Online schooling has proven to be difficult for everyone involved, but it may also have helped some teachers get away with being bad at their jobs for too long.
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A 16-year-old took to Reddit earlier this year to recount an awkward situation she had with her teacher that may have ended up with him getting fired, in an attempt to determine whether he was truly to blame or if she had overreacted to the situation.
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First, she explained that her school requires students’ cameras to stay on during class, and that the bathroom policy involved texting the teacher privately for permission to turn off their camera and leave their seat.
“I have absolutely no issue with these rules as I understand that online teaching is hard and you have to make sure everyone is attentive during classes,” u/PizzaPepparoni wrote.
One of the teen’s teachers, “Mr. T,” is someone she describes as “reserved and quiet” and not particularly strict, though she’s only had him for online classes.
My (16f) school requires us to keep our cameras on during the entire class. If we need to use the restroom we are supposed to privately message our teacher and ask to leave. I have absolutely no issue with these rules as I understand that online teaching is hard and you have to make sure everyone is attentive during classes.
We also have this system where at the end of the week every student is emailed a google document in which we are supposed to type out any problems we had with the classses during the week (eg – a teacher is favouring a student etc..)
On Thursday, I had a math class which was taught by “Mr T”. He’s never really been very strict and had always seemed quite reserved and quiet. Of course, I’ve never been in a lesson with him outside of online school so I can’t really judge.
But during his class, she realized her period had started and tried to get permission from Mr. T to take a bathroom break. After repeated attempts to contact him, she says he finally wrote back: “You should have planned better. Learn to control yourself.”
During the class I realized I had started my period. I privately messaged Mr T asking if I could use the restroom. I waited for 10 minutes but he didn’t reply so I messaged him again, still no reply.
By now I was getting extremely uncomfortable so I texted him for the third time explaining I had started my period and I really had to go. He replies with this, “You should have planned better. Learn to control yourself” uhhh… What? I CAN’T control my period.
I tried to explain that I couldn’t but he didn’t respond. I got annoyed and switched off my camera anyways and left to the bathroom.
Anyone with a cursory understanding of bodies knows that periods aren’t something that one can control any more than one can stop a flesh wound from bleeding out using sheer mind power.
But Mr. T apparently needs some sort of biology refresher, as he not only didn’t budge on the issue when the student tried to explain, but he allegedly kicked her out of class after she went to the bathroom anyway.
Once I came back, I saw that he had kicked me out of the meeting. I later found out he had written me for switching my camera and I was given a warning. I was pissed.
Since it was a Thursday I received the google doc and I complained about Mr T in it.
The teen said her school asks for reviews about teachers and classwork every Thursday, and since this happened on a Thursday, she complained about it when she filled out her form.
Today (Tuesday) I found out, through my mother, who is also a teacher that Mr. T is being investigated as there have been multiple complaints about his behavior and mine was apparently the last straw.
To top things off, she said her dad and brother blamed her for this man potentially losing her job and said she made a big deal out of nothing.
My dad, brother and a few of my friends are calling me and an asshole as I could’ve just waited for a while instead of complaining and potentially making a man lose his job, especially during this time. Idk my feeling really guilty now. I don’t want him to lose his job. AITA?
Commenters were livid on her behalf, and eager to point out that all the men in this situation need to educate themselves if they want to have an opinion.
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“This is a grown ass man teaching a class of kids that are probably half female,” u/levitatingloser wrote. “He should know the bare basics about menstruation and how to address if a female student is having an issue.”
Another pointed out that this student didn’t cause anyone to lose their job — “if it happens, he did it to himself.”
*First Published: June 22, 2021, 7:44 am
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