Woman admits to liking her geometry teacher, but then an incident with an extroverted classmate changed her mind: ‘I would’ve just left bru’
School life can be complicated, and the experiences during that time can leave a lasting impact on people’s lives. Therefore, especially for teachers, who are the main adults in these settings, it is crucial that they are careful about what they say to their students and how they behave with them. Unfortunately, not many teachers keep this in mind or pay attention to it, often reacting instinctively or vindictively toward certain students. We have all experienced this or at least seen it happen to someone else. I’m generalizing here because I know for sure that this is true.
Two days ago, TikTok user @mckennaraygilmer uploaded a video where she talked about her geometry teacher, whom she initially liked but then lost all respect for and started disliking after she engaged in a “power trip” exercise with one of her classmates. As of this writing, McKenna’s video has more than 18 thousand views and over two hundred comments. Most of these comments focus on criticizing the teacher McKenna is discussing in the video, and sharing their own negative school experiences.
TikTok user @mckennaraygilmer narrates story about geometry teacher
In the video she uploaded to her TikTok account two days ago, @mckennaraygilmer jumped right to the point before mentioning that some teachers enjoy power trips. She shared that six years ago, one day, during her freshman year of high school, she was in her seventh and final class of the day, a geometry class. McKenna emphasizes that she really liked her teacher and adds that the bathroom was just across the hall, which is relevant to the story she’s about to tell.
McKenna then discusses an incident that changed her opinion of the teacher. She explains that there was a girl in the geometry class who was very extroverted. About twenty minutes before the class was supposed to end, the girl raised her hand, desperate to go to the bathroom, but the teacher refused. The girl insisted it was an emergency, but the teacher was unwilling to listen. Instead, the teacher argued that she should wait until the end of the class. After some back and forth, the girl was crying, while the teacher continued to refuse her permission. Eventually, other students encouraged her to go to the bathroom despite not having permission. Reflecting on that incident, @mckennaraygilmer says, “It was so weird to watch her just cry, and the teacher just stare at her and be like, ‘You’re not using the restroom.’… It just proves to me that there are some teachers out there who become a teacher with the sole purpose of just wanting to belittle children.” McKenna concludes her video by saying she lost all respect for her geometry teacher after that incident and didn’t care for her for the rest of school.
TikTok user @mckennaraygilmer has been at the center of a lot of discussion
For a topic as sensitive and common as @mckennaraygilmer’s, many people would naturally jump into the conversation. User @whoisjay432 said, “I would’ve just left bru.” User @nothannahb3th, sharing the same opinion, said, “i would’ve just got up and left.”
Many people shared their own stories of encountering similar situations. User @seesee.rose wrote, “This happened to me in 5th grade and i peed my pants in front of everyone. She apologized for years after.” User @digtzydog wrote, “I actually developed a panic disorder because of how I wasn’t allowed to use the restroom when I needed to.”
School experiences leave a lasting impression on children
According to Not Fine in School, recent studies indicate that two-thirds of students experience trauma before age 16. New research shows that in an average classroom, up to 13 out of 30 students may face toxic stress from three or more traumatic events.
The same source connects childhood trauma to long-term health and social problems such as substance abuse, incarceration, chronic illness, and early death. Regarding solutions, early intervention and changing how schools support children affected by trauma can improve societal results. Teachers often feel unprepared to help students with difficult behaviors, and some strategies, like timeouts and exclusions, may worsen trauma-related issues. There is a need to train teachers in trauma-informed methods and to enhance schools’ ability to support these students, as schools using trauma-informed practices see significant improvements in students’ social, behavioral, and academic performance.
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