17-year-old student constantly insults his 26-year-old English teacher's intelligence: 'I’m not sure how to write an essay that’s simple enough for you.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Sep 30, 2025 8:00 AM EDT

We all went to school with some know-it-all kids who thought they were smarter than everyone there, including the teacher. I have empathy for kids who are genuinely advanced and don't have the opportunity to take AP classes or other challenging coursework. If a kid is actually extremely bored and unchallenged by school, it can make them understandably irritable. However, I find it hard to believe that a teenager is smarter than all of their teachers and has absolutely nothing to gain from their classes, even if they consider them "easy." Even if they are not thrilled to be in a class they see as beneath them, it doesn't mean they can say whatever they want and get away with it. Children who struggle in school are likely to be more miserable in class than those who feel unchallenged and bored, and that doesn't mean they can insult the teacher without consequences. 

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  • The teen in this story is addicted to insulting his English teacher's intelligence. It has worsened throughout the school year, and his teacher has absolutely no idea how to stop it. She doesn't necessarily want advice about how to get him to knock it off, but she took to the internet to rant and had every right to do so.

  • Happy college student sitting in school desk and looking in camera
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I am so sick of my know-it-all kid.

    He's a senior. He is genuinely advanced and gifted, but he has clearly fallen down some Reddit edgelord rabbit hole. He is under the impression that I (26F) am very stupid and really likes to explain my own content (English) to me. Examples of things he's said during class:
    via u/Admirable_Ocelot_871
  • • "I'm surprised you know what that means." • (After he made an innuendo and I said okay, we've got the joke, moving on): "I don't think you do get it, you don't get most things."
    via u/Admirable_Ocelot_871
  • • "I'm not sure how to write an essay on this that's simple enough for you." • (After a lesson): "Yeah, I guess that's interesting, if you want like a very bland and not at all nuanced take on it."
    via u/Admirable_Ocelot_871
  • A college student explaining some ideas on a touch tv in classroom
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • • "Well actually..." x100000000 • Not to mention the amount of weird conspiracies and just blatantly untrue information he tries to present as fact in an AP Language course
    via u/Admirable_Ocelot_871
  • Ugh. Anyone else have kids like this? Not really looking for advice, hence the tag. Moreso looking to wallow. I have him twice per day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, so he makes the whole day terrible.
    via u/Admirable_Ocelot_871
  • A woman standing in front of a chalk board
    via Kateryna Hliznitsova (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Bearded Dragon 1917 What are the expectations about raising hands and calling out? Is this person interrupting you to insult you while you talk? The attitude is obviously obnoxious, but if he's calling out in class to do this, it's an easy thing to address without addressing the content of his words. If he's not calling out, and he raises his hand to say something like this, you can interrupt and redirect him towards contributing to the conversation the class is having, rather than whatever thin
    via u/BeardedDragon1917
  • Purple-flying-dog I would explain that is ride and disrespectful and won't be tolerated. I would also reach out to the parent. You don't have to allow students to disrespect you like that. If it continues, write him up.
    via u/Purple-flying-dog
  • itchybumbum This. If warning the kid doesn't stop the r de behavior, those quotes sound like great things to send to the parents to notify them that their son, though very gifted (blah blah blah), continues to ber de and disruptive.
    via u/itchybumbum
  • iMoo1124 I would explain that is ride and disrespectful and won't be tolerated. There's no way in h_I any meaning from that sentence gets through to them lol, and I assume the same would come from a lecture from his parents
    via u/iMoo1124
  • He needs to be told in plain English that's he's being an obnoxious sh, and if he continues acting this way nobody will like him when he grows up. It's up to him to correct his own behavior, and right now he thinks his behavior is acceptable. He needs to be told it isn't in the most direct form possible.
    via u/iMoo1124
  • pumpingblac Thank you for saying this because I hate to admit it but this is the only thing that worked for some of my students. Being direct and stating their behavior/actions can lead to their peers disliking them or being constantly annoyed with them, hinder them from
