A high school teacher recently filed a police report after discovering that her prized Hello Kitty Funko Pop, a collectible figurine, had gone missing from her classroom, and the alleged culprit is one of her own students.
The other week, TikToker @_d3thateacher was out for a few days while a substitute teacher managed her classroom. During that time, the Hello Kitty Funko Pop was stolen from her desk. She had also received a note from the sub that her students were not behaving well.
When she returned to school, she gave her students a short speech about having integrity. Whoever did it could just put the item back while she was gone, and no one would know a thing.
She had provided plenty of opportunities to be honest. However, it still has not been returned to its rightful place.
“I am finally filing a police report, so that is currently what’s happening,” she stated. “It is a shame that I can’t feel comfortable or safe in my classroom as I have over the past few years. To know that my item was stolen and not returned to me is very heartbreaking, and I’ve never experienced this.”
The Hello Kitty Funko Pop had sentimental value to her because a third-grade student had bought it for her six years ago, back when she taught the third grade.
This year, she took it out of the box and displayed it in her Hello Kitty-themed high school classroom. When she posted it on TikTok, she learned that it actually had a lot of monetary value. The collectible item is going for nearly $300 on eBay.
Six years ago, it wasn’t worth much money, but now that she knows it has value, she can file a police report. At the end of the day, she doesn’t really care how much it costs. The fact that something of hers was stolen is unacceptable, and she’s taking the matter very seriously.
In a follow-up video, she further discussed what the consequences would be for the student who stole her Funko Pop. She’s never had any issues with stealing in the past.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
She teaches a career pathway class, so the majority of her students want to be there to learn, and she has a good relationship with them.
“I’m definitely going to contact the parents when I find out, contact my principal, demand the money back or the item back,” @_d3thateacher said.
“I’m sure it’s probably gone or whatever they did with it, but this item was very special to me.”
She filmed another video of herself addressing the class about violating her personal space. She instructed them to write a journal prompt about their behavior for the first 20 minutes of class. She also mentioned that she “had an idea” about who the culprit was.
Finally, in the last video of this series, she recorded herself packing up her belongings because she can no longer trust her students not to steal from her while she’s gone.
She took her stapler, pens, doorbell, a Hello Kitty karaoke microphone, a Hello Kitty blanket, body spray, candy, a charger, and the empty box that once held her Funko Pop.
People in the comments section rallied around her and even shared instances in which students had broken a teacher’s trust and spirit by stealing their belongings.
“A kid stole a math teacher’s Among Us plushies, and he was crashing out because those were given to him [by] his sister, who is deceased. I’m not sure if he ever got them back. This was last year when I was a senior,” commented one person.
“I stopped decorating my class. It looks just like a prison cell now. They break everything, and what they don’t break, they steal. I don’t even have a pencil sharpener. They broke two in the first three weeks,” wrote another.
“You are not wrong. I had a Michael Jackson surfboard from California on my desk. [I’ve] had it since I was like 12. Came back and it was gone. Left my desk bare after that,” added a third.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
