A handwritten note has sparked fury and disbelief online after a parent drew attention not to the child’s performance—but to the teacher’s own errors.
The image, posted by Reddit user u/jjjjjamie to the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit with the caption “This note from my kid’s teacher,” showed a lined piece of paper containing feedback about a student’s reading and writing progress.
Newsweek reached out to u/jjjjjamie via direct message on Reddit.
This note from my kid’s teacher
by u/jjjjjamie in mildlyinfuriating
At the time of writing, the post has received almost 7,000 upvotes and over 1,300 comments. The note praises the child for “becomming a fluent reader” who “enjoys to read from his book bag.”
Next steps for the student included participating during lessons and writing. It concluded by stating that “expressing is thought in writing is difficult” for them.
What immediately caught the attention of thousands of Reddit users was the number of spelling, grammar and phrasing mistakes scattered throughout the short message—issues that many felt undermined the credibility of feedback about a child struggling with writing.
“Apparently expressing their thoughts in writing is difficult for them as well,” one commenter quipped.
Others suggested the note be returned to the teacher with corrections. “Just correct it, and send it back,” one user wrote, while another added: “Give it a grade too.”
Several commenters identifying themselves as educators weighed in, expressing embarrassment and concern.
One teacher said that while mistakes can happen, the volume of errors in such a brief note was “ridiculous,” particularly given that it appeared to address literacy skills. Another questioned whether the teacher had proofread at all before sending it home.
The irony wasn’t lost on the community. “The fact that people don’t see a problem with poor spelling and grammar coming from a teacher is always mildly infuriating,” one user wrote, especially when the subject of the note was a child’s difficulty with written expression.
Some speculated about possible explanations, including whether English might not be the teacher’s first language. But even that prompted debate, with others arguing that professional standards should still apply in written communication with parents.
Beyond the immediate humor and outrage, the thread evolved into a broader discussion about the state of the teaching profession. Multiple commenters—many of them former teachers—pointed to low pay, burnout and high demands as factors driving skilled educators out of the classroom.
One former teacher described leaving the profession after a decade for a job that paid double, while another said nearly every colleague under 40 had eventually changed careers.
Despite the criticism, several commenters emphasized empathy for educators working under pressure, even as they acknowledged the note should never have been sent in its current form. As one teacher put it, the most baffling part wasn’t the mistakes themselves, but “the fact that she sent this home with confidence.”