How to Talk Your Way Out of Detention

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: February 24, 2023 References

It's never fun getting detention – whether or not you deserve it. It is possible to talk your way out of detention, but you have to be honest about your actions. If you're to open to apologizing, admitting your faults, and vowing to learn from your mistakes, you may be able to get out of detention. Sometimes, you may need to get your parents or other teachers involved if you believe you've been given detention unfairly.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Apologizing for Your Actions

1
Express remorse. When you've done something bad at school, it's important that you apologize for your actions. Every apology should start with the two magic words: "I'm sorry," or "I apologize." It's important to give a genuine apology, because these words express remorse about what you did.^{[1]
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- Be genuine with your apology. If you don't feel bad about your actions, try to view your actions from your teachers perspective. This may help you understand why you got in trouble.
- Look your teacher in the eye when you apologize. Don't look at the floor or around the room. Looking your teacher in the eye will show them that you're being genuine.
- If your teacher genuinely believes that you are sorry, they may take you out of detention.
2
Admit that you were wrong. When you are apologizing to someone, it is usually important to them that you admit your mistakes. Acknowledge that you messed up by saying “I take full responsibility for my actions.”
- Describe what happened without placing the blame on others. Trying to place the blame on others makes you look like you're avoiding the blame. If you want your apology to be taken seriously, you need to own up to your mistakes.
- Use the phrase "I was wrong" when you are taking responsibilities for your actions.
- Acknowledge how your actions have negatively affected others. For example, if you were being a distraction in class, tell your teacher "I'm sorry for distracting my classmates. I regret that my actions hurt you and them."
- If a teacher sees that you are taking responsibility for your actions, they may decide that you no longer need detention.^{[2]
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3
Promise to improve your behavior. It is important that you state a clear plan to change. Your teacher won't accept your apology if this is a recurring problem. Learn from this mistake and genuinely vow to not repeat this bad action again.
- Say "Next time..." or "In the future, I will..." to explain your plan to change. Provide your teacher with a valid plan for the future.
- For example, if you were talking back to your teacher, say "In the future, I will express my concerns to you privately after class instead of talking back to you in front of other students."^{[3]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Getting Sympathy From Your Teachers

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Make your teacher understand your side of the story. If you believe you don't deserve to be in detention, ask your teacher if you can speak with them privately. Maybe somebody else blamed you for something that they did, or maybe your teacher got the facts wrong. Telling your teacher the truth may be able to get you out of detention.
- Stay civil when talking to your teacher. Don't yell or get upset, because it will look like you are being defensive. Instead, remain calm when telling your teacher your side of the story.^{[4]
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2
Explain to your teacher why you are acting out. Being a kid or a teenager can be difficult – you have to deal with hormones and puberty, bullying, your new love life, your home life, confidence issues, etc. Any of these reasons can sometimes cause you to act out, or do something you normally wouldn't. If you are struggling with something, try talking to your teacher about it.
- Talking to your teacher might help them understand your actions. If you're battling some personal problems, that might explain why you're acting out in class. Try to be honest about what's going on in your life with your teacher. Are you having problems at home? Are you being bullied? Maybe your teacher can help you deal with your problems.
- Getting out of detention is only one small perk of telling your teacher about your problems. Teachers can be great resources for advice and problem solving.^{[5]
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- Just try not to sound like you're making stupid excuses. If you know that what you did is wrong and that you deserve to be in detention, don't lie or try to sweet-talk your way out of it.
3
Give honest reasons for for your actions. Be honest with your teachers instead of making excuses. Even if your honest reasons aren't good reasons, your teacher will appreciate your honesty. If they see that you are willing to be honest about your actions, they may forgive you, resulting in you not having to serve detention.
- Honesty is appreciated by teachers. If they believe you're being honest about your actions, they'll believe that you're being honest about not making the same mistake again.
- Don't downplay your actions or make them into jokes. This will show your teacher that you are not sorry for your actions and you will most likely have to serve detention.
4
Don't argue with your teacher. Arguing, yelling, cursing, lying, threatening, or challenging your teacher in front of other students will not get you out of detention. In fact, those actions will most likely get you more detentions. Your teacher is an authority figure, so you should treat them with respect.
- Challenging your teacher's decision in front of other students will make your teacher feel obligated to maintain their authority. If you want to talk with your teacher, do so privately and remain calm.
- Never lie about your reasons for your behavior. Teachers can usually detect when you're lying, so honesty is your best bet.
- The worst thing you can do is threaten your teacher or swear at your teacher. Doing this will make matters even worse.^{[6]
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- Telling your teacher that they're not being fair or honest might be true, but it might not be helpful if your goal is to get the teacher to change their mind. If your teacher is genuinely being unfair, move on to Part 3.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Involving an Authority Figure

1
Ask your parents to talk to your teacher. Your parents talking to your teacher might help in a few different scenarios. Get your parents involved if talking to your teacher on your own hasn't worked.
- If you are going through a hard time at home, sometimes it can help to have your parents talk to your teacher. Maybe there's been a recent death in your family, it might help for your parents to communicate that to your teacher. Having a parent talk to your teacher will stop you from looking like you're making excuses.
- If you think your teacher is being unfair, you should tell your parents. Your parents may be able to help the situation by getting involved.
2
Get another teacher to help you. Talk to another teacher about your situation if the teacher you're in trouble with won't listen to you. If a teacher is sick of hearing excuses, they might refuse to talk with you about your detention. However, if you firmly believe you don't deserve detention, talk to a teacher you are close with about the situation.
- This teacher may be able to talk with the other teacher that you're in trouble with and get you out of detention.
- This teacher may be able to listen to the situation and help you understand why you were wrong.^{[7]
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3
Tell the principal if you think you are being treated unfairly. If you've already talked to your parents and your teachers, but still believe that you have been given unfair detention, talk to your principal. This should only be considered if you are certain that you did nothing wrong and that you don't deserve to be on detention.
- Principals are typically very busy, so don't bother them about your detention until you've tried every other possible option.^{[8]
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Expert Q&A

Question

Why is admitting your mistakes important?

Julia Yacoob, PhD
Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Julia Yacoob is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist practicing in New York City. She specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for adults coping with a variety of symptoms and life stressors. Dr. Yacoob earned an MS and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Rutgers University, and pursued specialized training at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York Presbyterian Hospital, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the Institute for Behavior Therapy, and Bellevue Hospital Cancer Center. Dr. Yacoob is a member of the American Psychological Association, Women’s Mental Health Consortium, NYC Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Association, and Association for Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies.

Julia Yacoob, PhD

Clinical Psychologist

Expert Answer

Acknowledging your mistakes is a real sign of character! It's a way in which you can connect with somebody through honesty and be better understood in the process.