The Daily Dot
"Thought I was doing some good for the youth": Substitute teacher fired after v…
"You didn’t know you couldn’t record the students?”
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TikTok Teacher Fired: Creator Addresses Controversy and Misinterpretations
A popular TikTok content creator, known as "Thehandmade.ceo," has publicly addressed their recent dismissal from a substitute teaching role, attributing the termination to significant misunderstandings surrounding their online presence. In a video uploaded on October 26, 2025, the creator, who had a previous TikTok account with 100,000 followers, explained that this was their first experience as a substitute teacher and expressed regret over the incident. The core of the controversy appears to stem from videos posted on TikTok that allegedly depicted the teacher interacting with students. However, the creator clarified that many of these recordings were made during periods when they were alone in the classroom, not actively supervising students. "It looked as if I had a class, but I did not have a class, and the school knows that I did," the creator stated, emphasizing their free time during which the content was produced. They further added, "I had absolutely no idea that I couldn't record students, or else I definitely wouldn't have done it." A particular point of contention was the creator's use of phrases like "the kids were going to take me down." The creator vehemently denied any sexual or inappropriate connotations, explaining that such terminology is part of their distinct slang and is understood by their online community as a playful expression of support and recognition. They noted that the students already knew them as a content creator, and their interactions were based on this pre-existing familiarity. "Those kids were smaller than me, shorter than me, younger than me. They are shorties, they are young. That absolutely means nothing with flirting," they asserted, aiming to dispel any misinterpretations. The creator concluded by offering a sincere apology to the parents and students of Lake Cormorant, expressing deep regret for the misunderstanding and affirming their positive intentions throughout their brief tenure. They acknowledged the need for more professional word choice but maintained that their actions were never inappropriate.
