Teacher Says She Got Fired Over 'PG' TikTok Dance With Students

Ashley Hunte
The TikTok logo on a phone.
Unsplash | Solen Feyissa

TikTok is a lot of fun for a lot of people. But with all the good can come a lot of bad, too. People sharing stories about how their TikTok accounts have been getting them fired have become more and more common since the app's rise in popularity.

But for one TikTok user, her job termination came after a student of hers posted a TikTok with her in it.

The user shared her story on the platform, stating that it happened back in the spring of 2021.

TikToker Jania Ashay in the midst of sharing her story.
TikTok | @heyniaa_

In her TikTok, Jania Ashay (@heyniaa_) shared that, while working as an ESL teacher, she'd faced discrimination from her coworkers, citing that as part of the reason her school laid her off over the TikTok.

Though she specifically taught students learning English as a second language, the other students considered her their teacher as well.

An empty classroom with two columns of desks.
Unsplash | Ivan Aleksic

"So two of the other girls who were in the 'general ed' asked me if they could come into my classroom one day to eat lunch."

As the "cool teacher," Jania said yes.

A person holding up a phone in a mall, which is open to TikTok.
Unsplash | Olivier Bergeron

The students asked her if they could do a TikTok dancing together, to which Jania also said yes. She also said that they technically weren't supposed to have their phones out at lunch, but she allowed it.

Then, the next day the kids get called down to the principal's office.

Jania continuing her TikTok story.
TikTok | @heyniaa_

Jania also clarified that the dance wasn't provocative in nature, even including a censored version of a Nicki Minaj song: "It was so PG," she adds.

The kids told her that the principal didn't want them telling Jania about their talk.

A phone on a table that's open to TikTok.
Unsplash | Hello I'm Nik

They were asked to take the video down and to not tell Jania about it, but they did anyway. "I'm the cool teacher. They love me, that's why they wanted to be with me at lunch."

She says that the principal's meeting was pretty awful.

"She was talking to me like I was a child," Jania says.

They then went to HR, who sided with the principal, ultimately leading to Jania's dismissal.

Jania uploaded a second TikTok, continuing her story.

In the follow-up video, Jania talks about how, while at the time the ordeal was traumatizing and upsetting for her, it ended up being a blessing in disguise. She now travels frequently and even teaches people who want to become travel agents.

Then, she posted a TikTok where she reads a letter sent by one of the students with whom she filmed the dance video.

She reads the TikTok, where the poor kid feels responsible for getting her teacher fired. Jania also shows off different letters, cards, and works of art that her students made for her.

She then posts the TikTok that got her fired.

It was originally posted on the student's page, not Jania's, but she recorded it before they took it down. She shows how the dance was actually incredibly harmless. But Jania believes that the principal had always hated her and used the TikTok as an excuse to get rid of her.

Many commenters were pretty angry about the whole thing.

A man saying, "Not cool man, not cool."
Giphy | ABC Network

"It’s crazy cus you can go anywhere and teachers do these exact same things and get applause for it," a commenter pointed out.

Another said, "Some admin be jealous of the relationship teachers have with their students. Especially when all the students gravitate to you."

What do you think? Let us know in the comments!