A former high school teacher has claimed in a TikTok video that is going viral that today’s students “cannot read, cannot write, and cannot think critically.”
She also claimed in her provocative video that educators across the United States are leaving the classroom in record numbers because the system is failing both teachers and students.
The creator, identified as Audry (@ok.audryy), posted a two-minute video that quickly went viral. Speaking candidly about her experience in the classroom, she described a “crisis of competence” that, in her words, “should scare every last one of us.”
“These kids cannot read. They cannot write. There is no type of comprehension, no type of critical thinking,” Audry said. “They expect everything to be given to them.”
In her video, Audry recounted assigning her students a simple weekly writing task — a single paragraph, five sentences long. The reaction? Widespread complaints that the assignment was “too much.”
“The amount of students who turned in one sentence, two sentences — and then asked if three was enough for a paragraph — was unbelievable,” she said.
But the deeper problem, she argued, isn’t laziness. It’s a broken education system.
According to Audry, teachers are pressured to pass students who are clearly unprepared in order to maintain graduation rates.
“The school board is failing these kids. The principals are failing them. The system is failing teachers,” she said. “We’re told to just pass them along.”
She also called out parents for being disengaged — ignoring calls, failing to check online grade portals, and then blaming teachers when students fall behind.
“Probably because you didn’t answer the phone,” she said bluntly. “Or you didn’t respond to my email.”
Audry’s warning goes beyond the classroom. She fears that the long-term effects of these trends could spill into the professional world.
“We should be very scared for our new nurses, our new doctors, our new everybody,” she said. “These colleges are going to have to start lowering their requirements because the kids coming in cannot do anything without AI.”
A Widespread Crisis in Education
Audry’s viral post echoes the findings of numerous studies showing a nationwide decline in literacy and critical thinking among young Americans. The 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reported that reading scores among 13-year-olds had dropped to the lowest level in decades. Math and writing scores also saw steep declines following the pandemic.
Experts say the issue goes beyond test results — it’s about independent thinking.
Dr. Elaine Foster, a former superintendent and education consultant, says what Audry describes “isn’t isolated — it’s systemic.”
“We’ve created a culture of minimal effort,” Foster told The Chronicle. “Students are shielded from failure, parents are disengaged, and teachers are demoralized. It’s a perfect storm.”
The Human Cost of a Broken System
Beyond the data and debates lies the emotional toll on teachers themselves. Many are walking away from a profession they once loved.
A 2023 National Education Association survey found that 55% of teachers were considering leaving the profession earlier than planned. Burnout, low pay, lack of administrative support, and behavioral issues were among the top reasons cited.
Audry’s story captures that exhaustion vividly — not from apathy, but from disillusionment.
“Everyone is failing these kids,” she lamented. “And at the end of the day, it’s not really their fault.”
A Wake-Up Call, Not Just a Viral Moment
Audry’s viral video may fade from TikTok feeds in a week, but the problem she highlights won’t disappear so easily. Her message is a wake-up call for school boards, policymakers, and parents to confront uncomfortable truths about the state of education in America.
Lowering standards might preserve graduation rates, but it does little to prepare students for real-world demands — or to protect the integrity of the teaching profession.
As Audry warns, “We should be scared.”
But perhaps fear is what’s needed to spur meaningful change before the next generation enters a workforce where reading, writing, and reasoning are not optional — they’re essential.
