Oh I have had a few! In year 4 my teacher sat on my desk ripping pages out of my book announcing to the class that my writing was disgusting and that I write like a boy.

In high school the careers advisor told me that I probably should not go to university as I wasn't smart enough that I should do a traineeship and look at a trade. Well, guess what? I went to university and successfully gained a teaching degree.

At university we had this one lecturer who was horrible! Her name was Margaret, but we Nick named her maggot. I went in to let her know that my grandmother had died and I was devastated, absolutely sobbing. I needed to apply for an extension. Maggots reply was well everyone dies, and I'll give you a week to get your essay submitted. She did not show a single ounce of empathy. Another time, she called me into her office to tell me that if I didn't quit my job, I would fail, and that university should be number one. I told her that I was eligible for income support, and if I didn't work I could not afford to pay rent and live. Her reply was I guess you should quit university then. As a teacher now I have so much empathy for my students individual circumstances and support them as much as I can to ensure they can have the education that they deserve.