Teaching Profession

Viral Video: Teacher Unappreciation

By Liana Loewus — May 09, 2013 1 min read
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I have to say, this video recalls frustrations from high school that I think I’d blocked out until now. And perhaps that’s why it’s gone viral ...

According to Gawker, this high school student who tells off his history teacher is from Duncanville, Texas. The speech he gives on his way out the door, above his teacher’s impassive “Bye"s, is both harsh and unpredictably eloquent.

“If you would just freakin’ teach ‘em instead of giving ‘em a packet, yo,” he begins. “There’s kids in here that don’t learn like that. They need to learn face to face.”

He soon brings his argument to the 30,000-foot level.

“Ya gotta take this job serious—this is the future of this nation. And when you come in here, like you did last time, and make a statement about ‘Oh, this is my paycheck,’ indeed it is. But this is my country’s future and my education.”

As frustrated as he is, he keeps his language pretty clean (with one arguable exception). Given his energetic, preacher-like style and lively hand gestures (not to mention awesome hair), I can’t help but think I’d rather be taught by him than the woman behind the desk.

Let us know your own thoughts on the clip.

UPDATE 4:10 p.m.: Fox4 Dallas-Fort Worth has some additional coverage of the incident, including an interview with the student, identified as 18-year-old Jeff Bliss. Apparently the school has decided not to discipline Bliss, who admits he got “a little carried away.” Perhaps the most notable piece of follow-up, though, is that Bliss dropped out of school after 9th grade but re-enrolled. “So now I do take my schoolwork seriously,” he said. Oh, and that questionable curse word he used? Fox4 reports he was mimicking his teacher, who had hurled it his way moments before. She had not been reached for comment.

A version of this news article first appeared in the Teaching Now blog.