Dad shares heartbreaking comment teacher left on 11-yr-old daughter's dream of being the 'perfect gymnast'

Teachers are often celebrated for motivating students while guiding them through their challenges. Their role is to inspire, not discourage. Unfortunately, some educators fall short, using harsh or dismissive tactics that can harm a child’s confidence. One such incident left a father, Reddit user u/Careful-Total-3216, outraged after his daughter returned home in tears over a cruel remark her teacher wrote on her homework.

In a widely circulating post, the upset father expressed his anger at the rude educator for writing an uncalled-for comment. The teenage girl, who happens to be an amateur athlete, was told that she would not be able to make it to the Olympics—a dream she holds dearly. Notably, this incident happened a month after the 11-year-old competed in a nationwide gymnastics competition.

“My daughter’s teacher wrote this comment on her homework,” the dad, flabbergasted by the remark, took a picture of it and shared it on social media. It showed two sets of questions: (A.) “My Hopes and Dreams” and (B.) “Significant People in My Life.” While the second was checked properly, the innocent yet heartwarming response to the former irked the educator for unknown reasons. The teen simply had written: “To go to the Olympics for gymnastics. To be a perfect gymnast.”

The teacher, in red ink, dismissed the 11-year-old’s dreams with a harsh comment: “It will never happen, sorry.” Her dad was taken aback by the educator's appalling note, clearly written in an upsetting tone. He believed it not only affected his daughter’s morale but was also an attempt to sideline her dreams in the cruelest way possible. In fact, the note has been the subject of widespread criticism from those on the internet expressing their fury on the matter.

Among them, u/Comprehensive_Tie538 commented, "I tend to believe that people are capable of doing the most absurd things imaginable, but this one feels entirely unnecessary.” “I would greatly appreciate compelling them to issue a public apology to the child," u/nfurter lashed out. “I wanted to be an astronaut; the worst a teacher ever said to me about it was if I wanted that, I needed to keep my grades high, and it was a lot of hard work and dedication. They very graciously did not say to me, ‘Never gonna happen,’” u/Not_Cartmans_Mom recalled.

The post resonated with others who shared their own experiences with discouraging teachers. Hoping the girl would win an Olympic gold medal, u/randomusername1919 shared, “In first grade, my teacher repeatedly told me I was bad at math, and I believed her. It wasn't until my senior year in college when I had to take calculus, that I realized I had a knack for it. My Calculus 2 professor even suggested I become a math major.” u/Immediate-Care1078 called for a reality check for the teacher, adding, “Take it to the principal—I’m serious. Crushing dreams is for life, not for an elementary school educator.”