A Texas teacher’s hot takes on what she allows in her classroom went viral. While Sandra believes there’s an exception to every rule, there are a few things she just doesn’t care about as a high school teacher. This includes taking a break from class. Her TikTok video has over 972,000 views and over 204,000 likes.
The first thing is that if it’s the first period of the day, she doesn’t count tardies. The reason for this is because she doesn’t know if a student’s lateness is caused by the bus or a parent. She doesn’t wish to fault them for something not in their control. She explains, “80% of our students ride the bus to get to school/do not drive themselves to school.” There isn’t a way for Sandra to know what caused a student to be late. Therefore, she doesn’t count it against them.
The next thing she allows is food. She says, “You can eat in my class.” Her school has around 1500 to 1800 students. So waiting in line, getting food, and finding a place to eat isn’t always happening in the time allotted for lunch. The third thing she just permitted this year. Sandra explains she knew students were already doing this, but until this year they hadn’t been bold enough to say so. She explains, “I have had multiple students come and tell me, ‘Hey, can I get the pass and just walk around for a minute?‘” This is something that happens when a student is feeling stressed or overstimulated.
This is why she allows them to take a breather, and then they’re back in five minutes. To her, this is a sign of maturity. Sandra says, “Thank you for communicating like an adult.” The last thing she permits is teamwork. There is no problem with students working together on general work. If it’s not a test, then she is all for collaboration. However, Sandra does point out that this is what works for her classroom and isn’t necessarily for every teacher.
Texas Teacher Catches Attention
Sandra receives an interesting mix of comments, primarily from students and fellow educators. Other teachers share their hot takes, such as one who says, “Like I literally don’t care if you’re talking while working, as long as you’re still working.” A second teacher backs her selections, minus one tweak: “I teach middle school. I allow eating, but no sharing food. Too distracting.” Meanwhile, a few parents have also shared their appreciation for her understanding. One says, “So basically ur a HERO FOR OUR KIDS.“
Additionally, several comments are from students who have commented, wishing she was their teacher. One says, “Heavy on the walks, our school stopped allowing them this year and it’s making me go insane.” Another adds, “I LOVE UR ENERGY I WISH U WERE MY TEACHERðŸ˜.” A third commenter says, “I need you as a teacher and I’m already graduated.”
Sandra often posts videos about her life as a teacher and fun stories from her classroom on her channel @teachersandra03.
