‘We are setting them up for failure’: Frustrated teacher laments state of US education after her principal bans entire class library

A passionate first-year English teacher for Junior High has taken to TikTok to call out the level of education students are receiving in schools across the U.S. and has claimed that the situation in her classroom was only made worse by the school principal’s puritanism over books.

The TikToker who goes by “wickedwomenauthor” said that her seventh- and eighth-grade classrooms were struggling with basic concepts of language and writing. According to her, she has students who “can’t spell basic words, who don’t know where to put punctuation, who don’t know that I’s need to be capitalized when they’re standing on their own.”

The list goes on, and it paints a very concerning picture of the way education in American schools is going. “What is happening in the US??” asked one worried commenter. Others went with a more conspiratorial take, claiming, “As long as you keep the public uneducated, it’s easier to rule them.”

However, educating the students appears to be an uphill battle, as the frustrated teacher claimed that the school’s principal had only made matters worse by banning every book in the teacher’s class library.

The principal claimed the books were “inappropriate”

“In the midst of all this,” the teacher rants, “I have a principal who has banned my entire class library on the basis that it’s inappropriate.” The teacher claims she tried to argue her case, even suggesting that they send out permission slips to parents to allow the students to read the books, but the principal told her, “That wasn’t permissible.”

When the teacher asked her to look through the library and tell her what was allowed, the principal once again refused: “That requires too much effort,” the angry teacher quipped. The principal allegedly asked her, “Why don’t you tell me which ones are permissible?”

The teacher claims she did as she was asked, coming in on a day off to sort through the books. “I printed off an Accelerated Reader sheet for every single novel in my classroom.” But it apparently wasn’t enough for the principal. “Surprise, surprise, she moved the finish line,” the teacher said, claiming the principal had banned upper-grade YA books, along with middle-school books now as well.

The teacher could barely contain her frustration as she spoke about how the education system was failing students, claiming they were being tested on seventh- and eighth-grade literacy while only being permitted to read third- to fourth-grade books. “We are setting them up for failure by only allowing them to read up to a third-grade level.”

Commenters on TikTok lamented the state of education but commended the teacher for her passion: “teachers like you are needed,” one person wrote. Another suggested she share her video in the local community Facebook pages, “The community cares! Parents will care! Get more people on your side!”