AITAH for telling my class I had candy after I finished presenting?

A high school student (16F) stayed up late preparing candies as rewards for engaging with her history presentation, hoping to earn extra credit. However, most classmates ignored her and stayed glued to their phones, except for three attentive students.

At the end, she revealed the candy surprise but only rewarded those who paid attention. This upset the rest of the class, who have since been pestering her for candy, leaving her wondering if she was being petty. read the original story below…

‘ AITAH for telling my class I had candy after I finished presenting?’

So, I(16f) had a presentation for history, and I really wanted extra credit. The teacher told us that if we brought candy to give out for answering questions correctly, we could get extra credit. I planned for 25 questions so that 25 people could have a chance to get candy.

The night before, I stayed up until 11 PM, putting sour candies in little bags and taping them with a cute “Good job!” label featuring Hello Kitty. I thought it looked adorable and that everyone would love it. The next day, I brought the candies in a non-transparent bag to keep it a surprise.

As I started presenting, I noticed almost everyone was on their phones. Only three people were paying attention. I asked questions, but nobody raised their hand or even looked up from their phone. I didn’t want to yell at them to put their phones away because it felt rude,

and the teacher doesn’t really like me, so I knew she wouldn’t step in. At the very end of my presentation, I said, “Oh yeah, I’m done presenting. By the way, I had candy for people who answered questions.” Suddenly, everyone looked up and said, “Oh, you had candy?”

They started asking me for some, but I told them, “You chose your phones over the candy.” Then, I gave candy to the three people who weren’t on their phones. Now it’s been two days, and everyone is still mad at me and keeps asking for candy. Was that super petty of me? What do you think?

These are the responses from Reddit users:

WinnerActive9414 −  Actually you taught them a good lesson. You used a common technique to reward audiences who are engaged in the presentation. Great Job and NTA

Tishers −  NTA You will find that doing the right thing is not always the popular thing. Stand firm. Otherwise you will end up just another sheeple, like they are.

NutAli −  N T A Your teacher should have made them put their phones away for a start, then maybe she would have received candy, too! Why reward people who so brazenly show ignorance? I hope you and the 3 people who actually paid attention enjoyed the candy!!

The teacher and the rest of the class are AHs, but YOU are AWESOME!!!

That-Ad5076 −  You’re not the AH. You put in the effort, and they blew you off. They kinda deserved it.

dollnsweet −  NTA. You played the perfect “plot twist” card, and it was chef’s kiss. They didn’t pay attention; they didn’t get the sweet reward. Actions meet consequences, wrapped in Hello Kitty perfection.

Live-Ad2998 −  They FAFO. They are in class to listen to the teacher/presenter.. NTA

loveablepetcare −  NTA – they were told ahead of time by the teacher that bringing candy to give out for answers to questions earns you extra credit. This means they knew it was expected for them to ask questions/have questions asked to them.

They choose not to participate; this is on them, not you. Doesn’t matter that you saved the candy announcement for end – they didn’t want to engage to begin with. Absolutely not your fault in any way and giving them candy after the fact is silly – they didn’t earn it like they were supposed to

WhyAmIStillHere86 −  NTA Candy is for the people who paid attention

Realistic_Store9122 −  No, YANTA I read your whole story and payed attention. May I have done of your candy?

Odd-Forever-6445 −  NTA. You didn’t just give a history lesson; you taught a live demonstration on priorities. Phones over candy? That’s a self-chosen L.

Was the OP’s decision a fair way to reinforce attention during her presentation, or could she have handled it differently? Share your perspective below!