A Florida middle school teacher is in hot water after posting videos on social media of his students. The content at the center of the debate is footage of white kids bowing down to Black pupils to celebrate Black History Month.
Yesterday (Feb. 22), the New York Post reported that after parents discovered the TikTok videos, Ethan Hooper, who teaches sixth graders language at Howard Middle School in Orlando, was placed on leave by administrators. One post showed the white students catering to their Black counterparts by feeding, fanning and bowing down to them. Needless to say, this footage stirred things up on social media.
This Florida teacher made students participate in a skit for black history month where white students act like servants for black students pic.twitter.com/g29SgNd3pn
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 17, 2023
“This is horribly racist, sad and pathetic,” a tweet read. Another added, “CRT [Critical Race Theory] has no place in the school system!” The message was in reference to Hooper directing his students to snatch books from one another — taking aim at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “Stop WOKE Act,” which prohibits grade school children from learning about history that forces some to come to terms with America’s racist past. “This teacher is awesome. We need more like him. Those kids are having fun!! And it’s making a point to keep the government out of our personal business,” another commenter added.
However, parents and school officials, in general, did not agree. Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Maria Vazquez said, “I am appalled at the behavior and judgment of the teacher who posted the inappropriate videos using his students as political props. This is not free speech — it is the exploitation of our students for political purposes, and it will not be tolerated in our school district.” One person called out Hooper posting underaged children online without consent: “What is a teacher doing on social media during school hours, much less posting his students’ identities?”
See more reactions below.
This is horribly racist, sad, and pathetic.
— Jason “Storm Chaser” Nelson (@Storm4Congress) February 17, 2023
This teacher is awesome. We need more like him. Those kids are having fun!! And it's making a point to keep the government out of our personal business.
— 🅙 🅔 🅕 🅕 (@GilcoGames) February 17, 2023
CRT has no place in the school system!
— Adrian O Cruz (@MagaStallion) February 20, 2023