Another teacher is in social media hotdog water after he posted a video of five of his female students taking down his hair, at the end of class. While some found the action completely innocuous, others found it inappropriate and akin to grooming; most people were somewhere in between and were concerned with having proper boundaries between students and teachers.
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In any setting where there is an authority figure and subordinates, boundaries should absolutely be established and upheld to maintain respect and order. That does not mean that teachers should rule with an iron fist and draconian rules because having a teacher as a safe place is important. Every teacher is going to have a favorite student, and every student is going to have a favorite teacher. Decades after graduating, many of us still carry memories of our teachers, whether fond or not. At the very least, we still remember which teacher was our refuge and which teacher made us feel like refuse. However, a lot of us also remember the teacher and/or administrator whose type of closeness—looking back—you wouldn’t want near your child today.
Having over a million followers on TikTok is surely to come with some monetization, whether that is from gifts from fans, endorsements, or from the app itself.
There are teachers with social media platforms that have over a million followers, which calls into question the ethics of using minors, possibly without the consent of their parents, to earn additional income. Although teachers are notoriously underpaid, that does not mean that putting the students’ futures in jeopardy or adding additional distractions is the way to make ends meet. While some teachers are frustrated because kids won’t put their phones away, other teachers have kids holding their phones for them. How much time is being taken away from students’ studies in order to film, especially since reading and math scores have continued to decline since the pandemic? Some two-minute videos can take hours of preparation, reshoots and editing. Even though teachers are not releasing data on how long their filming processes take, it is hard to believe that when making scripted videos, coordinating a group of children is a one-take process.
Are these students being compensated for their time and efforts?
In a world where adults have difficulty managing using your and you’re correctly, is this the best way to facilitate the learning process? The issue of the student’s safety is also important to consider. The teacher who filmed his students taking his twists out not only showed their faces but was also wearing a shirt with the school’s emblem and name, which could easily put any of those girls in harm’s way. Many female teachers have recorded students doing their hair without repercussion, which is why many felt that sexualizing the situation was a stretch, but the lack of consideration for their safety by releasing information to the world concerning their whereabouts is problematic no matter how pure his intentions. Additionally, virality is already a problem for adults. The feelings of inadequacy and stress when interacting on social media as an adult can be emotionally taxing.
Knowing that you were part of a viral sensation whether good or bad, is even more pressure for a child. Children are left open to online abuse from strangers, whether they can see it or not, with many adults engaging with students’ images in disgusting manners.
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Teachers are a necessary part of the ecosystem and village that is required for kids to become active and purposeful contributors to society, but that does not mean that everyone who signs up to be a teacher has the purest intentions in mind. At least two teachers with large TikTok followings from their interactions with students have been arrested for sexual misconduct with minors.
Luke Rockwell was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, for his inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old, whom he also allegedly gave two STIs. Audrianna Williams was a Georgia high school cheerleading coach and teacher who gained viral fame from her rap and coordinated dance routine with her students. She was arrested on two counts of sexual assault with a student in December of last year.
With both teachers using TikTok as their platforms, the question then becomes who really is their target audience?
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Last year, a teacher was lambasted for posting a video stating how his students were not learning and how it was the fault of parents. He never showed any student and never mentioned any of their names but was accused of embarrassing them. He received more flack than the teachers who actually use their students for social media clout. At the end of the school day, students go to school to learn. They should not be put on exhibition to the world because someone wants to pursue their failed comedy career.
Retakes should be for failed tests, not filming.
I don’t know, but maybe it is not just time for the students to put their phones down and pick up a book but for the teachers as well.
