Buzz
While it's difficult to bother a teacher without facing consequences, it's not entirely impossible. The key is understanding their tolerance limits. Initially, your disruptive behavior might only slightly irritate them. Over time, they may become less forgiving of your actions. When you sense the teacher's frustration nearing its peak, it's wise to pause your antics for a few days to avoid trouble.
Steps
Pretend to be forgetful
Frequently ask to borrow pens or pencils. School supplies like pens and pencils are essential in the classroom, and you'll undoubtedly need them during school hours. Forgetting to bring a pen or pencil means you can't participate in assigned activities. Each time you forget, the teacher will either lend you one or reluctantly accept your non-participation—both options are frustrating for them!
- To avoid consequences, bring a pencil to class a few days a week.
- After everyone has been working for about 5-10 minutes, let the teacher notice you don't have a pen. They'll be annoyed that you didn't ask earlier.
- Ask to borrow the teacher's pen multiple times a day.
Bring the wrong materials to class. Many teachers require students to bring specific books or notebooks daily. Instead of bringing them, intentionally leave them at home or in your locker. When you consistently show up without textbooks or study materials, they'll get frustrated by your forgetfulness.
- To avoid punishment, only do this once or twice a week.
- If you leave them in your locker, the teacher might reluctantly let you go get them.
- Before trying this, review the classroom and/or school rules. Forgetting materials could lead to consequences.
Submit homework late. Teachers set deadlines for your benefit and theirs. Deadlines teach students to plan and manage time; they also give teachers time to grade assignments, tests, and homework. Submitting late disrupts their grading schedule.
- Choose assignments that can be submitted late, as you still need enough points to pass. Tests, exams, and major projects carry significant weight and shouldn't be neglected. Opt for smaller assignments to turn in late.
- Submit homework 1-2 days late.
- If you do submit homework, ask the teacher when they'll finish grading and when scores will be posted. Keep asking until they're done.
Subtly disrupt the class
Arrive late to class. Teachers expect students to be on time and ready to learn. Showing up after the bell disrupts their workflow and distracts classmates. Annoy the teacher further by:
- Talking to others while walking to your seat.
- Asking, 'Did I miss anything important?'
- Saying, 'The first five minutes don’t matter anyway.'
- Requesting to use the restroom as soon as you sit down.
- Avoid being late every day. You’ll quickly exceed the school’s allowed number of tardies.
Ask to use the restroom at inconvenient times. Teachers often set strict bathroom rules to prevent students from leaving class at inappropriate times. Boldly ignoring these rules is a great way to irritate them.
- Limit how often you use this tactic to avoid consequences.
- Ask to use the restroom right after class starts or just before the bell rings.
- Request to go during a lecture.
- Ask during instructions.
- Fill out the hall pass with incorrect information.
Sharpen your pencil frequently. Sharpening a pencil creates noise and an irritating sound—it becomes hard for others to hear the teacher over the sharp, grating noise. You can annoy the teacher (and some classmates) by sharpening your pencil while the instructor is speaking.
- Sharpen your pencil slowly. Continuously pull it out to check the sharpness and then push it back in to sharpen further.
- Before returning to your seat, accidentally 'break' the pencil so you have to sharpen it again.
Act disinterested and overly dramatic in class
Do not participate in the lesson. Teachers invest significant time into making each lesson engaging for students. Instead of respecting their effort, you can irritate them by refusing to engage in the lesson.
- Doodle in your notebook instead of taking notes.
- Browse the web on your tablet or laptop.
- Rest your head on the desk and pretend to sleep.
- Chat with classmates while the teacher is teaching.
- Frequently check the time.
- If the teacher confronts you, pause this behavior. Continuing could lead to trouble.
Overreact when participating in the lesson. Teachers often get annoyed with students who constantly seek attention. Instead of acting calmly and focused, exaggerate your reactions to the extreme.
- When the teacher asks a question, raise your hand and act overly eager to answer—wave your hand in the air, bounce in your seat, or shout to grab their attention.
- If you're frustrated, don’t just turn away and sigh. Exclaim something to show your disappointment, like 'Oh my gosh!' or 'I give up!'
Waste the teacher’s time. Teachers work hard to keep students focused on the lesson. You can sabotage their efforts with harmless pranks or by derailing the topic.
- When the teacher asks if there are any questions, raise your hand to speak. Once called on, tell a long, unrelated story that wastes everyone’s time.
- Waste the teacher’s time by hiding their everyday items, like whiteboard markers, remote controls, or staplers.
- If the teacher starts to suspect you, pause this prank for a few weeks.
Annoy the teacher with 'positive' behavior
Whisper and gossip about other students. While students might find gossiping useful or even necessary, teachers don’t want to spend their day mediating petty disputes. They appreciate students who can resolve their own issues and avoid interfering with others. However, they often don’t punish students for tattling about minor issues.
- Draw the teacher’s attention to small problems throughout the class. Report when someone isn’t focusing on their work or is sharing answers.
- Be cautious, as this could lead to trouble with your classmates. Tattling and gossiping are seen as social taboos, and doing so might damage your reputation.
Seek the teacher’s attention constantly. Teachers’ favorites are usually well-behaved, high-achieving students. Instead of acting out, you can annoy them by constantly seeking their attention and approval. You can do this by:
- Asking for help even when you understand a concept perfectly
- Following them around the classroom
- Presenting completed assignments for feedback
Be a bright but unmotivated student. Nothing frustrates a teacher more than a smart student who refuses to put in the effort their assignments deserve. If classwork is too easy for you, breeze through it quickly and hand it in. But when tested on the same topic, submit a flawless performance.
- Don’t rush through assignments if you know you’ll get a low grade. If possible, aim to finish quickly but accurately.
Advice
- Pack up your books before the bell rings.
- Call the teacher’s name randomly, then say, 'Never mind.'
- When the teacher calls your name during roll call, shout 'Absent!'
- Constantly ask random and completely unrelated questions.
- Deliberately write messily and use hard-to-read ink colors. You could also submit assignments in pencil when asked to use pen or type (though this might cost you points).
- Repeatedly misspell the teacher’s name on submitted work.
- Leave out the essay topic if required, or write something absurd like 'Biology Feedback 1' or 'Revolutionary War.'
- If the teacher speaks too fast, keep saying, 'Wait, sir, I need to write that down.'
- When writing on the board, take your time to write each letter meticulously.
- Ask the teacher questions like, 'How old are you?' in the middle of class.
- During class, bring up violent topics with the teacher. [Note: Don’t go too far to avoid punishment.]
Warnings
- Before starting to annoy your teacher, review the school and/or classroom rules. Identify which behaviors will get you in trouble and which won’t. Avoid punishable actions; proceed cautiously with those that aren’t explicitly forbidden.
- Don’t take these actions too far. Your classmates might think you’re odd or label you as a troublemaker.
- Avoid going overboard, as it could lead to trouble over time.