    via u/pumpingblac
  • success in other ways, is the ONLY thing that made them start self correcting and thinking outside themselves. Dancing around the actual "harsh" corrective action and getting occasional laughs from peers made them think it was okay.
    via u/pumpingblac
  • DMvsPC Jesus, three strikes and it's parent time, then office referrals, then congrats kid, you're in permanent detention until your attitude becomes human. What consequences do you give OP? Since ignoring it doesn't seem to be working. "I'm not asking for your opinion at this time, stay behind if you wish to discuss this further" and if they refuse, corridor/office. Done.
    via u/DMvsPC
  • Admirable Ocelot_871 OP Honestly, his attitude got slowly worse over time, and now I feel like it's difficult to give consequences since I haven't really given them in the past. That's not a great excuse, so yeah, I need to start. Parents are a no-go, they think his personality is a symptom of being very gifted, rudeness included.
    via u/Admirable_Ocelot_871
  • l_eat_all_the_cheese Sure is going to come home to roost when the kid gets throttled as an adult for saying that stuff to the wrong adult.
    via u/l_eat_all_the_cheese
  • techleopard I was in college with a lot of these guys. And I've worked alongside a few. Last year, I had a guy just outright tell me that me and my entire dev team just aren't on his level. These people don't last long. It's not like on TV, where you can just stomp all over people and are unfireable if you are super clever and intelligent. Nobody needs a guy that can't function in a team or actively disrupts a team.
    via u/techleopard
  • Beachhairdontcare1 I would be seeing red with that amount of disrespect. I would say something to him one on one about how his tone, comments, and interruptions are blatant disrespect and need to stop. It is not tolerated by you or anyone else in the building and will not be acceptable once he enters college and later the workforce. If it continues, take it up with admin and his parents. Are you also able to speak to any of his former teachers? They may have some insight if this behavior is not
    via u/Beachhairdontcare1
  • holtonaminute It's harassment. Write it up every time
    via u/holtonaminute
  • Textiles_on_Main_St Well. One day he'll learn why he is lonesome. Or he will not.
    via u/Textiles_on_Main_St
  • CaptainGoodnight84 I had a senior like that and tried not giving any attention to him or his behavior. But after awhile I couldn't take it anymore. I kept him after class and said, "The mansplaining has got to stop. You're being a brat and you are annoying. Instead of trying to seem like you're the smartest in the room, try putting your money where your mouth is and show me how smart you are in your work. The actual smartest people in the room never have to announce their intelligence." We had z
    via u/CaptainGoodnight84
  • MadViking-66 I used to frequently encounter students like this in US history classes. The problem they had is I am a bigger history nerd than they are and I could easily give it back to them. In a you don't know more about the subject than I do manner. In your case, it sounds like there is an element of misogyny and entitlement. You could ask his other teachers about their experiences with him.
    via u/MadViking-66
  • Round_Raspberry_8516 I had a kid like that years ago. Maybe an unpopular opinion, but you need to turn the rest of the class against him. One by one over a couple weeks I pulled each kid aside for "conferencing" and snuck in some comments about how insightful and smart they were and I'd love to hear more of what you have to say. How unfortunate that "one student" dominates the conversation when I really want to hear your ideas, etc.
    via u/Round_Raspberry_8516
  • Assign graded Harkness discussions (look it up, watch a video) where the kids all have to participate and someone who is r de and dominant gets an F. I told the kids that the whole class would get the same grade. They shut this r de kid down so hard, it was GLORIOUS. Didn't 100% fix the problem, but he wasn't "performing for an audience" anymore moving forward and the other kids weren't afraid to tell him off.
    via u/Round_Raspberry_8516
  • No joke, a few months ago the kid was in town and swung by a public event that was at the school to apologize to me and a couple other teachers for being 15 years ago. So have hope that someday they'll see the light. a
    via u/Round_Raspberry_8516

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teens school intelligence teenager teenage students classroom kids teenagers english smart teacher high school teenage boy intelligent immature high schoolers
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