One high school teacher is absolutely fed up with a lesser-known form of bullying and took to social media to vent about it.
In a viral video that has amassed over 5 million views and 694,000 likes, TikTok user Mrs. C (@stillateacher) shared how the bullying presents itself and what she does to combat it.
” Things I’m not chill about as a high school teacher,” she began in the clip.
The “absolute number one” thing the teacher said she does not tolerate is bullying.
” A lot of the bullying I see happening in schools these days is super subtle,” she said.
The teacher then gave an example of how that type of bullying often manifests in high schools. She said “less popular” kids, sometimes those with disabilities, are targeted by more popular kids to be ridiculed. Whenever they speak during class, bullies may snicker and giggle with their friends.
” I will lose it if I see that,” she said.
To nip the behavior in the bud, Mrs. C told viewers that she usually steps in and stares the bully right in the eyes while the other student speaks.
She added that bullying is one of the few reasons she may kick a student out of her class.
” If you are a teacher and you are not fiercely protecting your most vulnerable students, what are you doing?” she asked.
Then she listed out the other things she does not allow in her class: racism, sexism, and homophobia.
In the event that a student makes these kinds of inappropriate comments, the teacher said she would first pull the student aside for a one-on-one discussion. If the student does not recognize that such behavior does not belong in a school, she said she is even willing to get parents and administrators involved.
The next thing the teacher said she is absolutely “not chill with” is cellphones. Though she recognizes the topic may be quite controversial, she believes using cellphones in class harms students “mentally, socially, and academically,” so she does not allow it.
@stillateacher basically we’re gonna learn and respect each other #teacher #teachertok #teachersoftiktok #highschoolteacher #teacherlife ♬ original sound – Ms. C
” One thing that really makes me sad is when I walk into a room in a high school, and every kid is just sitting there silently on their phone, scrolling,” she said. “They’re not interacting with each other.”
The teacher explained that’s why she has a zero-tolerance policy for cellphones in her class and will even take phones away from students who do not comply.
The TikToker also pushed back against people who argue that teachers should focus on the students who want to learn instead of fighting with those who don’t care to pay attention.
“Problem with this is, we’re working with teenagers,” she said. “Their brains are not fully developed yet, so they’re making choices right now that can affect them so severely down the line.”
She believes a teacher must do everything in their power to help students make good decisions.
In the comments section, several viewers, including students and educators, agreed that “subtle bullying” was a problem.
“The subtle bullying is such an issue,” user Topaz emerald wrote. “I saw it so much when i subbed.”
“I’m so glad you actually can spot subtle bullying like that,” a second said. “My teachers would actively tell me it wasn’t happening when I’d try to talk to them about it.”
“Subtle bullying is so bad!” another agreed. “We did karaoke in class and had to stop because of popular bullies ‘encouraging’ and recording.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Mrs. C via TikTok comment for more information.