During her time working at private schools in Los Angeles, TikToker Katie (@katiedooley975) witnessed quite a bit of corruption going on in those institutions.
There was one particular incident at a school that pushed her to finally quit her job.
At first glance, the school had everything you’d expect from an elite private campus: high tuition, stellar grades, and a strong emphasis on reputation. But what happened behind the scenes told a very different story.
More than a decade ago, she recalls a situation involving two students that escalated into a public humiliation. The counselor’s son encouraged a female student in the eighth grade to send inappropriate photos to him.
He then blew them up into enlarged photos and put them up at the school dance. The display blindsided the girl and embarrassed her in front of the whole school.
What troubled Katie the most was how the school handled the behavior. The girl was unfairly suspended, while the boy faced little to no consequences.
He continued to be able to attend every school event.
After that, Katie decided to put in her letter of resignation. She believes that family connections and internal relationships may have played a role in how the situation was addressed.
Since the boy’s parent worked at the school, they must have had some say in how the administration decided to handle it.
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It was just one example of a larger cultural problem within private school environments: protecting reputation over protecting students. Privilege and influence are used to escape consequences.
As a result, teachers at private schools were often placed in positions where they were expected to remain quiet and go along with administrative decisions, even when they felt ethically troubling.
“The teachers in LA are bullied enough to give the parents and the students what they want, which isn’t criterion-based,” said Katie.
“They’re not basing their success on a criteria. Sometimes, they’re basing it on the parents’ demands.”
In the comments section, several TikTok users agreed with Katie’s take and proceeded to describe their own experiences with private schools.
“I worked at private schools in LA for the past 10 years. It was a horrible experience, and I was bullied by parents and kids for a long time. I am sorry that you had a similar experience,” shared one user.
“What you’re describing is sadly true for most private schools. I taught in NYC, and it’s the same deal. Needless to say, I sent my own children to public. They both had amazing experiences,” commented another.
“One private French school I went to was wild. Art teacher was [touching] kids. She didn’t get in trouble because all the staff were family members. Insanity,” added someone else.
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
