October 24, 2026 at 7:35 pm

School Custodian Hates It When Her Supervisor Reprimands Her In Front Of Students And Teachers, But She’s Scared To Speak Up For Herself

by Jayne Elliott

silhouette of a janitor mopping the floor

Shutterstock

Imagine working as a janitor. Would it bother you if your supervisor told you that you missed a spot? Would it bother you more if other people were around when he mentioned this?

In this story, one young woman works as a custodian at a school. She hates it when her supervisor reprimands her when anyone is around except her coworker; however, she’s not sure it’s a good idea to tell her supervisor how she feels.

Should she stay quiet or stand up for herself?

Let’s read the whole story to decide.

WIBTA if I tell my supervisor to stop pointing out mistakes in front of other people?

I (24F) work as a 2nd shift elementary school custodian (after school) and my job is to clean the classrooms and bathrooms for the next school day.

My job overall is not stressful and I can work at my own pace (within my 8 hour shift of course).

I can also listen to my own music and podcasts and even talk on the phone with friends as I work.

She’s annoyed with her supervisor.

My issue with the job is my supervisor, Mike (62M).

He’s a nitpicker and micromanages me and my coworker, Cath (65F).

He would often take pictures of tiny spots we missed in our section.

He would even sometimes raise his voice which makes me flinch everytime and even cry.

She feels like Mike is trying to embarrass her.

There are times where Mike would take me aside and start showing spots I missed in classrooms in front of the other teachers and sometimes students.

I always feel embarrassed and angry when he does this because it makes me feel like the teachers may see me as incompetent at my job.

I also feel it isn’t their business either since it’s a private matter for custodians.

It’s different if Cath hears it vs teachers.

She’s not sure whether to listen to her mother or Cath.

I’ve always been taught to never speak up against someone and to just be quiet and take it. Always be the bigger person.

I always get told to be quiet and ignore it every time I do. This is no different with Mike.

I’m always told by my mother to just take his comments.

Cath has told me I should speak up about this issue, but I feel like I would just cause more trouble and he’ll just ignore my request anyway.

She’s hesitant to take Cath’s advice.

Cath never has a problem with being told off in front of other people because Mike never does it with her, so she’s telling me to speak up about it.

I however feel like I have to just stay quiet and take it.

I feel I’m going to look like a jerk if I tell him how I don’t want him to belittle me in front of others.

So WIBTA if I tell my supervisor to stop pointing out mistakes in front of others?

It’s good to stand up for yourself. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask Mike to talk to her about these issues when students and teachers aren’t around.

Let’s see if Reddit agrees.

This person thinks she’s bad at her job.

2026 10 21 at 1.56.01 PM School Custodian Hates It When Her Supervisor Reprimands Her In Front Of Students And Teachers, But Shes Scared To Speak Up For Herself

Another person thinks she should speak up.

2026 10 21 at 1.56.12 PM School Custodian Hates It When Her Supervisor Reprimands Her In Front Of Students And Teachers, But Shes Scared To Speak Up For Herself

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about an IT employee who thought a ticket was closed, only to hear otherwise from the client’s manager.

This person thinks there are only two options.

2026 10 21 at 1.56.23 PM School Custodian Hates It When Her Supervisor Reprimands Her In Front Of Students And Teachers, But Shes Scared To Speak Up For Herself

It would not hurt to speak up for herself. It’s not like she’s saying she doesn’t want him to correct her. She just doesn’t want him to do it in front of teachers and students. That seems perfectly reasonable.

But she should bring this up when students and teachers aren’t around. Otherwise, she’d be doing to him what she doesn’t want him to do to her.

Speaking up for yourself is not a bad thing to do.

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Jayne Elliott | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Jayne Elliott is a contributing writer and editor for TwistedSifter specializing in human interest stories, internet culture, and family dynamics. With over 12 years of editorial experience in digital publishing, Jayne excels at analyzing complex online communities and transforming viral social debates into thoughtful, highly engaging narratives.

Rather than simply aggregating internet drama, Jayne brings a sharp, empathetic editorial eye to everyday dilemmas. She has a unique talent for unpacking the nuances of pop culture and online conflicts, providing readers with relatable, well-researched commentary.

Based in California, Jayne spends her free time outside the newsroom exploring theme parks with her family or beach-combing along the coast.

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