Teacher booted for singing Britney's 'Toxic' in class, Internet says 'I've seen worse'
A substitute teacher at Bowie High School in Austin, Texas was forced to cut his workday short after being fired for a karaoke session in class. The unidentified teacher was caught belting Britney Spears' 'Toxic' along with a light show during the first period on December 3, 2021. In response, the Austin Independent School District (AISD) said he "wasn’t following best practices," and asked him to leave.
The news offers a more lighthearted take on school antics, after a long year of divisive news from classrooms. From Critical Race Theory education, to mask mandates, schools have become hotspots for furious debate, and often anger and violence by parents. In September, one parent even forced a Florida school into lockdown after threatening to confront officials over their mask mandate.
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But just like masks and CRT, the karaoke incident seems to have left many furious. While not everyone enjoyed the teacher's rendition of 'Toxic', they were all united in their furor at the school's response, noting that teachers have been caught for worse.
'The lights are a bit much'
It's unclear who the teacher is, as his identity has not been revealed by AISD. On December 3, it appeared he wanted to have some fun, rather than teach the class. So he took out a mic and began singing while being recorded by some of the students. Along with the music, he also turned on some sort of light projector, covering the class in multicolored lights. The AISD confirmed he was the one who brought the karaoke machine to class. For those interested, here's a glimpse of his singing skills-
‘Toxic’ Teacher: A substitute at Bowie High School in south Austin wanted to be a “class clown” for the day.
— Ricky (@RickyG_TV) December 3, 2021
The substitute and bad singer broke out the karaoke machine to take on “Toxic” by Britney Spears.
He was sent home. @KXAN_News pic.twitter.com/QYMebGzg5B
Shortly after the karaoke session, the teacher was called up by the authorities and asked to leave. Initially, there were rumors the person was a prankster posing as a teacher, but the district confirmed he was a registered substitute who cleared the background checks. "All processes were followed, it was simply a case of a substitute not following our practices," an AISD spokesperson told KXAN.
The spokesperson also dryly commented, "I’ve heard worse Britney Spears covers, but the lights are a bit much." He wasn't the only one with a sense of humor, some users on social media also saw the funny side of the teacher's antics.
Teacher dubbed 'absolute king'
"As a former AISD sub I consider him a hero," one person tweeted. Another said, "Austin ISD says karaoke isn't following the districts best practices. I take more offense to the performance than the karaoke itself TBH." One user noted, "The kids weren’t ready for the light show." One person called the sub an "Absolute king." Another user jokingly noted, "And at Bowie High School too. Maybe if they’d done “Star Man” instead?"
As a former AISD sub I consider him a hero https://t.co/9WA75WPfSV
— celine (@bimbo_mode) December 6, 2021
Austin ISD says karaoke isn't following the districts best practices. I take more offense to the preformance than the karaoke itself TBH (Video of the guy doing Toxic by Britney Spears attached) https://t.co/trWm5nfVlv
— 𝕭𝖑𝖚𝖊𝖗𝖆𝖟𝖟𝖇𝖑𝖔𝖜𝖕𝖔𝖕 (@bluerazzblowpop) December 6, 2021
The kids weren’t ready for the light show. https://t.co/NmYeEWavEb
— TheeMimsy (@MimsyYamaguchi) December 6, 2021
And at Bowie High School too. Maybe if they’d done “Star Man” instead?
— Kent “don’t deck the” Hall (@windsorknot) December 4, 2021
Others offered a more damning takedown of the school. "I've seen substitute teachers do far worse things in class," one person commented. Another user tweeted, "Texas substitute teacher who brought karaoke machine to class asked to leave. With all the crazy $hit these teachers have been up to and it's karaoke that pisses the administration off? Funny." Another mocked, "Beginner’s mistake: he should have done it with two AR15 in each of his hands."
I've seen substitute teachers do far worse things in class. https://t.co/n6sVpzlnYC
— Ted Gioia (@tedgioia) December 4, 2021
Texas substitute teacher who brought karaoke machine to class asked to leave. With all the crazy $hit these teachers have been up to and it's karaoke that pisses the administration off? Funny.https://t.co/gL8UeSAh8G
— johnnyk2000 (@johnnyk20001) December 3, 2021
Beginner’s mistake: he should have done it with two AR15 in each of his hands.
— Obi Wan Two Three (@ObiWan_2_3) December 6, 2021
It's unclear what happened to the man after he was booted, but he reportedly picked up another job at another high school in the district. Hopefully, they don't find his behavior too toxic for the classroom.
Disclaimer: This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.