Recently, I came across this high school teacher, who went viral all over TikTok for her Funko Pop Hello Kitty getting stolen off her desk while she had a substitute teacher subbing her class one day. The teacher’s account is @_d3thateacher, who went viral for revealing that she was quite upset with getting the Funko Pop stolen, as it meant quite a lot to her. She had received it 6 years ago from one of her 3rd-grade students, and while it may not seem that important, it was quite sentimental to her because she received it from a student, and Hello Kitty is all around her room. While it may seem like a toy to most people, it meant a lot to her because of the influence being a teacher has had on her and how she is impacting young people’s lives through education. She later found out through TikTok, after her initial post, that the Funko Pop is now worth over $300 and is very hard to get your hands on, which shocked me! However, I have noticed how popular Hello Kitty has become for people as a way to express themselves and decorate online. For example, at TJ Max,x people will go through the whole store hunting for the Hello Kitty decor items, like blankets, makeup mirrors, mugs, and more! People go as far as to hide Hello Kitty items around the store to buy later, which shows how popular and willing people are to go for this character.
She eventually filed a police report regarding the Funko Pop being stolen; she did share that the reason she took further action after the student did not step up was because she felt violated, and as a teacher she did not want to get the student arrested or in trouble, but to understand their actions and the effects that it causes as a learning lesson. She shared that she is educating potential doctors, lawyers, and teachers of the next generation, and she wants them to understand that there are consequences to their actions when they steal from others. Some people online believe she went too far as to file a police report and continue to document the story on TikTok, as again, it is a “toy.” However, many have praised her for taking action and showing that students should not violate their teachers’ kindness and personal space/belongings.
I thought this was a crazy story to share because it shows the harsh reality that many people are facing in education today: a disconnect between students and teachers. I remember in high school, “devious licks” became a trend, where students were posting online, taking bathroom stalls off the wall, toilets, sinks, and even stealing chairs. This kind of harmful and destructive behavior has been normalized in schools as a way of clout and popularity. These types of incidents cause more attention and shock and are quite harmful to maintaining a safe and healthy environment for students to learn and build relationships with their classmates and teachers. Additionally, @d3thateacher shared in a video that, since this incident has occurred, she has neither felt safe nor the same about coming into school every day because of the mistrust it has now brought her about her students.
She recently did an update, sharing that she still has not received the Funko Pop back and said, “It is now in the hands of my school, they will take care of everything else from here, and they are handling the situation. I am very grateful that they are supporting me.” She has not shared any further info regarding the police report she made, but wanted to share that it is important to bring to light that this has since made her feel unsafe and taken advantage of. I have seen so many videos and stories regarding people disrespecting their teachers and taking time away from the learning environment. This makes it so much harder for teachers to have genuine and honest relationships with their students without having to set boundaries.