior issues among students, these tales truly hit home. They showcase that sometimes, students can actually learn from their poor decisions. Even better? Administrators can sometimes support discipline in creative, meaningful ways that have a lasting, net-positive impact.
Have you or an admin you know laid out the perfect consequence? Let us know in the comments!
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