High school teen gets back at demanding gym coach and school principal: 'A drop out looks bad... she starts back pedaling'

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Mar 18, 2025 3:00 PM EDT

Gym teachers, stop taking gym class so seriously! 

High schoolers often have polarizing opinions about gym classes. Some adore it: they get to burn off that extra energy by playing soccer with their friends, tossing dodgeballs across the gymnasium, or enjoying a competitive baseball game. It gives them time away from their schoolwork for an hour or so. Playing basketball with your friends is way more fun than doing an algebra quiz ever could be. These kids would just do gym class all day if they could! 

For other high schoolers, though, gym class is a dreaded chore. They drag their feet at every possible chance. They don't want to get hit by dodgeballs; they hate getting their hair and clothing messed up from playing lacrosse. They just want to chill out on the sidelines with their friends until the gym period is up. 

Some gym teachers will let this second group of kids just slide by. As long as they're trying a little bit, they'll let the slackers pass through their gym lesson. For other teachers, however, having power over their students is nonnegotiable. Their bossiness doesn't always give them the results they want, though, as this teen demonstrated. 

Next, read about some bosses who showed their employees that they did not care: "5 guys walked out of work that day."

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10481529088
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 02
    Hold me back 1 year in HS over a single gym credit? How about I goto college a year early instead. I hated gym class, not because of the physical activity (I was in hockey and football). But the fact there wasnt enough time to shower before the bell. So you stink to high heaven for the rest of the day.
    via u/TacoJesusJr
  • 03
    So I would walk the track w/ all the girls. Ped off my coaches something awful. So they flunk me in my junior year and won't let me double up my senior year so I would have to stay back.
    via u/TacoJesusJr
  • 04
    I had already picked out my college and was accept (tech school). Just had to finish my senior year. So I figured I could work out something w/ the guidance counselor and the coach. Nope, neither would budge.
    via u/TacoJesusJr
  • 05
    Ok I walk away thinking I'm screwed and have to basically take one class my 2nd senior year. Then it dawns on me, can I just start going to college now? Are there other alternatives?
    via u/TacoJesusJr
  • 06
    So I call my college admissions and college guidance counselor. Explain my situation and what other options are available? Since this is a non-traditional college (No SATS) you can start w/o a diploma. The caveat is you must have one (or equivalent) to get your diploma. The state I'm from they don't distinguish between to the two so it won't be an issue later on.
    via u/TacoJesusJr
  • 07
    So I called another meeting hoping the HS admin would change their minds. No joy, they stuck to their guns. Thinking they had me cornered I stood up and said "Well I'm just going to have to drop out then. I cant see missing a year of college to just do gym class."
    via u/TacoJesusJr
  • 08
    The coach thinks he's all cute and is "You can't go to college w/o a diploma". I relay what the tech school admin/guidance told me of their policy on this. Faces dropped. It set into the guidance counselor that a drop out looks bad on her and the school (small school) when the state audits. She starts back pedaling and I wasnt hearing any of it. Later on that night the principle and vice principle call to talk.
    via u/TacoJesusJr
  • 09
    I wasnt interested, I was all excited about starting classes in the fall. TL;DR: My HS tried to hold me back a year for 1 gym credit. I was already enrolled in a non-tradition tech college. Tech college would let me start classes as long as I got my GED prior to graduation. So I quit HS (looks bad on the school admin) and got my degree a year earlier.
    via u/TacoJesusJr
  • 10
    Cheezburger Image 10481516288
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 11
    JimmiRustle You should write them a thank you letter for encouraging you to seek alternative options TacoJesusJr OP I ran into the coach years later at a Subway. He asked how I was doing and I told him my career in aerospace has be amazing and that I was now living in Atlanta. In my town no one really ever gets out so the Atlanta jab was nice.
    via u/JimmiRustle
  • 12

    Some people shared their own high school experiences

    AshIsAWolf I mean i dropped out of high school to go to college early and it was one of the best decisions i ever made
    via u/AshIsAWolf

    I'm glad it worked out for this person! 

  • 13
    GreenOnionCrusader My school had so many dropouts that one more wouldn't have made a difference.
    via u/GreenOnionCrusader
  • 14
    nymalous I don't understand why they wouldn't work with you. It just doesn't make sense. It's not like you weren't participating, you were walking, just like many other students, who were also going to graduate. Isn't it the school's job to help students? Anyway, glad you found a way out.
    via u/
  • 15
    Shaded_Moon49 the caveat is that you must have one (or equivalent) to get your diploma Maybe I'm just not reading it right, but one of what? jdmillar86 High school graduation diploma. The "or equivalent" means a GED or something is an acceptable substitute.
    via u/Shaded_Moon49
  • 16
    Aelaer It sounds so strange to get a grade for gym class. We don't have that, it's just a class that you have to attend. We have school leaving exams called Senior Certificate, and there are specific requirements (subject choices and final grades) that determine whether you can go to a university or college for a degree course. So you can be home schooled and so long as you get the right grades in an approved combination of subjects, you are OK. Forcing a student to repeat a gym class sounds ext
    via u/Aelaer
  • 17
    JackOHeart High school counselors are the absolute worst. Mine would not let me graduate on time, or even attend the ceremony with my classmates, due to half a credit she screwed me over on. She was fired over that summer and the new counselor that I was assigned to openly stated that they should have just given me the half credit and let me walk.
    via u/JackOHeart
  • 18
    Cheezburger Image 10481516032
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 19
    DubbelDragon At my school doing sports counted fully for PE credit. They even added marching band at half value (4 years of marching band would satisfy 2 year PE requirement). Glad you were able to work something out, but defo some bulls that you had to in the first place.
    via u/DubbelDragon
  • 20
    pinkycatcher This is so petty, when I got to my senior year and my AP test-taking self was somehow short a credit (because screw our useless guidance counselors for actually doing anything, I swear they just had to sit and collect paychecks) the school at least shoved me in the back end of some random history class for 12 weeks so I could retake tests and get a credit, they weren't malicious just incompetent. This is straight maliciousness by these admins.
    via u/pinkycatcher
  • 21
    trshtehdsh It's absurd that schools want to be punitive over one d gym credit instead of trying to find an equitable solution to help you get your diploma. Nowadays there is "virtual PE" where you track going to the gym and such, you could easily have done both your final PE credit and classes. Heck, your college probably had some fitness classes that you could have done to qualify both. Education requires flexibility, and when we lose sight of that, people get screwed.
    via u/trshtehdsh
  • 22

    There are plenty of options... the school admins were just salty that this teen knew their rights

    Catgonew1ld How has no one mentioned community college? You can enroll at some while still in Highschool and don't usually have to worry about SAT/ACT unless going to an Ivey league school (generally) like community colleges are the best.some community colleges have a deal with the universities that they have to accept you if you qualify and sign up fir this program.
    via u/Catgonew1ld

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gym class teens class school teenager gym kids classes principal teaching teenagers teachers teacher high school
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