This teacher’s most unfortunate schoolboy error went wildly viral and it wasn’t just the teacher not getting it

Not the first time we’ve featured kids’ homework on these pages and it doubtless won’t be the last.

But as ever it’s not what the child did that sent its viral, it’s the teacher’s most unfortunate making. And this one which has just gone viral on Twitter is a classic of the genre.

I can’t believe my eyes. 😵‍💫 pic.twitter.com/3AfN3RCt2W

— Math Lady Hazel 🇦🇷 (@mathladyhazel) January 21, 2026

And here it is again just in case it was tricky to see in full.

And here is exactly what people made of that.

If one cut is 10 minutes…
then TWO cuts is ____________

I can see how this worksheet creator gets mixed up — if it were phrased as something like “It takes 10 minutes to make two drawings by hand. How long would it take to make 3 equivalent drawings in the same manner?”…

— stevemur (@stevemur) January 22, 2026

Precisely.

This is a widespread problem in schools and is why the teacher is usually given prepared tests along with cheat sheets explaining the correct answers.

— Dr. Syed Haider: (@DrSyedHaider) January 22, 2026

This is why homeschooling is a thing sometimes

— Kuro 🖤 (@kuuroishi) January 22, 2026

Except some people were still not getting it.

15 may be correct as well. In the question it is not mentioned that the board is to cut in 3 ‘equal’ pieces. So after cutting the board into 2 equal pieces then one part can be cut into two, which would take half the time.

— HOPE 2026 (@invincibleindia) January 22, 2026

The student did answer incorrectly, but I feel like the question is worded pretty poorly.

— The Basement Weeb (@Basement_WeebX) January 22, 2026

both answers are correct; the problem is inherently ambiguous.

the student assumed 10 minutes per cut, and the grader assumed 5 minutes per piece.

the problem itself has no obvious reference to either of these assumptions, so either cold be correct. 👍🏻

— disaffected_zoomer (@DisaffectedZ) January 22, 2026

Depending on how you look at it logically, you can never cut a board into 3 pieces. You always cut it into two. The moment you finish the first cut both boards become another piece. You’re then cutting another board into two pieces until you get the quantity of boards you want.

— Dave Jennings (@davej1710) January 22, 2026

Without knowing more it’s impossible to say. For instance she could saw the wood at the corner to make a triangle offcut. That wouldn’t take 10 minutes. Do it again she has 3 ‘pieces’, for a couple of minutes work. Sloppy question.

— TheSphinx 🐿️ (@TheSphinxRocks) January 22, 2026

To conclude …

At first…I thought the teacher was stupid. But after reading the comments, now I see that as a society, we’re doomed.

— Brandon H (@BrandonHuston15) January 22, 2026

And because it got us in the mood for this sort of thing, remember this one from back in the day?

And this one.

Who’d be a teacher, right?

Source @mathladyhazel