Have you ever asked something on Reddit that you didn’t know the answer to? This is what a math teacher did when they couldn’t understand why their students kept calling them a ‘GOAT’. It stands for Greatest of All Time and is a compliment that refers to a person who is better than everyone in a certain thing.
The teacher who goes by PuzzleBrain20 on Reddit shared how they have a good relationship with their eight grade students. However, they are not sure why the kids keep calling them ‘GOAT’.
“I am a math teacher for 8th graders at the school I teach at. Throughout this whole past school year there was this running joke where the students would call me the goat. And I would respond back each time that they are the goats and they would all laugh. It was pretty funny to be honest, and I never gave it much thought. But I realized that I have been partaking in a joke that I never actually got. I had a good connection with them, and they are all really good kids, so I don’t really think that they were making fun of me. Can someone (maybe an 8th grader) explain this joke to me? And how would you respond if someone calls you a goat?” they wrote.
Within moments, people started sharing the meaning. A few also went beyond the basic explanation to share how the teacher must be great because their students love them. Just like this Redditor who wrote, “GOAT stands for Greatest Of All Time. It’s a compliment. Sounds like you’re a great teacher and they enjoy your classes. Which is saying something since math is most people’s least favourite subject. ”
They received a reply from the teacher too. “Oh wow!!! Yes, that is the reason I became a math teacher. I always hated math growing up, but then I realised at some point it’s just taught terribly. In my classes for example, there is no such thing as a useless math lesson. I always remind them how useful it is to know this stuff, from anything regarding money to detecting patterns in life, to even have a strong basis for any career they choose. Some of them are looking forward to solving the Millennium Prize Problems, which I really hope with all my heart will happen. I been teaching for 17 years, and they are by far my favourite set of students so far. I put my heart and soul into teaching, this is amazing to hear. Thank you!!!” the teacher shared.
The teacher also later updated their post and shared how the replies made them happy. “EDIT: omg I am IN TEARS!!! I can’t believe they were complimenting me this whole time!!!! Thank you all for answering this question!!!! EDIT 2: Thank you all for your responses and the awards this post got!! If those awards cost money, please can you donate that money instead to a charity that helps kids? There are so many good ones, this one in particular is one I personally recommend: Kids In Need Foundation,” they added.
Take a look at the post:
The post has been shared two days ago. Since being posted, the clip has accumulated more than 41,000 upvotes and the numbers are only increasing. The wonderful post has also prompted people to sharet various comments. “It’s so cute that you didn’t realise they were calling you the Greatest of All Time the whole year, and you were calling them the same back. So wholesome,” commented a Redditor. “I didn’t know how much I needed this post today until I read it,” shared another.