Though teachers act as an additional guardian to children, there are remarks that they are not allowed to make to parents without it being considered overstepping.
Now that she's not in the classroom anymore, however, TikToker and former teacher Maggie Perkins has no problem spilling all the tea, informing parents of the ways in which they're falling short in caring for their children, and how that impacts other people's perception of their children.
In the first video in a series, Perkins shared basics, like not touching genitals, washing hands after using the restroom, and basic maintenance, like brushing teeth, clipping nails, and washing hair.
In addition to the child's hygiene is the cleanliness if their possessions. Their water bottles grow mold, and their lunch boxes, backpacks, and winter and rain coats get dirty and need to be washed.
You can watch Perkins' first video here:
In a follow-up video, the former teacher continued to explore other hygiene issues that she'd noticed about her students that other students and teachers noticed, too.
Among these were greasy, unwashed hair, as well as picking and eating scabs and boogers. With basic hygiene tasks like butt-wiping and blowing noses not being taught at home, many children were constantly dirty and smelly to others in the classroom.
You can watch the video here:
In a third video, Perkins focused on the effects of smoking around children. Even when parents don't smoke inside the home, the smell would often still linger on their clothing and in their hair, which would transfer to their children.
She astutely pointed out that this will become an issue beyond embarrassment for children when they reach middle school, as some authority figures might think they are smoking cigarettes or weed, and they'll receive unwanted, undeserved attention or punishment.
Other smells like cat litter or excess dust or cardboard in a house with too many possessions can similarly transfer to kids.
You can see that video here:
Some viewers were heartbroken that these things even needed to be said.
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Others agreed and shared additional pointers for parents and guardians to consider.
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It's alarming that a former teacher felt the need to make a series of videos about tasks that should be among the most basic of hygiene maintenance.
Parenting is hard and involves a lot of moving parts, but providing a child with basic care is non-negotiable.
