I got wrecked by Reddit teachers. It was a master class in messaging new edtech ideas

For years, Reddit sounded like a catch-22. I assumed that when it wasn't a hellscape amplifying what you'd consider the internet's most provocative, deranged users, thousands of enthusiasts were finding their tribes and hosting productive debates, with the contributor anonymity needed to write their true feelings.

You can probably guess by the headline what side of Reddit I landed on.

Without further ado, I'm sharing the rundown of my short, sweet existence on the platform, what part of my post was the most outrageous, and the free masterclass I got (that I didn't ask for) on messaging what you may think are exciting edtech ideas to teachers.

Rundown on Reddit teachers

Reddit for teachers is more than the r/Teachers forum. Some communities span just about every grade band, location, and subject possible.

Some of the teacher forums have followings that boast up to several million members. Discussions range from people looking for academic tips to handling personal problems. Responses are raw and unfiltered. Professional language is the exception, not the rule.

Users have a reputation outside of the platform for being callous, toxic, and filled with bullies who aren't even real teachers.

It's hard to estimate how many real teachers use Reddit. But the platform is one of the popular online places to battle-test ideas with educators, like Bluesky.

I felt drawn to the chance to pose hypothetical solutions to motivate high school students to want to read their assigned ELA texts.

What drove me to post on the platform

My unintentional passion project for 2025 has turned into a solo research project, understanding how literacy edtech can help high school students see motivating career pathways through any ELA text. Why?

Because, for once, I'm at a loss for ̶w̶o̶r̶d̶s̶ edtech.

I tutored my 11-year-old brother through COVID lockdowns thanks to all the edtech I knew personally could support him. I was raised in San Francisco, where today's giants were scrappy startups nearby, making me a better student from the infamous valley of innovation. From Leapster cartridges and BrainPOP videos to Quizlet flashcards and Coursera modules, I learned with it all. 

Summary of my journey from learning to working in edtech

Now, my middle school-age brother will be entering his senior year of high school in the fall, on the brink of designing life outside of school.

Lots of career readiness tools exist. But nothing on the market today helps students connect the work they have to do now to head down any career path of interest.

Right now, students have to read the F. Scott Fitzgerald and pass the tests. And the experience shouldn't feel so... unmotivating.

I tried to channel these feelings and good intentions into my Reddit post.

Here's what happened (a series of unfortunate events)

So I made an anonymous account. Duh. Accounts are anonymous by default, but if you wanted to input your full government name, no one would stop you.

After browsing the dozens of Reddit forums at the corner of teaching, ELA, and tech, I found my winner and posted the following:

Thanks CliffNotes. SparkNotes. Shmoop. And now ChatGPT. THE READING PROBLEM: We know our high school kids don't want to read the books we assign. Many of them aren't reading at all. Because they think, what's the point? When adults read books they feel energized-because we have unfettered choice to read titles that we can immediately put to use in our personal and professional lives. High school students don't know what their path is yet. But they are on the horizon of needing to figure it out. And the chocolate-covered broccoli of edutainment isn't working for this age group.

I went on for a few more paragraphs, ending my Ted Talk with this:

ELA books don't have to feel like irrelevant assignments, but blueprints for the future. Thoughts?

When I pressed 'Post,' I was poised to read the feedback. Supportive or critical, I assumed it would all be constructive.

My phone started to buzz within minutes, and the attack began.

What Reddit teachers hated the most about my post

I'll admit I was impressed that Reddit teachers called me out for not being a teacher almost immediately (I didn't claim to be one). It was a helpful reminder of just how much of an outsider I am, since I don't have traditional classroom experience.

One user said we shouldn't be doing anything to prove books are "relevant" to their future.

In another back-and-forth, a teacher and I settled on this: deciding what you want to do careerwise is more than picking a cool title, it's a culmination of who you are (values, interests) and where you come from (family, community, historical ties), etc.

This comment stopped me in my tracks:

The purpose of reading literature isn't to create more drones to further enrich the ruling class of capitalism. Never once have I thought, "Man, if only I could find a way to connect lago's scheming here to little Johnny's career prospects as a data analyst, I know he'd be hooked!"

And I think a later comment from another user nicely pushes back:

They aren't going to study literature for its own sake or for pleasure if they choose not to read. I will use whatever hook I have to get them reading. Once that connection is made, I expand to other more literary and human connections.

As I scrolled and refreshed the comments over and over, I realized this pool of feedback was turning into a free masterclass in how to message edtech ideas thoughtfully to teachers.

Reddit teacher takeaway #1: See your pitch from their POV

I didn't go onto the platform to make Reddit teachers mad. I didn't think my post would be that controversial. I just wanted to let my curiosity be known.

Teachers are rightfully skeptical of how well edtech innovations can get implemented into their instructional routines and create real outcomes for their learners, especially their older ones.

When posing a new idea, triple-check how your tone and intent might come across to them.

There's nothing worse than a self-serving, flippant proposition reaching a professional who's sacrificed so much time, money, and energy to get to know their subject of expertise in such an intimate way.

I could have optimized for this 100%.

Reddit teacher takeaway #2: Stay as close to the classroom as you can

Tutoring my way through college in a 1:1 online environment with a TEFL certificate doesn't even come close to traditional classroom teaching.

When you're not setting up one-on-one meetings with educators to learn about their world, feed yourself a healthy diet of educator media from podcasts, vlogs, etc.

Reading the comments snapped me back to this reality.

Reddit teacher takeaway #3: Take insights with a grain of salt

Because some of the respondents probably weren't teachers. Or just wanted to be provocative. Or had some other special reason to 'clap back.'

I'd say 75% of the feedback was harshly worded but extremely helpful. But as the hours went on, I felt like the post was starting to contribute more harm than good, so I took it down.

I'm letting real conversations with real educators drive my insights the most. Be sure to subscribe to the newsletter to check out my incoming blog posts for more on that.