# What if an unpopular teacher was murdered by a student? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 24, 2013, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-unpopular-teacher-was-murdered-by-a-student/672075 "2013-10-24T01:26:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-unpopular-teacher-was-murdered-by-a-student/672075/1 "2013-10-24T01:26:29Z")
Just a rhetorical question, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-unpopular-teacher-was-murdered-by-a-student/672075/2 "2013-10-24T01:30:23Z")
Reported for forum change. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-unpopular-teacher-was-murdered-by-a-student/672075/3 "2013-10-24T01:38:53Z")
It would get national attention and everybody and their dog would be waxing poetic over what a ‘wonderful’ teacher the deceased was. Teachers have kind of a sick, twisted culture all their own. Even the worst of the worst are lauded as visionaries who toil tirelessly on the behalf of fledgling minds. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-unpopular-teacher-was-murdered-by-a-student/672075/4 "2013-10-24T01:45:15Z")
I think you mean a hypothetical question, not a rhetorical one. In any case, this is better suited to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-unpopular-teacher-was-murdered-by-a-student/672075/5 "2013-10-24T01:52:14Z")
It would be as rare as the death of a teen who didn’t “always have a smile for everyone” and “make you feel good just be being around them.” ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-unpopular-teacher-was-murdered-by-a-student/672075/6 "2013-10-24T03:06:11Z")
The negative comments wouldn’t be reported on the news, they would air only positive comments. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-unpopular-teacher-was-murdered-by-a-student/672075/7 "2013-10-24T03:30:49Z")
> [@seal\_cleaner](#): > > It would be as rare as the death of a teen who didn’t “always have a smile for everyone” and “make you feel good just be being around them.” I thought of this because (besides the obvious) several days ago, there was a report on the local news about a teenager who committed suicide around the year 2000, and that it was around the anniversary of his death and his mother speaks to groups about suicide prevention. Yes, he was an athlete who had lettered in 4 sports, and school was let out for his funeral, and when the TV news crews went to the school to interview the “grief stricken student body”, two girls they spoke to live on the air laughed and said, “Oh, we’re not going to his funeral. We’re going out for pizza. Nobody liked him.”. I worked with a woman who lived in the small town where this all happened, and the last time a student had died at that school, it had been a girl who had cancer who didn’t letter in 4 sports, and while kids were given excused absences, school was NOT let out for her funeral and her family was quite resentful. In addition, nobody really had anything good to say about him except for his athletic ability. I have always wondered what didn’t get on the air. The story I heard about the motive for his suicide was that he had struck up a relationship with a girl from a nearby town, and she dumped him when she figured out what kind of person he really was, and that people who knew the family felt bad for them but agreed that him not being at the school any more, regardless of why, was not a bad thing. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-unpopular-teacher-was-murdered-by-a-student/672075/8 "2013-10-24T03:43:41Z")
Students and parents wishing him/her dead would suddenly be horrified and ashamed of themselves for wishing it. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-unpopular-teacher-was-murdered-by-a-student/672075/9 "2013-10-24T03:47:42Z")
Several years ago in my old town, there was a woman who died mysteriously (long story made short: it turned out to be an accidental drug overdose) and the silence regarding her death was deafening as well. It was an incredibly tragic story that involved a young child, and I won’t post the details here because it could potentially identify the family. There was also a girl I grew up with who was pretty much universally described as a vile, despicable bully who was ugly both inside and out, and when our school’s Facebook page listed her in the “People Who Left Us Too Soon” section, nobody said much of anything about her either, and that too spoke volumes. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-unpopular-teacher-was-murdered-by-a-student/672075/10 "2013-10-24T03:51:06Z")
I used to know a guy and he and his wife hated each other and openly spoke about how they each wished the other was dead. We joked that if one of them ever murdered the other, we’d be telling the reporters, “This was not a surprise to anyone. We all pretty much expected this to happen eventually.” ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-unpopular-teacher-was-murdered-by-a-student/672075/11 "2013-10-24T03:53:04Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I used to know a guy and he and his wife hated each other and openly spoke about how they each wished the other was dead. We joked that if one of them ever murdered the other, we’d be telling the reporters, “This was not a surprise to anyone. We all pretty much expected this to happen eventually.” That’s when you KNOW it’s time to get a divorce. Life is too short to spend with someone you despise that much. I sure hope they didn’t have any kids. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-unpopular-teacher-was-murdered-by-a-student/672075/12 "2013-10-24T05:18:02Z")
“Oh yeah, that guy had it coming. I’m surprised it took so long. Actually, he was lucky to survive kindergarten. We called him Don Knotts because we always tied him to stuff. By the neck.” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-unpopular-teacher-was-murdered-by-a-student/672075/13 "2013-10-24T06:57:21Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > That’s when you KNOW it’s time to get a divorce. Life is too short to spend with someone you despise that much. I sure hope they didn’t have any kids. They were both devout Catholics and wouldn’t consider the idea of a divorce. They just kept hoping the marriage would end by one of them dying. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-unpopular-teacher-was-murdered-by-a-student/672075/14 "2013-10-24T08:21:35Z")
I think he could expect an **F**. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-unpopular-teacher-was-murdered-by-a-student/672075/15 "2013-10-24T10:21:18Z")
In elementary school, a friend of mine told a teacher we all hated to “Fuck off”. That got him a 3 day suspension. I bet he’d have to repeat the grade if he killed her. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-unpopular-teacher-was-murdered-by-a-student/672075/16 "2013-10-24T11:31:35Z")
It would still be portrayed as a tragedy, since bad teacher should be fired, not killed (even when they aren’t fired for a myriad of reasons; but that’s another thread), if the student had hid behind the door with a loaded .44. However, the tone might be altered if, “man bites dog” fashion, the method were more unconventional, such as being hit in the butt with a rotten coconut, or hitting her in the bean with a rotten tangerine. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-unpopular-teacher-was-murdered-by-a-student/672075/17 "2013-10-24T12:56:55Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > However, the tone might be altered if, “man bites dog” fashion, the method were more unconventional, such as being hit in the butt with a rotten coconut, or hitting her in the bean with a rotten tangerine. _shakes head_ Hard way to go, man. Hard way to go. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-unpopular-teacher-was-murdered-by-a-student/672075/18 "2013-10-24T12:59:57Z")
Were you inspired by [this story from yesterday, where a high school math teacher was murdered by a 14 year old student](http://www.wcvb.com/news/local/boston-north/questions-linger-after-soccer-star-accused-of-killing-danvers-teacher/-/11984708/22607952/-/auw3xl/-/index.html)? Though by all current accounts she was very popular with the students and the parents. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-unpopular-teacher-was-murdered-by-a-student/672075/19 "2013-10-24T13:05:42Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > They were both devout Catholics and wouldn’t consider the idea of a divorce. They just kept hoping the marriage would end by one of them dying. Then they should have talked to their priest. Catholics are allowed to separate and legally divorce. They just can’t remarry (unless the ex-spouse dies). ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-unpopular-teacher-was-murdered-by-a-student/672075/20 "2013-10-24T13:24:01Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I think you mean a hypothetical question, not a rhetorical one. In any case, this is better suited to IMHO. That’s why this thread doesn’t have more posts.😃 The correct answer is that there is no such thing as an “unpopular” teacher or student who gets murdered (or otherwise dies tragically). One, jerks never seem to die. And B, when your teacher or classmate suddenly dies, they are suddenly the most popular, wonderful person who ever lived. It’s the same mechanism as when you go back for your high school reunion and everyone is now awkwardly best friends. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-unpopular-teacher-was-murdered-by-a-student/672075.md?page=2)