A Gen Z student has made an unsettling comment to his millennial teacher, sparking a debate online.
In the post, the high school English teacher shared the confusing experience during a school ball. She described how she approached two students suspected of sneaking alcohol into the event.
One student, identified as Stewart, made a series of "super creepy" comments about her personal life. This left the teacher feeling "paranoid" about whether or not the student had knowledge of her life outside of school.
Newsweek spoke to Omotola Ajibade, a forensic psychiatrist and founder of Ajibade Consulting Group LLC, about where the teacher's concerns might be valid.
In the post, the OP [original poster] shared what Stewart had told her, when confronted about the alcohol: "Come on, Miss. Don't pretend you won't open that bottle of Baileys when you get home, feet up in your dressing gown, watching the new TV. Give us a break."
"Now, as soon as he said this, I felt my heart drop into my stomach and got cold all over," the OP wrote. "I had just bought a bottle of Baileys Irish Cream for myself the weekend before the dance. I am in the habit...of having a bath and watching a movie or series in my dressing gown. My husband bought a new television over Christmas."
The OP's concern was worsened by her husband and supervisor's dismissive attitudes, both attributing the incident to either coincidence or overactive imagination. Now, she is having trouble sleeping and feeling more skittish at home.
Users on Reddit had their fair share of speculations and concerns.
"Trust your gut on this one," one person wrote. "I don't have any immediate advice, but please don't let commenters and people in your life downplay this."
"Do you use social media that the kids could be stalking you on? Do you know every follower and friend on all platforms? These types tend to be chronically online," another wrote—but the OP clarified that her socials were private.
An expert opinion
Newsweek spoke to Ajibade, who validated the OP's concerns and highlighted the potential seriousness of the situation.
"Stalking is an insidious issue that's difficult to notice at first and equally challenging to combat," he said. "The structure of the original post suggests that the students likely had intimate knowledge of the teacher's habits.
"One may reasonably guess at one or two of the habits mentioned. Still, unless the students are expert mentalists or Sherlock Holmes, it seems unlikely they would have known that level of detail about her life, without regular keen observation."
Ajibade stressed the importance of consulting experts when dealing with potential stalking situations, as the approach needs to be tailored to the specific circumstances.
"Depending on the type of stalker the person is, taking action may enrage them and escalate the behaviors. That's particularly true of the resentful types of stalkers who are more likely to issue threats but are relatively unlikely to follow through," he said. "This contrasts with a rejected kind of stalker who is both very likely to issue threats and follow through if provoked."
As the teacher struggles with her heightened paranoia and fear for her safety, the Reddit community debated the appropriateness of Stewart's comments—and the broader implications for privacy and teacher-student boundaries in the age of social media.
Newsweek reached out to u/ThrowRAJade94 for comment via Reddit. We could not verify the details of the case.
English (US) ·