Teacher Forced to Buy From Expensive Educational Suppliers
The Original Post
Former teacher science department head here. We were told to use our budget only using specific science catalogs. We could not order off Amazon, or other websites, or even go to the grocery store. Granted, the science budget is higher than in other core subjects, but that’s because we use a lot of stuff and we have to clean a lot of things. So, we asked if we could buy some inexpensive stuff off Amazon and other websites, and even possibly go to the grocery store to get things for a reasonable price. We were told absolutely not, we needed to have a proper paper trail, and that would be done through only two specific science catalogues. OK, so we need paper towels. These are eighth grade students, so we need a lot of paper towels. In the grocery store, they may be a dollar, but in the science catalog, they’re about 4 to 5 dollars. I need 30 of them. So instead of $30, I’m spending $150. For paper towels. When that went through it raised quite a ruckus and suddenly we have a grocery store budget. And access to Amazon.
What Reddit Said
Reddit absolutely loved this textbook example of malicious compliance. Users praised the teacher for following orders to the letter while exposing the absurdity of the policy. Many fellow educators chimed in with similar stories about bureaucratic purchasing requirements.
However, some Redditors expressed frustration about the broader issue of education funding. Teachers shouldn’t have to resort to clever tactics just to get basic supplies at reasonable prices. Moreover, many pointed out this kind of administrative oversight wastes taxpayer money.
The Verdict
The overwhelming consensus: perfectly executed malicious compliance. This teacher forced expensive educational suppliers policy backfired spectacularly when administrators saw the real costs. It’s a classic case of malicious compliance where following bad rules exposed their flaws and created positive change for workplace policies.
Original post from r/MaliciousCompliance (1,074 upvotes, 71 comments)