At the close of each academic year, I give my 8th-grade students the chance to participate in a “Mrs. Morris roast,” where they unleash their unfiltered honesty. The results are often a mix of brutal honesty and humor, laced with a painful dose of truth.
Middle school teacher Mr. Frakes understands this experience all too well. With over 13 years in the classroom, he sought methods to help students reconnect with him and with one another after the pandemic. “I began posing random questions to encourage communication and deepen my understanding of them,” he shared with We Are Teachers. “We shared plenty of laughs, and one student suggested I should post their responses on TikTok.” Recently, he sought honest feedback from his 7th graders, and their replies were as impactful as a jolt from a seatbelt after a hard stop. While he assumed his audience would be limited to friends and family, the internet had other ideas.
This teacher asked his students what people in their 40s do for fun, and the responses are incredible.
As adults in their 30s and 40s chuckle in the comments, they can’t help but shift in their ergonomic office chairs, thinking, “Alright… but where’s the lie?”
Here’s a rundown of his students’ responses, complete with sticky note illustrations.
“Play Wordle (trust me)”
It’s giving “Trust me, bro.” Haha!
“They like to watch TV in black and white”
It’s called The Elderly Filter.
“Go gamble!”
I actually don’t know of any 40-year-old coworkers who partake in this, but perhaps it’s more common where casinos are prevalent! Ha!
“Spoil all their grandchildren, nieces, or nephews”
Is there a consensus that 40-year-olds are prime candidates for grandparenting?
“Play pickleball—a sport that doesn’t move as much”
Okay, I beg to differ. There’s quite a bit of movement I struggle to keep up with in pickleball!
“Count coupons”
Buddy, it’s called CLIPPING coupons! If you’re going to roast us, at least get it right!
“Go on Facebook”
100%.
“Go and buy home decor”
How dare you disgrace the name of our temple.
“Grill food on Sundays”
Yes, we grill on Sundays. Yes, our backs hurt!
“Say no to everything I ask for”
Maybe if you didn’t pose so many SILLY QUESTIONS, CHILDREN!
“Bingo!”
Joke’s on you, kids: Bingo rules!
“Take their medicine (or go to the casino)”
Honorable mention: casino.
“Knitting”
Yes, 7th grader, but have you ever given knitting a chance?
“Play golf”
The “My back!” speech bubble really got me.
“Sit in a chair on the patio and yell, ‘Get off my lawn!’”
Hey, we’re in a cost of living crisis—lawn care is expensive!
“Sit there slowly sipping their coffee, regretting their life decisions”
Ouch, buddy!
“Talk about ‘Back in my day’”
Cue my mom, “Back in my day, we had to go to the nonfiction section of the library to find information. We didn’t have Google!” Is anyone else familiar with that specific ‘back in my day’?
Indeed, the kids roasted us—and yes, they had a point. Perhaps we do have a bit of an obsession with HomeGoods. Maybe we are powered by caffeine and mild regret. But that’s part of the beauty of being in your 40s (or nearing it): we’ve earned the right to chuckle at ourselves. If surviving middle school once wasn’t enough, we’re doing it all again from the other side of the desk—with aching backs, full hearts, and carts brimming with seasonal throw pillows. People in their 40s, unite!
