40 Times Teachers Thought Their Students' Late Excuses Were Ridiculous But They Turned Out To Be An Unbelievable Truth

Some late excuses sound so wild that teachers can only roll their eyes, until the truth turns out to be even stranger than the story. From family emergencies to animal chaos, students have a way of showing up with explanations that sound impossible at first.

In this roundup, a Reddit user asked teachers for the best excuse for being late that later proved to be true, and the replies quickly filled with unbelievable classroom moments. The stories range from funny to heartbreaking, and a few of them are hard to forget once you read them.

Here are the late excuses that sounded ridiculous, but turned out to be real.

Question posed by a Redditor.

Reddit/minecraftplayer48

#1 This should be a movie titled "The White Shaft."

Reddit/kidnuggett606| William Murphy

#2 Anyone familiar with THAT kind of shortcut?

Reddit/lestat85| Ahmed akacha

#3 Freddie Mercury certified. Queen stamped.

Reddit/Deeberer| Frank Albrecht

#4 This kid should've had a whole day off for his family to celebrate.

Reddit/thequejos

#5 The kid might not be able to write an excellent essay, but he can raise the best calf.

Reddit/BobosBigSister| Olga Kravchuk

Some of these excuses sound impossible until the details come out.

#6 This is pretty dark, but the professor handled it well.

Reddit/DoughnutMcCoy

#7 Chicken street gangs.

Reddit/Makenshine| Saray Khadangan

#8 Blame it on the slugs, though.

Reddit/Fortisvol| Danny Nee

#9 Good thing the student had proof.

Reddit/Jupichan| adrianna geo

#10 Kudos to the teachers who are very understanding and to the girl for doing her best.

Reddit/Rm156| Mira Kireeva

That one took a turn nobody saw coming.

#11 Such a horrible teacher.

Reddit/19you1

#12 If only the teacher could turn back time and stop himself from making an insensitive statement.

Reddit/whereegosdare84| Adrian Swancar

#13 Babies don't arrive on schedules.

Reddit/Sheldon_Turtle| Nathan Dumlao

#14 The adorable troublemaker.

Reddit/tip52| JC Gellidon

#15 This is clever.

Reddit/endadaroad

#16 Did they send the kids home? That was probably a traumatic experience.

Reddit/AusPB90| ICBUS07-30

#17 She had her priorities straight at six years old.

Reddit/BlossomBelow| ftmeade

#18 Now you know what it is for.

Reddit/ethnicjello

#19 Who was he aiming for?

Reddit/Scoutnjw| Nathan Dumlao

#20 The student's family repaid the teacher's kindness by making the oil delivery free.

Reddit/backaritagain

Even the funniest ones still say a lot about the people involved.

This is similar to the AITA post about locking late dinner party guests outside in the rain.

#21 Everyone has those days.

Reddit/Scally59| Daiga Ellaby

#22 The kid is smart, giving the teacher something when late.

Reddit/sarahsuebob

#23 Do you wish you had a goat friend?

Reddit/shoppy33| Nati Melnychuk

#24 Some people wouldn't leave until they cuddled the bear.

Reddit/Vladtehwood| Daniele Levis Pelusi

#25 If you're dying, live your best life while you can.

Reddit/dausy

#26 The chicken gangs are not only out of control but also violent.

Reddit/BrrToe| Michael Anfang

#27 How can teachers be like this?

Reddit/jogfx

#28 How many cars were in the train?

Reddit/Zeruvi| Dan Loran

#29 Ask, and ye shall receive!

Reddit/Sapang| TireZoo

#30 Kids with guns.

Reddit/lotusblossom60

#31 Some places get used to that; it's so common it's rarely a lie.

Reddit/fuggleruggler

At this point, the excuses are almost outdoing each other.

#32 If it's not the chicken gang, then it's the Wild Turkey Mafia.

Reddit/lizardgal10| Mikkel Bergmann

#33 Loving such compassionate teachers.

Reddit/Karapuzio

#34 Sometimes hanging on to normality is easier than dealing with trauma.

Reddit/arcant12| Daniel Tausis

#35 The reason why teachers need to check up on absentees.

Reddit/homeawayfromhogwarts

#36 The teacher was there, too.

Reddit/Back2Bach| panyawat auitpol

#37 How nice of them.

Reddit/SwansonsLoveChild

#38 Just carrying on as normal.

Reddit/Sheldon_Turtle| bluesbby

#39 When Taco Bell is life.

Reddit/Grizelda_H| Anthony A

#40 Hopefully, his mom didn't hit him.

Reddit/surgicalasepsis| Luis Quintero

It might be hard to believe an excuse, especially if it has been used as a lie multiple times. However, teachers should know how to listen, give their students a chance to explain themselves, ask for proof, and observe before judging whether the students are telling the truth or not.

Some of these stories are funny, some are messy, and a few are surprisingly touching.

Want more awkward tardiness fallout, read about the AITA host who disinvited a late friend from a dinner party.