AITA for being honest about how I was bullied and how the teachers at my school did nothing about it while being interviewed by a current student?

A Reddit user, an author, agreed to an interview with a student from their former high school, intending to discuss their career. When the conversation shifted to their negative experiences at the school, including bullying and a teacher’s mistreatment, the user shared their story.

The interview was published, leading to backlash from the school community, including the revocation of an award from one of the teachers mentioned. While some applauded the user for shedding light on past injustices, others accused them of harming reputations and dredging up old wounds.

‘ AITA for being honest about how I was bullied and how the teachers at my school did nothing about it while being interviewed by a current student?’

I’m an author of mild success. I’m not incredibly popular, but my books sell enough. About 3 months ago, someone from my old high school reached out to see if a student could interview me. I responded that my time at the school wasn’t the happiest, but I would give the student responses relating to my career. We had a great chat.

She started asking questions about my time at the school, but I redirected. She caught on to what I was doing and asked “I’m sensing that you’re hesitant to talk about your time at (school). Is that true?” I said let’s focus on the story, and she was like “Actually this could be a better story.” So I said y’know what, sure. Whatever.

I don’t owe the school anything, I’m not being paid, and even though it’s been a long time and I’ve grown from what happened, it’s still worth talking about. I mentioned a few names in specific, and how I’d tried to ask for help and was blown off by everyone.

Teachers at my school very strongly favored the girls in sports teams, and would often be buddy buddy with them and their parents. I mentioned a teacher who openly mocked the way I dressed, my lack of athleticism, etc.

I brought up the time that a group of girls followed me around the school mooing at me and when I broke down crying because they wouldn’t stop and tried to tell a teacher, the teacher called me “Moolly” for the rest of the year and when I yelled “MY NAME IS MOLLY. *MOLLY”* she had me suspended for a week.

She ended up publishing the whole interview. Nothing exactly went “viral” but there were posts on FB with a ton of comments and it caused some commotion in that community. A few weeks later, I was contacted by a school official who chastised me for bringing up old wounds and trying to paint veteran teachers as bad people when they were going through difficult times already.

The teacher responsible for the “Moolly” incident had a local lifetime teaching award taken away from her after it all came out, so was it really worth it, and maybe did I remember things wrong?

Finally, a handful of my old classmates (many of them stuck around town) found me and I was barraged with a ton of messages telling me that I’m ruining the reputation of the school and of several prominent community members, it was X years ago so why can’t I just get over it, etc. Some of them obviously haven’t changed.

It was a long time ago, yes. I don’t know how I really feel about how this all went down though. I know times are tough for teachers right now. I didn’t set out to hurt anyone, I was just telling my truth. AITA?

Here’s what people had to say to OP:

bigbuttfucker −  NTA. trying to paint veteran teachers as bad people. You weren’t trying to do anything, they *were* bad people. I’m ruining the reputation of the school and of several prominent community members Those community members did a good job of ruining their own reputations. It’s not your fault they’re finally being held accountable.

tailofthecrackfox −  NTA. Dude. I have *dreams* about getting mildly famous and doing an interview revealing all the ways my school was a cesspit of s**t. You just lived my dream OP. NTA NTA NTA!

Honestly the women does not deserve an award if she bullies students. And the school should have reached out to you, apologized, and asked what they can do better. Their whole attitude shows they are *still* a terrible school!

[Reddit User] −  NTA You told the truth. People got things taken away from them and got a bad reputation for their actions. You didn’t make them act that way.

melbatoastmd −  You are SOOOO NTA. The school is upset because the TRUTH makes them look bad?!? Think about that. The truth makes the school look bad.

[Reddit User] −  NTA. Funny how the burden is supposed to be on *you*, the former student, to protect all these upstanding, experienced pillars of the community, and not on them to explain themselves. Which clearly they can’t, or the one who made fun of your name wouldn’t have had her award yanked purely on your say-so.

fading__blue −  NTA. If the school’s response to this is to attempt to guilt and gaslight you into backing off, instead of at least apologizing for what happened to you, then they absolutely deserve to have their reputation ruined. And if that teacher lost a lifetime teaching award over it, I’m wondering if your story caused other students to come forward with stories of being bullied by her.

readergirl33 −  NTA. A quote I found a few years ago- “ you own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should’ve behaved better.”

OriginalUserAccount −  NTA – you told the truth, and unfortunately I’m guessing that these teachers and students who made your life hell never learnt that actions have consequences.. Well, now they know.

MountainReef −  Do you have a link to this interview? I vote we make it go viral. Oh NTA. But let’s be real, you knew that already. You were not out of line at all.

ladyk1487 −  NTA “maybe you remember it wrong” is a term often used towards victims when they in fact do NOT remember it wrong. The teachers were a piece of sh/ and finally got their bs called out. Awwww poor teachers they finally got their bullying called out, awww- cry me a river and build a bridge.

“Get over it” you can still tell the story and still be over it. The interviewer asked you about school, were you supposed to lie and paint the school as a beautiful place when it, in reality condones bullying from BOTH students and faculty?? NTA it’s about time they got their sh/ called out.