It’s no surprise that teenagers tend to talk during class, especially when there’s a substitute teacher in the room. That was the case for one Alaska teen, who said there were only 10 minutes left before class ended and she was chatting with her friends. She later posted a video she filmed during the class, explaining the situation and why she was talking.
Instead of calling her name or simply telling her to quiet down, the substitute teacher responded in a much more troubling way. According to the teen, he began using what could only be described as sexist language as he stood next to her desk. “Girls are supposed to be full of sugar and spice,” he told her.
At first, the Alaska teen didn’t think much of the comment and responded casually, saying, “I’m sugar and spice and everything nice.” However, the situation quickly escalated. The teacher followed up with an even more troubling remark, stating, “They [girls] are seen and not heard.” Hearing that, the girl was understandably shocked. After all, what kind of teacher tells a female student that she should be looked at rather than listened to? Clearly stunned, she asked, “Did you just say that to me?” The teacher then confirmed that he did. She pressed him further, questioning what made him think it was acceptable to say something like that. His response was dismissive: “Well, I’m teasing you.”
Uncomfortable and disturbed by the exchange, the teen made her feelings clear. “That was so weird. Don’t say that ever to me again,” she said.
It was a good thing the teen was able to move past her initial shock and stand up for herself once she realized how inappropriate the teacher’s comments were. Even then, the teacher remained by her desk and asked if she was done talking. When she said yes, he oddly praised her, saying, “Great job.” Seeing the look of disgust on her face, he repeated that he was “just teasing” her. She didn’t back down, though, and made it clear that his behavior was weird and unacceptable. Despite the seriousness of the incident, the school reportedly took no action. “Literally only 3 adults actually cared. Everyone else said I was in the wrong for disrespecting an adult…,” the girl later wrote in a comment. It’s hard to imagine the response would have been the same if she had been their daughter.
People Reacting to the Alaska Girl’s Video
People, especially women, were disgusted by what the sub teacher told the Alaska student. This is why many encouraged her to file a complaint, as one woman said, “go to the school district since you caught it on camera. Hell prob get fired for that. As long as you’re in a blue state/ school.” Another woman then added, “If you press the school board enough, they will do something. Regardless of the politics of your state, just be relentless when it comes to justice for kids.” Unfortunately, one person tried to defend the teacher. This made someone reply, “hes saying pedo like stuff and being misogynistic and sexist. Telling her to be a little quieter is okay but there’s no need to say ‘women should be seen and not heard’.”
Whenever someone tried to defend the teacher, women were quick to correct them. “It’s not the fact that he asked her to be quiet, it’s the WAY he asked her, ‘girls should be seen and not heard’ is a very sexist term to use towards girls, basically calling them objects,” one woman wrote. Another woman said, “‘seen not heard’ is a victorian phrase that maidens were basically just breeding bodies and were just to be seen and not heard; they weren’t supposed to be outspoken out opinionated. I’m appalled no one in the comments is clocking that???” Everything about this situation is wrong and shouldn’t have been said.
