15-year-old student quits exclusive art class forcing the whole program to go under, is blamed for its downfall

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
May 4, 2026 9:00 PM EDT

Is it all your fault if something doesn't go to plan?

It can be hard not to take the blame for something when things go wrong. If you're the kind of person who keeps yourself up at night thinking about all the things you've done wrong, then you might take on a lot of unnecessary blame. You might beat yourself up over stuff you don't need to. But it can be hard to alleviate oneself of that burden. You take so much on, and you need some second opinions to make sure you're in the right. That's what happened here, to one young woman who had a lot on her plate. 

Nobody wants to feel like they're not welcome somewhere. We want to feel like we're being accepted into the community of our choosing, and that the people within that are going to have our backs. Especially if you take an interest in a particular field of study. Maybe there is a particular field, subject, or hobby that you really want to get into, and that comes with being part of a community. You want to learn from people, share in their company, and be a part of something. This is a reasonable desire. You want to feel like you're part of something that matters to you, and that you get to enjoy it with the people in your life. But that's not what happened here. This person was pushed out of a community, and then blamed when it call came crashing down. 

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  • A stressed young student sits with her head in her hands
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

  • If the thing that's keeping your institution together is one single person, then it wasn't built on a strong foundation. Communities need to be built to be able to weather storms and bounce back from shifts and changes. If it were that easy to topple over, then we need to investigate what happened. That's what the situation was here, where an art class ended up failing because one person was pushed out of it. Keep reading to see what happened here and see what you think about it.

  • Am I in the wrong for quitting a class causing it to shut down permanently?

    I (15 at the time) went to a really small school where classes only run if there are enough students enrolled. I was in an excellence art class that had just enough people to stay open. My teacher had plans for all of us to stay in that class for the remaining three years of high school. It was kind of a big deal
    via Murky-Willingness991
  • program, especially for a small school like ours. I've always been a self-taught artist. I entered competitions here and there, not really expecting much. But one year, both me and another student in my class (I'll call him Sam) were selected for an exhibition at a small non-profit museum. It was a huge deal for me.
    via Murky-Willingness991
  • At the end of the year, our school held an awards ceremony. Sam and I were both nominated for an art prize that included a trophy and $500. I was honestly just excited to be there. I had never been recognized like that before. In my mind, Sam was definitely going to win. He took professional classes outside of school and was way more technically skilled than me.
    via Murky-Willingness991
  • But somehow... I won. I was shocked. I went up, accepted it, sat back down, and that's when things went downhill. A group of about six boys, all friends with Sam, started saying I didn't deserve the award. That Sam was better and it should have been his. Sam himself didn't say anything, but his friends were loud and relentless. It stung a lot,
    via Murky-Willingness991
  • especially because I already believed he was better than me. After the ceremony, while I was walking to my car, another guy approached me and asked why I "stole" the award from Sam. That completely threw me off. I later found out those same boys had been going around telling people that the award should have gone to him, not me.
    via Murky-Willingness991
  • That night really got to me. So the next morning, I dropped the art class. I convinced myself I wasn't good enough and that I didn't belong there. I stopped drawing completely after that. What I didn't know at the time was that by leaving, I caused the entire excellence art program to shut down. The class no longer
    via Murky-Willingness991
  • had enough students to run. My teacher even tried to get me to stay, but she never told me the real reason why. It's been five years now. I recently reconnected with my old art teacher, and that's when I found
    via Murky-Willingness991
  • out the truth. Now I feel incredibly guilty, like I ruined something important for everyone else since they all didn't get to complete the class because of me.
    via Murky-Willingness991
  • A group of students walk into a school
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

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

  • Commenters agreed that this wasn't their fault.

    Ornery_Layer7618 NTA, it sounds like they received the natural consequences of their own actions. I'm more upset that they caused you to quit when you shouldn't have.
    via Ornery_Layer7618
  • _Kendii_ NTA. You were being buried and harassed and you quit a situation that made you feel like garbage. S ks that it closed down. But you're NTA that it happened. Like you said, how would you know?
    via _Kendii_
  • DufielMorningstar So NTA...but if you need. more clarification, you were basically bu ed out. They harrassed you into thinking. you shouldn't be part if the class anymore. Fairly sure their intent was only to make you give up the $500, but I'm not the Shadow, so I don't know the evil that lurks in their hearts.
    via DufielMorningstar
  • Secondly, you didn't quit out of spite or malice, since you had no data to indicate the class would be cancelled. Hope this helps!
    via DufielMorningstar
  • ninchenchan NTA and don't feel bad about it. They literally forced you to quit. But what you should really do is start drawing again. Most really great artists
    via ninchenchan
  • believe their own things are not good enough. It's... a thing. But the fact you won meant that you have skill, deserved it and are an awesome artist. Don't let these bu es (Because thats what they are) ruin your fun at creating art and having fun with it.
    via ninchenchan
  • PalelrishEastcoaster NTA, if Sam's so called friends hadn't bu ed you. You would have never left, it's really their fault the program ended because they drove you away. Did you ever tell your teacher why you left?
    via PalelrishEastcoaster
  • Familiar Shock_1542 You left because of the bu ying. Whatever happened with the class is not your fault. The staff should have been concerned when you suddenly quit something you loved. They should have inquired.
    via Familiar_Shock_1542
  • If they had, perhaps all that followed would not have happened AND the bu es would have been punished (and counseled). You are NTAH.
    via Familiar_Shock_1542
  • If you did not explain what happened to your former teacher when you reconnected, you should do so. I think that would be positive for the both of you. It could also help the teacher be more aware and watch out for similar situations with future students.
    via Familiar_Shock_1542
  • ** I hope you can get back your art and your love for art. Remember, you have nothing to feel guilty about.
    via Familiar_Shock_1542
  • CCV21 NTA. For what it's worth, those bu es and Sam wanted you to establish a pecking order in this art class. Sam would be on top and you beneath. You chose. not to play that game and left. I don't know how things
    via CCV21
  • turned out for you after leaving the art class. However, if you had stayed, you wouldn't have enjoyed anything. You probably would have been sabotaged and/or your self-esteem constantly cut down.
    via CCV21
  • Rather than feel like you weren't good enough for art, you probably would have ended up hating it or associating it with even worse feelings. Sam and his cronies wanted to make you subordinate. They tried and it backfired on them.
    via CCV21
  • Own_Mention9372 NTA. Just curious though, if you had known it was going to shut down the art program, would you have quit anyway? And did you ever talk to Sam again after you quit?
    via Own_Mention9372
  • kur4nes NTA they ruined it for everyone. Not you. They ruined your night and your interest in art. These are awful people. Sam very likely as well.
    via kur4nes

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