Stealing from school is the new tiktok trend

I thought that school was suppose to make students smart. Turns out the TikTok effects make them the opposite.

This trend just feels really… Uncomfortable? Like, personally I’m not laughing about it. Even on a normal basis it feels wrong to have to shut down bathrooms or limit bathroom usage, let alone during a pandemic in which we’re all supposed to wash our hands super often…
Outside of that, maybe I’m just a goody-two-shoes but stealing anything from a school feels wrong, let alone all these “big” items and not, say, an expo marker.
I don’t know, feels weird and gross. Hope it ends soon.

I guess this is the one time I’m grateful for the way my school is, we’ve had absolutely no devious licks. The seniors have our own lounge, and people are thoughtful enough to bring in candy for everyone to share sometimes- one bowl lasted us a week, which is pretty good! That’s the benefit to an absolutely tiny school, I guess

My sister’s principal said they were taking away bathroom “privileges” IT’S NOT A PRIVILEGE TO NOT DEFECATE ON YOURSELF

As a teacher, this is really upsetting. We have a shortage of teachers, shortage of bus drivers, shortage of funding, shortage of substitutes. NO ONE wants to work at these schools right now! I work in a middle school and there are huge amounts of teachers quitting. The kids really don’t understand that some places they’re going to have to start hiring less qualified, less engaged, and less amazing teachers just to try and keep classroom sizes down. This sort of stuff is so exhausting because I know nothing that’s being said will reach them, nothing will change their minds, and the result is going to be a detriment to them in the future. Kids NEED teachers that love teaching and love them. The problem is that we have lives and families too and there’s a point where it’s so mentally and emotionally draining to deal with this that it’s not worth it. I just want to work and love teaching, but yall make it so hard sometimes.

Institute a “no questions asked” policy. Hear me out on this one.
– Most of these tiktok copycats are only stealing stuff for the clout. Once your video is made, and your clout secured, the actual items probably don’t hold any real value to them anymore.

On top of that, hiding a paper towel dispenser, a Smartboard, or a bag of administrators’ nametags from their parents or guardians is probably pretty difficult, especially because, knowing teenagers, they probably didn’t work out every part of their theft plan ahead of time. Giving the students a chance to turn it in without exposing themselves to consequences might lead them to deciding to save themselves the trouble of pawning it off or finding a dump site, and choosing to turn it in instead.

Teenagers aren’t stupid, but their brains are still developing, and most have trouble fully contemplating the potential consequences of their actions. Perhaps after experiencing the inconvenience and restrictions that their own actions caused, one or two of the vandals might regret taking all those soap dispensers and opt to return them. Wishful thinking? Probably, but it can’t hurt to give them the option.

And finally, it’ll make it so a student who legitimately has nothing to do with the thefts, but finds a stolen object (perhaps dumped somewhere by the real theft) has an option to turn it in without causing themselves or their friends any trouble.

Even with Jarvis trying to talk about this lightheartedly, this makes me feel hopeless and sad. I’m grateful that my school days are far behind me and my heart goes out to the teachers out there already stretched too thin.

As a teacher who uses her own money to get many things in my classroom, I’m thankful I have a first grade class who probably haven’t heard of this trend.

As a high school student…. I honestly think that this epidemic is a result of the sudden realization among students that soon they’ll be adults with ACTUAL consequences to their actions (e.g. jail time) and wanting to do something about it. Unfortunately, these students have found probably the worst way ever to deal with that feeling

The principal at my high school straight said “We will persecute the offenders to the fullest extent of the law,” and then someone stole a sink.