A substitute teacher in Atlanta, Georgia, is calling out parents who are not involved in their children’s education but are instead depending on teachers “to do everything” for their child’s development. She used an example from her class to show how parents’ inaction is contributing to the “literacy crisis” in the U.S. Her video has since gained online attention, with many netizens agreeing with her.
In the video she posted on TikTok, the woman said that of the 24 students present that day, only half had brought their book bags. Those who showed up with nothing had no notebooks, pencils, or materials to participate in class. “They’re not coming to school to learn,” the teacher said of her students. “They don’t come here with the intention that they are about to learn anything.”
According to her, because the students lacked the mindset to engage in learning, they often did not want to follow the teacher’s directions, join in class activities, or do anything at all. She said half the time, all she was trying to do was keep her students “awake.”
The teacher complained that “people aren’t parenting their children,” saying that if they were, they would know their kids needed resources for their education, including having a book bag and getting enough sleep to prepare for the next day of school. She added that parents who neglect to be this active in their children’s education are “literally destroying this country.”
Netizens React to the Georgia Teacher’s Claims
Many people in the comments under her post agreed with the woman’s take and believed that parents were contributing to the decline in education. “I’m exhausted with parent apathy,” one person remarked. “No book bag 😳 excuse me? Parents are waiting for whom to buy it?” another asked. A third commented, “It’s daycare at this point, just putting kids somewhere for 8 hours,” while a fourth added, “Many parents don’t realize that they need to teach their kids how to learn.”
Other remarks included, “Parents need to do better!!!” and “We cannot fix what is broken at home.”
The Georgia teacher also wrote in the caption that the woman she was substituting for had taken time off for a month because she needed a break, not due to illness or pregnancy, but because she was overwhelmed.
