16-year-old gives candy to the 3 students who were listening to her in-class presentation, gets harassed for candy by the kids who were on their phones the whole time: 'The teacher told us we could give out candy'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Dec 11, 2024 8:00 PM EST

There's something so uniquely humiliating about giving a class presentation in high school. If you're underprepared, you look like an idiot and get a lousy grade. If you're overprepared, you seem like a high-strung overachiever. You have to strike this perfect balance of being both knowledgeable and unattached to the material, which is incredibly difficult to hit if you're nervous about giving a presentation in the first place. 

All this is complicated by the rise of smartphones in the classroom. If you were a teenager giving a presentation, would you feel better or worse if everyone was on their phones during the whole thing? Some might feel relieved that their peers aren't paying much attention and don't care if their work is good or bad, but others would be understandably bothered that they aren't getting the respect they deserve. The teen in this story is the latter, and she rewards the kids who care enough to turn their phones off. 

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  • 01
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    via Yunus Tuğ (Unsplash+)

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    AITAH for telling my class I had candy after I finished presenting?
    via u/Fast_Surround8yh732
  • 03
    So, I(16f) had a presentation for history, and I really wanted extra credit. The teacher told us that if we brought candy to give out for answering questions correctly, we could get extra credit. I planned for 25 questions so that 25 people could have a chance to get candy.
    via u/Fast_Surround8yh732
  • 04
    The night before, I stayed up until 11 PM, putting sour candies in little bags and taping them with a cute "Good job!" label featuring Hello Kitty. I thought it looked adorable and that everyone would love it.
    via u/Fast_Surround8yh732
  • 05
    The next day, I brought the candies in a non-transparent bag to keep it a surprise. As I started presenting, I noticed almost everyone was on their phones. Only three people were paying attention. I asked questions, but nobody raised their hand or even looked up from their phone.
    via u/Fast_Surround8yh732
  • 06
    I didn't want to yell at them to put their phones away because it felt r de, and the teacher doesn't really like me, so I knew she wouldn't step in. At the very end of my presentation, I said, "Oh yeah, I'm done presenting. By the way, I had candy for people who answered questions."
    via u/Fast_Surround8yh732
  • 07
    Suddenly, everyone looked up and said, "Oh, you had candy?" They started asking me for some, but I told them, "You chose your phones over the candy." Then, I gave candy to the three people who weren't on their phones.
    via u/Fast_Surround8yh732
  • 08
    Now it's been two days, and everyone is still mad at me and keeps asking for candy. Was that super petty of me? What do you think?
    via u/Fast_Surround8yh732
  • 09
    NutAli ΝΤΑ Your teacher should have made them put their phones away for a start, then maybe she would have received candy, too! Why reward people who so brazenly show ignorance?
    via u/NutAli
  • 10
    I hope you and the 3 people who actually paid attention enjoyed the candy!! The teacher and the rest of the class are AHs, but YOU are AWESOME!!!
    via u/NutAli
  • 11
    JaNo TengoNiNombre As a teacher I don't allow phones during a presentation for other students. Also, asking pertinent questions and discussing the presentation's subject is encouraged. I always tell my students that they ask questions as a way to help the speaker to make their points clearer. The questions should be relevant, helpful and to the point. A debate is not only allowed, it presents an opportunity to increase the comprehension of the issue presented. The teacher failed to effectively u
    via u/JaNoTengoNiNombre
  • 12
    NutAli We ask questions throughout our lives, or we would never learn anything! I'm glad you encourage your pupils!!
    via u/NutAli
  • 13
    WinnerActive9414 • 15h ago • Actually you taught them a good lesson. You used a common technique to reward audiences who are engaged in the presentation. Great Job and NTA
    via u/WinnerActive9414
  • 14
    punch-me Total agreement! Looking like you are paying attention is a valuable life skill. Sincerely, someone who spends many hours in meetings
    via u/punch-me
  • 15
    Eartherry1a NTA. You tried to make it fun and rewarding, but they didn't engage. You gave them a chance, and they missed it. It's not petty to hold people accountable.
    via u/Eartherry1a
  • 16
    Tishers NTA 14h ago • Top 1% Commenter You will find that doing the right thing is not always the popular thing. Stand firm. Otherwise you will end up just another sheeple, like they are.
    via u/Tishers
  • 17
    loveablepetcare NTA - they were told ahead of time by the teacher that bringing candy to give out for answers to questions earns you extra credit. This means they knew it was expected for them to ask questions/have questions asked to them. They choose not to participate; this is on them, not you. Doesn't matter that you saved the candy announcement for end - they didn't want to engage to begin with. Absolutely not your fault in any way and giving them candy after the fact is silly - they didn't
    via u/loveablepetcare
  • 18
    CriticalBid8654 I think what you did was great! I know it's already done but I would add: when doing something like that, make it obviously light-hearted and laugh and be happy and fun about it. You DON'T want to act upset or judgemental or have any sort of serious "serves you right!" attitude. Make it fun and it will be, and it'll still be effective.
    via u/CriticalBid8654
  • 19
    Eksos I'm a teacher for your age group. You did nothing wrong here. Matter of fact, the technique you used is often used by teachers and even professors, including the part where you don't find out until someone has engaged. In your teacher's position, I would have rewarded your initiative, in this case with a grade bump.
    via u/Eksos
  • 20
    Unfortunately, not all teachers think that way, and in the environment made between the rest of your class and teacher, it might not be seen that way. I mention it so that you get what I think is the right lesson out of it, even if your environment rewards poor behaviour more than it rewards good behaviour. NTA
    via u/Eksos

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candy teens class school teenager classroom teenagers at school teachers reddit story teacher high school reddit thread Reddit Terrible Teacher immature high schoolers
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